completed in 1936 The Jamaicaway was designed by
Frederick Law Olmsted as part of the
Emerald Necklace of green spaces, extending from
Boston Common on
Beacon Hill to
Franklin Park in
Roxbury. It connects
Riverway in the north with
Arborway in the south. Designed with
carriages in mind during an era when Jamaica Plain was a sparsely inhabited
streetcar suburb, the Jamaicaway is now a heavily-traveled route for
motor vehicles connecting central areas of Boston (especially the
Longwood Medical and Academic Area) with areas to the southwest, including
Forest Hills,
West Roxbury and the densely populated suburbs of
Norfolk County. The winding nature and narrow lanes of the road, and its heavy use by commuters leads to many vehicle collisions. Many of the houses which line the Jamaicaway are large and of architectural interest. The oldest houses were created by
elite Bostonians for year-round or seasonal use. The person most mentioned in association with the Jamaicaway today is probably
James Michael Curley, the
Irish American Mayor of Boston whose former house was long easy to spot, even after Curley's death, by the
shamrock design incised in its shutters. ==Major intersections==