Oak Square is OK

From Dave Brigham:

I have driven through Boston's Oak Square approximately countless times in my life, and have wondered about one specific property on just about each of those infinity occasions. I'll get to that shortly, after I discuss a family-owned laundry and dry cleaning outfit that closed up shop about five years ago in the Brighton neighborhood.

(I hope somebody saves that sign.)

Swan Cleaners was in business for more than 70 years. I don't know if the business took a dive because fewer people need office outfits dry-cleaned, or if there was another reason it shut down.

(The swan on the side exterior wall is a nice touch.)

In November 2022, the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal approved a pot shop to take over the Swan space. I saw no sign that Pure Oasis, which has stores on Blue Hill Avenue in Dorchester and Devonshire Street in downtown Boston, is preparing to open in Oak Square.

Across the way, elevated above the hustle and bustle of Washington Street, is the specific property I've pondered over for years. Vacant for a long time, this place at one point had what appeared to be contractor trucks parked around it, as if perhaps it was a builder's office. And a search of the address brings up Daley Construction Company as a prior tenant or owner. Turns out, this place has "a long association with members of Brighton's building trades," according to MACRIS.

"This unusual, towered Mansard/Queen Anne house...[s]ituated on a triangular lot formed by the intersection of Washington Street and Langley Road...was built c. 1870-1875 by and for John H. McCausland, carpenter," MACRIS continues. "By 1885, Granville A. Fuller owned this property. Granville A. Fuller resided at 15 Sparhawk Street, Brighton. His father, Granville Fuller was a talented architect/builder responsible for the design and construction of the Greek Revival Brighton Town Hall in 1841. Granville A. Fuller was a partner in his father's lumber company and was also a civil engineer. From the 1890s until at least the 1930s, this house was owned by Walter L. Maguire, roofer with an office at 46 Cornhill Street, Boston."

In late 2018, a developer filed plans with the city for a five-story, 37-unit condo building with ground-floor retail space. I'm not sure of the status of that proposal.

I just have two more sites I want to discuss. The first is the Faneuil Branch of the Boston Public Library, named after the street where it is located. The street is named after Benjamin Faneuil, brother of Peter, who is the namesake of the well-known hall in downtown Boston.

"The Faneuil branch...was built in 1931 and is a relatively rare example of the Art Deco style in Brighton," according to MACRIS. "It was designed by the architectural firm of Kilham, Hopkins and Greeley of Boston, who also designed Waltham City Hall, Dedham High School, and Barnard Hall at Radcliffe."

Last, but certainly not least, is my favorite building in the square.

Located adjacent to the library branch, the circa-1912 Oak Square Fire Station is an English Revival gem. It was designed by the firm of Timothy Francis Walsh and Charles Maginnis, known for designing Roman Catholic churches and institutional buildings around the country, including Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and Trinity College Chapel in the capital city, per MACRIS.

Here's your headline explainer.