23 Walks: Hollywood Walk

Hollywood Walk with the Town Historian

The public is invited to a free history walk on Saturday, March 18, at 1:00 p.m., starting at the parking lot at 283 East Center Street, Manchester, intersection of Lenox and East Center Streets. We’ll explore Hollywood, a suburban development envisioned by E.J. Holl (1874-1967), a remarkable man in Manchester's history. He moved here from his native England in 1903 and became a land tycoon and developer, with a thriving business in real estate, investments, insurance, and mortgages. One of E.J.Holl's slogans was "He cuts the Earth to suit your taste," and he did cut up many housing developments, in our Town. We’ll walk along Porter Street to the development’s curving streets, which were laid out in 1925. Those who bought the house-lots could choose a house-style, sometimes from pattern books, and choose their own builders. In the days before zoning and subdivision regulations, homeowners were assured they would live in a refined area, without factories, stores, and farming nearby. The walk will take about 90 minutes. Rain or shine, but extreme weather cancels. This is one of the 23 bicentennial walks in 2023, celebrating Manchester’s 200^th birthday. The next two walks are • Saturday, April 8, starting at Highland Park School, and • Saturday, April 22, starting at Robertson School. Illustrated booklets with details about the 23 walks are available at Town libraries and Town Hall.

Here is the online version of the booklet: http://www.manchesterhistory.org/Booklet23WalksWeb.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

When

Location

1050 Main Street, 06042, View Map