Newton Throwback: No Longer Frozen in Time

In the 1890s, Bullough’s Pond came close to being filled in and turned into house lots. Instead, the pond was restored, given to the City of Newton as recreation space, and became a popular spot for ice skating. Signs on streetcars advertised the “good skating” in Newtonville. The ice was so well-maintained that the City of Boston asked how it could create a similar pond on the Esplanade. In the 1920s, the pond was dredged to help thicker ice form, and in the 1950s it froze reliably enough to host Newton High School’s home hockey games. Skating is now discouraged because the ice doesn’t become thick enough to meet current safety standards. The warming shed at the edge of the pond, once a popular gathering space but now in disrepair, will be torn down later this month.