Baxter Boulevard
 A distance marker on theBack Cove Trail | |
| Maintained by | City of Portland, Maine |
|---|---|
| Length | 1.91 mi (3.07 km) |
| Location | Portland, Maine |
| Northeast end | Bates Street |
| Southwest end | Preble Street |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1917 |
Baxter Boulevardis aboulevardandparkwayinPortland, Maine.The road, around 1.91 miles (3.07 km) long, erved as the means to head north from downtown Portland beforeTukey's Bridge,now onInterstate 295(I-295), was built. The road was part ofU.S. Route 1(US 1) until May 2007. The parkway wraps around the west side ofBack Cove estuary basin.
The parkway and roadway began as an initiative of MayorJames Phinney Baxter,for whom it is named. It was envisioned as one of four parks in the city (along withDeering Oaks,Western PromenadeandEastern Promenade) which would encircle the city. The parkway was designed by the noted landscape design firmOlmsted, Olmsted and Eliotin 1895.[1]Property owners donated the then-useless land next to the cove and the walking and biking path were filled in to create theBack Cove Trail.Originally called theBack Cove Boulevard,the parkway opened in 1917. It covers 30 acres (12 ha).[2]
Tree planting began on the Boulevard in 1921 as a memorial toWorld War Ivictims.[3]
Baxter Boulevard was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placesas a historic landscape district in October 1989.[4]
References[edit]
- ^"NRHP nomination for Back Cove".National Park Service.Retrieved2015-10-29.
- ^Portland City GuidePage 291
- ^Adams, Herb (1999). Holtwijk, Theo H.B.M.; Shettleworth Jr., Earle G. (eds.).Bold vision: the development of the parks of Portland, Maine.Published for Greater Portland Landmarks, Inc. by Phoenix Pub.ISBN0939761068.
- ^"National Register Information System".National Register of Historic Places.National Park Service.July 9, 2010.
