Facilities

About the Field

Harry Downes Field, surrounded by trees on 2 sides and a dense neighborhood, is across from Olmsted Park. The park includes a track, field facilities, synthetic turf soccer and football fields, and 1 softball diamond. There is also a play area located at the southwestern end of the site, and a restroom and storage building located behind the backstop in the northeastern end of the field. Mature oaks line the southern edge of the property.

Park History

The town voted to buy this land from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1906. The purchase did not take place until 1914. It was named Brookline Stadium, then renamed Brookline Field. A field house and grandstand were built in 1929. There were plans to enlarge the field and to put in a running track. In 1979, improvements included a new tot lot, field house, bleachers, running track and 3 ball fields. Additional improvements occurred in 1983, funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Another reconstruction took place in 1994-1995. In 2006, a portion of Harry Downes became the Kraft Family Athletic Facility following the installation of a state-of-the-art synthetic turf field and resurfacing of the track, thanks to a generous donation by the Kraft family as well as a grant from the National Football League.

Deed / Title / Restrictions

The town purchased the property from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1914 for $85,000. There are no known restrictions on the property.

Amenities

• Size: 8.73 acres
• Protection: Article 97
• Precinct: 5
• Inventory Date: October 26, 2004, revised February 1, 2010
• Vicinity: Neighborhood of single and multi-family homes surrounded by neighborhood streets, across from Olmsted Park