From Dave Brigham:
Nearly 100 years before Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, the powers-that-be in Waltham, Mass., put the letters "WWW" to good use, on their waterworks facility on Felton Street. Built in 1894, this solid brick edifice is, according to MACRIS, known historically as the Waltham Water Works Shop, and commonly as the Waltham Dog Pound (!). There was a pipeyard in the rear, overlooking what at the time were the Boston & Maine Railroad tracks. Now those tracks are used by the MBTA's commuter trains, and possibly the occasional freight train. Per Wikipedia: "The main floor, which housed offices, space for carriages, and stalls for six horses, was constructed of concrete and iron. The upper floor housed storage as well as hay and fodder for the stabled horses."
The attendant garage, as you can see in the photo below, dates to 1922.
From some time in the 1980s, into 2003, the main building was converted to use as the city's dog pound. The facility has also been used through the years as a warming center during winter, serving homeless people, those with mental illness and folks who are unable to get into other shelters due to drug addiction, according to this Wicked Local article.
Nowadays, the place appears to be moldering before the city's very eyes, which is sad, because it has good bones, a great location and a cool history. In 2008, the Waltham Historical Society submitted an application for Community Preservation Act funding to clean up the water works building for use as a new headquarters. The society didn't get that project off the ground, likely for financial reasons. The City has put the lease on the building out to bid since that time, to no avail, according to this Wicked Local article. It's possible the city uses these buildings for storage of some sort, but the main property's rough shape makes me doubt it.
Here's hoping somebody figures out how to reimagine this place.
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