The land was the property of the Goddard family during the Revolutionary War. William Fletcher Weld purchased it between 1841 and 1881 to create "Windy Top," his country estate. William Fletcher Weld II inherited the property and built a polo ground where the athletic fields are now located.

Isabel Weld Anderson and Larz Anderson acquired the property and transformed it into one of the showcases of New England. Mrs. Anderson bequeathed the main portion of the estate to the town. The town report of that year states that the plants in the greenhouses were set in the town's parks, squares, and around public buildings. The town tore the vacant house down in 1955 and removed the Italian garden to make space for the skating rink. With funds provided by a Massachusetts self-help grant, the town is preserving and stabilizing the landscape and the gazebo as well as renovating the playground. In 2010, the Larz Anderson Skating Pavilion was renamed the Jack Kirrane Ice Skating Rink, in honor of Jack Kirrane, a life-long resident of Brookline and a member of the 1948 and 1960 Winter Olympics American Hockey teams, winning the gold medal in 1960.

Source: Town of Brookline

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