This is a photo of 37 South Park Avenue located near the corner of South Park Avenue and Roseland Terrace. The original owner, Owen McIntyre built this house in 1899 for the cost of $3500. It was one of the first built in South Park Estates.
The arrival of a trolley line to Longmeadow Street in 1896 linked our town to the cities of Springfield in the north and Hartford in the south. This created rapid growth and South Park Estates was the first of several planned subdivisions built within easy access to the trolley line.
South Park Estates is a 45-acre tract of land purchased from the Colton Family in 1898 by William Cheney, Theodore Leete, and Edward Murphy who described this planned neighborhood as "featuring spacious streets and terraces with a charming circular park at the center". Bounded by Forest Glen Road, and Laurel, Converse, and Longmeadow Streets, most house architecture in this area is Queen Ann Style (see photo above), Colonial Revival, or Craftsman (also known as Bungalow).
Contributed by Andrea Taupier, Board Member, Longmeadow Historical Society
Originally published September 10, 2020