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, the 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 real estate, investments, insurance, and mortgage business. One of E.J. Holl’s slogans was “He cuts the Earth to suit your taste,” and he 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 200th 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