In the Valley of Belmont, Part I: The Center

From Dave Brigham:

With apologies to residents of the community, I've long considered Belmont, Mass., a pass-through town. Coming from Newton, where I live, I would cut along Belmont's Pleasant Street to get to Route 2, and then on to Lanes & Games in Cambridge (R.I.P.). Or I would traverse that street on my way to Arlington to drop my son at a friend's house, or to see his school put on a play at that town's Regent Theatre.

I must always remember the primary Backside maxim: get out of the car, explore, learn.

Located less than a dozen miles northwest of Boston, Belmont (loose French translation: beautiful mountain) was established in 1859 "by former citizens of, and on land from the bordering towns of, Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then known as West Cambridge, to the north," according to Wikipedia. "The town was named after Bellmont, the 200-acre estate of the largest donor to its creation, John Perkins Cushing, after which Cushing Square is named." I'll cover Mr. Cushing and the square in the final post about Belmont.

Belmont was primarily a farming town until trolley servicee was introduced in the early years of the 20th century, Wikipedia continues. The town took on a more suburban feel then, with many large estates.

Today, the town "remains a primarily residential suburb, with little population growth since the 1950s," Wikipedia indicates. "It is best known for the mansion-filled Belmont Hill neighborhood, although most residents live in more densely settled, low-lying areas around the Hill."

It is a quiet town, a lovely town, and one with three primary commercial districts. In this post, I will cover Belmont Center; in two subsequent write-ups I will discuss Waverley Square and Cushing Square.

My first stop -- and how could it not be? -- was the stunning town hall.

I mean, holy cow, look at this place! Built in 1881, this Queen Anne-style masterpiece was desgined by Henry Hartwell, a well-known Boston architect whose works include the gorgeous First Spiritual Temple in Boston and both the Masonic Building and the Boston Chinese Evangelical Church in Newtonville, Mass., each of which I mention in this post from 2023.

In addition to serving as Belmont's town hall, the building has over the years provided space for the school committee, the fire department and the police department's jail, according to MACRIS. The Belmont Savings Bank also used space in the building.

At the main entrance is a monument to the men of Belmont who died in the Civil War.

Across Pleasant Street and up a short yet steep hill is Belmont Woman's Club.

Established in 1920, the club was organized to encourage women’s active involvement in educational and philanthropic activities, per its web site. These days, the club, which is comprised of both female and male members, sponsors community events and "awards scholarships to graduating Belmont High School students who demonstrate leadership qualities and an interest in art or history, and hosts regular lectures on diverse topics such as civil rights, global travel, and the little-known inventions of actress Hedy Lamar" (sic) (!!).

The members also act as stewards of the circa-1853 William Flagg Homer House in which the club is located. From MACRIS: "The William Flagg Homer House is significant because of its association with the 19th century American artist, Winslow Homer. The structure was built by the artist's Uncle (sic) in 1853, and although Winslow Homer did not reside here, he did live and paint nearby. Two paintings associated with his period in Belmont are "Croquet Scenes" (sic) and "Making Havelocks for the Front" (sic).

From here I turned east down Moore Street. I made a photo of #18, because a) I like the blue-tile exterior and b) I thought maybe it used to be "something."

I haven't found any interesting history for this place. I can't even be sure of the year it was built, although it may have been 1985. Current tenants include a handful of dental-related businesses. You win some, you lose some.

On a second trip to Belmont, I made two images along Leonard Street, the main commercial strip.

I was battling the sun, so only made one photo of buildings on the east side of the street. On the right in the image below is 65-89 Leonard Street, home to businesses including The Toy Shop of Belmont, Thai restaurant Patou and a Citizens Bank branch.

Known as the Locatelli Block Addition, this circa-1941 Colonial Revival building is similar in look to the building just to its north, as well as the Locatelli Block (circa 1940) just south of it. Both the original and the addition were constructed by the Albert Locatelli Co. of neighboring Arlington, according to MACRIS. "Filene’s was the first store to open in the new block," according to MACRIS. "In addition to Filene’s the other early store tenants included #65 – First National Stores; #69 – Ben Franklin Stores; #71 – Ye Goodie Shoppe, candies; #73 – Town and Country, women’s wear and #75 – Lewandos, Launderers."

As for the Locatelli Block original building, in 1944 "the tenants of the block were #49 – The Cleanliness shop; #51 – Beauty House; #53 – Dorothy Muriel, bakers; #55 – Hood’s Creamery; #59 – Sage’s Market; #61 – Macy Drug Co.; and #63 – U.E. Slocum, florist," MACRIS indicates.

Directly across from the first Locatelli building is a gorgeous former firehouse.

Built in 1899, the Belmont Center Fire Station is the oldest of the town's three stations. Current tenants include Il Casale, an Italian restaurant, and Knightsbridge, a venture capital firm.

I continued walking south along Leonard Street until it turned into Concord Avenue, passed under the MBTA commuter rail bridge, and then headed east. The furthest point I went in that direction was a Mobil gas station with a nice Pegasus logo above its restroom doors.

In my mind, this flying-horse trademark is one of greatest of all time - based in Greek mythology, bold in color, instantly recognizable. From the Lost and Foundry blog:

"The origins of the Pegasus imagery go back to 1866 with Vacuum Oil....Vacuum was bought by Standard Oil in 1879...[I]n 1911 the Vacuum Oil company changed their logo from the Gargoyle to the Pegasus trademark....In 1911 the US Supreme Court ruled that Standard Oil was to be dissolved into 43 companies, Vacuum being one of them. In 1931 Vacuum Oil and Socony merged. The pegasus – a symbol of speed and power – was adopted as the trademark of the two companies....In 1963 Socony rebranded as Mobil."

While I was more than happy to spot the old Pegasus, I'd decided to head east on Concord Avenue in order to spy what was at #395. I made a photo of the building there as I walked back toward Belmont Center.

This building is home to the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research. Belmont and its neighborhing communities of Watertown and Cambridge are home to one of the largest Armenian-American communities in the United States.

What drew my interest to this site, however, isn't its current use. According to Wikipedia, a building that stood on this site prior to 2018 was the headquarters of the John Birch Society from its founding in 1958 until its relocation to Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1989.

I don't recall how I found out about the JBS in Belmont, but I was surprised. If you're not familiar with the society, I'll just leave you with Wikipedia's description: it is "an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, right-wing populist, and right-wing libertarian ideas."

Continuing west on Concord Avenue, I was charmed by a small retail building next to the tunnel under the tracks.

I feel like this quaint place would slot nicely into a village in the Swiss Alps. I especially like the clock. I haven't found out anything about this building, unfortunately. Current tenants include Good Look Optical and The Luxe Dose med spa.

Across Concord Avenue is Belmont's First Unitarian Church.

Built in 1890, this Richardsonian Romanesque beauty was designed by well-known firm Hartwell and Richardson. The architecture outfit "contributed significantly to the current building stock and architecture of the greater Boston area," per Wikipedia. "Many of its buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places."

Back on the other side of the street, just north of where Concord Avenue merges into Common Street is the historic Belmont Railroad Station along Royal Road. As you can see, this place is currently occupied by the Belmont Lions Club, and is undergoing renovations.

"The Belmont Railroad Station is a significant early 20th century railroad station which is distinctive for its creative rubble stone and stucco construction in a Craftsman-influenced style," according to MACRIS. "The structure was built into the elevated grade of the railroad tracks, a feature which is indicated stylistically by the stepped pattern of the front porch openings from east to west."

The station was built in 1908 from a design by the Ludowici-Celadon Company, per MACRIS. That outfit traces its origins to 1888 with the formation of the Celadon Terra Cotta Company in Alfred, New York, according to Wikipedia. The company does business today as Ludowici Roof Tile.

"The station was built by the Boston and Maine Railroad Company which had acquired the Fitchburg Railroad line (established in 1843) and the Central Mass. Line (established in 1881) in 1902," according to MACRIS. The decision to elevate the tracks at this location was to allow Concord Avenue and other streets to pass underneath for convenience."

The station serves as a stop on the MBTA's Fitchburg commuter rail line.

While you wait -- ever so eagerly, I'm sure -- for the next parts of this Belmont series, check out the links below for past coverage of the town.

November 21, 2017, "Punk Farm?"

July 2, 2013, "Ped Xing"

May 28, 2013, "Small, But Useful"

November 25, 2012, "Crouching Barn, Hidden Mill"

Grid Luck Crossing the Charles

From Dave Brigham:

Whenever I discover something quirky in service of this blog, I act as if people have been purposely keeping it a secret from me.

The old buildings that make up Brighton's Charles River Speedway, a favorite drinking and hangout destination of mine, were once part of a horse racing facility? Why didn't anyone ever tell me?!

There's a Colonial-era highway behind a hotel just a few miles from where I grew up in Connecticut? That's something I should have been told about as a kid!

Today, I focus my apoplexy on the folks who hid from me the existence of the Gridley Locks near Boston's TD Garden.

I stumbled across the locks, which are part of the Charles River Dam that was built in 1978, when looking on Google Maps for a good place to make photos of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. "What the hell are the Gridley Locks?" I asked myself. "Who's responsible for keeping this Backside knowledge from me?"

Accessible via Lovejoy Wharf to the south and Paul Revere Park to the north, the locks are not at all hidden, but since they sit parallel to the North Washington Street bridge connecting the North End to Charlestown, they are certainly a less popular way of connecting those urban dots.

I love lesser-used pathways and alleys and tunnels and the like, so within a few days of learning about the locks, I had to check them out. There is nothing particularly photogenic about the locks, although there is the added attraction of the Charlestown Bells, an interactive music sculpture created by artist Paul Matisse. The bells are located, as you may have guessed by the name, near the Charlestown side of the dam.

I passed several people in my walk across the locks. I'm sure a few were wondering why the hell I was making photos of something as pedestrian as the walkway across a narrow part of the Charles River. The emotion I felt as I walked along was, I will admit, glee mixed with boredom. I'm always happy to find an out-of-the-way method of getting from one place to another.

So, what's the story with the locks, and who are they named after?

"Built and operational in 1978, the three locks can be crossed by pedestrians," per Wikipedia. "It is part of the popular Boston Harborwalk. The dam contains three individual locks, with one wider than the other two to accommodate the occasional passing of a larger vessel."

They were named for Col. Richard Gridley, who was George Washington’s chief engineer in the Continental Army. "Col. Gridley engineered the fortifications at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, and at Dorchester Heights, where General Howe and his army were forced to evacuate Boston in March of 1776," according to the always thorough and enjoyable The Next Phase Blog.

Several years ago I explored near the locks, as my son and I checked out the North Bank Pedestrian Bridge that connects the southeastern tip of Cambridge to Charlestown.

One Potato, Two Potato, a Million Potatoes

From Dave Brigham:

According to Spud Webb, this is the best monument in Boston. Spuds MacKenzie agrees. The Potato Shed Memorial along what's left of the Millers River in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood is something you have to seek out. I was willing to get fried in the sun one recent summer day in order to make a photo for y'all.

Sited near the end of a Route 1 off-ramp near New Rutherford Avenue, the memorial -- a stack of potato bags made of cast stone -- isn't something you happen upon. You have to know it's there, you have to have the starch to persevere and you have to care about this obscure bit of tuber history.

Many years ago, I was in this vicinity, checking out the North Bank Pedestrian Bridge with my son, and tried to find this monument. But I gave up, because my son wasn't into the hunt and we had other places to explore (see December 21, 2018, "The Under / Over from Cambridge to Charlestown").

But once I get a place like this -- obscure, a bit goofy and dedicated to a staple food -- in my head, I don't forget it. So I recently came at the monument from the other direction, and found it with ease. So Dave, I can hear you asking, what's the deal with the Potato Shed Memorial?

Ore-Ida, I'll tell you.

"In this area between the mid-1800's and the 1930's millions and millions of potatoes were off-loaded into storage sheds along the sidings of the Boston and Maine Railroad," the plaque begins. This area southeast of Bunker Hill Community College and next to the Charles River was once lousy with railroad tracks. The college is located on the former site of Charlestown State Prison, in the area known as Prison Point (see October 17, 2017, "Set Yourself Free on Prison Point").

The plaque continues: "Many residents of the Charlestown neighborhood regularly came to the Miller's River (Millers / Miller's, po-tay-to / po-tah-to) potato sheds to purchase their weekly supplies. Long-standing community members have first hand (sic) memories of their trips to the sheds. The potato storage sheds burned in the mid-1930's and were not replaced."

According to this Boston.com article, one man, artist Ross Miller, is "perhaps most responsible for the statue."

A visual artist who worked on the Big Dig’s Central Artery Arts Program in the 1990s, Miller "says he encountered Charlestown residents with vivid memories of the potato sheds and was amused by the idea of memorializing them," per the article. “'I sort of spearheaded the idea,' Miller said, adding that the pedestrian aspects of the massive infrastructure project were relatively 'overlooked.'"

He took charge. “There was a lot of freedom,” he said.

I hope you don't think this post was half-baked.

Ahoy There - I'm in Fairhaven!

From Dave Brigham:

Let's call this post a continuation of an unofficial South Coast series. Not to be confused with the South Shore, the South Coast is the region of Massachusetts consisting of the southern part of Bristol and Plymouth counties, bordering Buzzards Bay, including the cities of Fall River and New Bedford, the southeastern tip of East Taunton and nearby towns, per Wikipedia.

"The 'South Coast' label was born as a public relations effort to counteract the perceived stigma of former terms like 'Greater Fall River,' 'Greater New Bedford,' or 'New Bedford-Fall River,' which conjured images, in many Massachusetts residents' minds, of depressed mill towns with run-down buildings and high unemployment," Wikipedia continues.

I profiled both New Bedford and Fall River, in part, last year. And while there are certainly run-down buildings in these old mill towns,, there are also great murals, restaurants/bars, repurposed industrial sites and much more.

For New Bedford posts: see June 22, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part III"; June 15, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part II"; and June 8, 2024, "Having a Whale of a Time in New Bedford, Part I".

For Fall River stuff: September 7, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part III"; August 31, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part II"; and August 24, 2024, "Floating Through Fall River, Part I".

While vacationing recently on the Cape, I considered another trip to either of those industrial cities, but settled instead on a town just a little closer: Fairhaven. Situated on the eastern bank of the Acushnet River, the town was incorporated in 1812. It lies directly across the river from New Bedford, and for a time in the first half of the 19th century, Fairhaven was a bustling whaling port, just like its neighbor.

"However, once New Bedford's predominance in the whaling industry became apparent, Fairhaven's economy evolved into one that supplemented the New Bedford economy rather than competing directly with it," according to Wikipedia. "Fairhaven became a town of shipwrights, ship chandlers, ropemakers, coopers, and sailmakers. It also became a popular location for ship-owners and ship-captains to build their homes and raise their children."

While Fairhaven's downtown isn't that large, it has some great old buildings. Beautiful homes abound, as do fishing vessels in the marina, and boat-adjacent businesses. So let's get to it!

I often find a town or city hall is a good place to start when exploring a new place. After parking next to Fairhaven's municipal headquarters (which I will feature below), I made my way the short distance west to the main intersection: Center and Main streets. There, I spied some old ads painted on windows.

"Oh, you gotta shoot the Ex-Lax sign," a voice called out from behind me. I walked across the street to greet a middle-aged woman and a couple perhaps a few years older. I think they'd just come from breakfast at the Little Village Cafe. "I love old signs," I replied, "but I've never seen one for Ex-Lax."

The trio told me that the building had once been a pharmacy, "with a soda fountain and everything." Currently, the building at the corner of Main and Center is home to the Euro Phoenix gift shop. The locals told me the longtime owner would be winding down the business soon. The store's Facebook page as of the end of September indicates that is true.

The solo woman recommended I check out the high school, a little ways north along Route 6. "They call it the Castle on the Hill," she said. I told her I would and bade her a good day.

The old pharmacy had some other cool signs.

As for the building, it's known historically as Phoenix Hall and dates to 1794! "Phoenix Hall is said to have been built as the first Congregational meetinghouse around 1790," according to MACRIS. "After the construction of the brick church on Center and William Streets around 1845, the old hall was turned on its site, raised, retrimmed, and reopened as a public hall with a block of stores beneath."

It has been known as both the Phoenix Pharmacy and Browne Pharmacy.

Across a parking lot to the north is Wah May Restaurant, which has been serving up Chinese food since 1961.

Heading north along Main Street, I was pleasantly surprised to see a quaint little building near the corner of Washington Street.

This building is quite old - it served as town hall in 1858, according to a sign to the left of the entrance.

The building also served as a fire station during its lifetime. Currently, it is maintained by the Fairhaven Protecting Society, which is a group of volunteers dedicated to maintaining the historical fire apparatus and equipment in the town, per the Facebook page.

Steps away, on Spring Street, is another building under the FPS's purview.

This is the former Contest 3 Engine Company House. I don't know what that means. Anybody got an idea?

At this point, I doubled back to Center Street, heading west. Right away, I saw an old bank that's been repurposed for the Northeast Maritime Institute.

Now known as Brigantine Hall, this Classical Revival building started out life in 1939 as Fairhaven Institute for Savings. The maritime institute has other buildings in town, some of which I will feature below.

At the corner of Center and Middle streets, I spied a nicely weathered old sign.

Cyril E. O'Leary, who I'm guessing may be retired, and his wife, made the local news in the summer of 1998 after surviving a fire on their boat. "Fairhaven attorney and inveterate sailor Cyril O'Leary and his wife Catherine 'Kitty' O'Leary, a teacher in New Bedford, are expected to fully recover from burns received in a cookstove accident Sunday aboard their boat," according to this South Coast Today article. "The couple was moved into the same room at Brigham and Women's Hospital after Mrs. O'Leary's condition improved Sunday night. 'It's going to be a good result,' Mr. O'Leary said yesterday during a brief telephone interview. 'Everybody's been very helpful.'"

I like the word "inveterate." I knew the word, but wasn't familiar with its meaning. Dictionary.com says it means "settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like."

I bet Cyril and Kitty were (and perhaps still are) a fun time.

Soon enough, I hit Water Street and things got a bit more boat-y.

Scandia Propeller & Marine Service has been serving "the propeller and hydraulic needs of the boating and fishing communities since 1961," per its web site. It's one of a handful of such businesses I saw while walking toward the waterfront.

A quick right turn and I was on Union Wharf, surrounded by boats in the water and in dry dock.

Heading back east, I made my way to Ferry Street and the absolutely adorable Ice Cream Cottage.

Having just wrapped up its third season of business, the creamery is located in a small building likely dating to the end of the 19th century.

Around the corner at 20 Main Street is the former office of the Fairhaven Star newspaper.

The Star was published from 1879 to 1967, according to this article.

Back at the intersection of Center and Main streets, across from Phoenix Hall, is the George H. Taber Masonic Lodge.

"This Georgian Revival commercial/office structure is the only really urban-type building in Fairhaven," per MACRIS. "It was presented to the George H. Taber Lodge of Masons in 1901 by Henry H. Rogers."

Current tenants include a real estate office.

For a second time, I headed north on Main Street. I decided to make my way to the high school I'd been told about. Across from Wah May is another maritime institute building.

I haven't found out anything about the building. Its namesake, Capt. Norman W. Lemley, "was a leader in developing national and international maritime safety and security standards, both with the U.S. Coast Guard and in retirement," according to his obituary. "For 36 years, he served on U.S. delegations to the United Nations' International Maritime Organization in London."

I detoured through Cushman Park, then hit Bridge Street and headed west for a short time. At the corner of Bridge and Middle streets, I dug the partial motorcycle on the roof of Artistic Auto Body.

On the opposite side of Middle Street is F.J. Moriarty Liquors. I like the green sign for the business, which has been around for at least 30 years.

Finally I made it to the Castle on the Hill along Huttleston Avenue.

This is hands-down the most ornate and beautiful public school building I have ever seen. Erected in 1906, the English Revival building was designed by Charles Brigham, an architect who shows up a lot on this blog.

MACRIS quotes the National Register Nomination form for the building: Brigham "chose to work in a vocabulary based on English building of the early 17th century Elizabethan period. During that period a Tudor-Gothic tradition of building had become the medium for new arrangements of plan and detail into which foreign influences, especially that of Flanders, were incorporated. The picturesque roofline, spiked by ogee-sided gables with iron finials; the symmetry of a central block flanked by lateral wings; the strong horizontals of the belt courses; and the limestone-mullioned window bands all echo Elizabethan-period English building."

From MACRIS: "Fairhaven’s historic high school, known as the 'Castle on the Hill,' is one of the most strikingly ornate secondary public schools in America. It was a gift to the town from native son and Standard Oil magnate Henry Huttleston Rogers, who in addition to donating the Town Hall, Millicent Library, Unitarian Memorial Church, Rogers School, and Masonic lodge, paved the town’s streets and installed its water works system."

In 2000, Flansburgh Architects renovated the school and built an addition. Check out the firm's web site for info and photos. As you can see in the photo, on the day I visited in August there was more renovation work going on.

From there I headed south, past many beautiful old homes.

On the corner of Washington and Walnut streets is yet another Northeast Martime building.

As you may have guessed, this is a former church building. "This late Federal structure was built as a church, appearing as the Unitarian Church on Atlases of 1850, 1863, and 1896," according to MACRIS. "Henry Huttleston Rogers bought the building, conveying it to the town in 1908 for use as a school."

It was also used as the home for the Boys Club of Fairhaven over the years.

In short order I made it back to my car, and Fairhaven Town Hall.

Built in 1894, the Romanesque Revival building -- another Charles Brigham design -- was commissioned by, you guessed it, Henry Huttleston Rogers. From MACRIS: "The granite in the hall's lower story came from St. George, New Brunswick, while that used in caps, sills and quoins in the upper stories came from Red Beach, Maine. The shade of red of the smooth machine-pressed bricks identified them to contemporary architects as 'Delmonico bricks,' (the color said to have been developed for the Delmonico building in New York)."

Across Center Street is the Millicent Library, another Rogers/Brigham project.

"It was given to the town of Fairhaven by the Rogers children in memory oftheir sister Mllicent Gifford Rogers, who had died at age 18 on August 31, 1890," according to MACRIS.

Across Walnut Street from the library is Universalist Society of Fairhaven.

Built in 1902 "in the 15th century English Perpendicular Gothic style" (thanks, MACRIS), the church is also known as -- wait for it -- the Rogers Memorial Church. It was designed by Charles Brigham.

My final stop, right across from my car, was the First Congregational Church of Fairhaven.

This lovely Gothic Revival church is atypical in that it wasn't commissioned by Rogers or designed by Brigham. Completed in 1844, the church "was one of four by architect Minard Lafever in New England," per MACRIS. "[I]t was considered to be one of the most beautiful and imposing structures of its type on either side of the port of New Bedford. Originally the steeple was the landmark for whaling and merchant ships entering New Bedford Harbor. Many of the captains and sailors were members of this church."

The steeple was lost in a hurrican in 1869.