Oh Brother, Maynard

From Dave "Maynard" Brigham:

Maynard, Mass., is a town of just over 10,000 located 22 miles west of Boston, and the former headquarters of Digital Equipment Corporation (which merged with Hewlett-Packard in 2002). In late 2015 I wrote about a proposed mixed-use development, Maynard Crossing, about a mile south of the downtown (see November 8, 2015, "This Town Ain't Big Enough...."). At the time there were still remnants of a former Digital Equipment complex there. I suggested in that post that building retail at this location made little sense, as those stores and restaurants would compete with the downtown establishments that sat amid many vacant storefronts. I'm not sure yet whether I need to eat crow on this, but I recently updated the story of Maynard Crossing, which is under construction (see February 9, 2019, "UPDATE: This Town Ain't Big Enough....)".

So with this new development under way, I decided to check downtown Maynard's retail temperature, and scope out the usual backside features. Here's what I found.

On a beautiful fall morning I strolled past a mix of quiet spots and thriving businesses, as I've found in many other former mill towns in eastern Massachusetts. Are there empty storefronts? Yes there are (stay tuned for the "But....).

(This building on Nason Street had two vacant storefronts out of three.)

(Things didn't look that happening at 74-76 Main Street when I visited. There are, however, businesses on the second floor, and the Amory's Tomb Brewing tap room on the ground floor is open four days a week. It's named for town founder Amory Maynard.)

While I was heartened by the appearance of Amory's Tomb -- I've found a lot of these tap rooms in other old mill towns west of Boston, such as Medusa Brewing in Hudson -- I was sorry to see the empty space on the left side of the building in the photo below.

(The Brook Kitchen and Tap closed last fall. The restaurant and bar was run by the folks who operate three Halfway Cafes in Greater Boston. I haven't been able to determine if another restaurateur plans to open something in this space).

There were other missing teeth in the welcoming smile of Maynard, but there were so many small businesses in this classic American downtown that I realized my impression from a few years ago of a desperate place that could suffer at the hands of Maynard Crossing was incorrect. I hope.

(Roasted Peppers restaurant and Metrowest Kung Fu.)

(6 Bridges Gallery is at 77 Main Street. I love the tile entrance, which I hope is original.)

(Next door at 79 [same tile entrance] is TruNature Salt Therapy.)

(The Maynard Trust Company building dates to either 1913, 1925 or 1926 depending on which online source you believe. It was home most recently to McWalter Volunteer Insurance Agency, but appears to be vacant presently. Little Pusan is a Korean restaurant.)

(Half a block away on the opposite side of the street from the Maynard Trust Building is the Masonic Building. Built in 1888 by Lorenzo Maynard, son of Amory Maynard, this beautiful wood structure building was formerly home to various town offices and the post office, according to the Town of Maynard web site. The building was purchased by the Masonic Lodge in 1922. This place is chock full of small businesses, including a coffee shop, a Thai restaurant and a taekwon-do school.)

(A stone's throw away from the Masonic Building is the former People's Theatre, once one of three theaters in downtown Maynard. In business as a theater from 1921 to 1959, the building is now home to several businesses, including an insurance company, a consignment shop, a tax preparer and a therapeutic massage office. There is one theater left downtown, which I'll get to shortly.)

(Two doors down from the theater is this fantastic building. The Maynard Outdoor Store has been around since 1950. Known as the Case Building, this place went up in 1892 as a store called W.B. Case & Sons, Dry Goods.)

(A few more doors away is this wonderfully colorful Chinese restaurant, which I believe has been around for a few decades. China Ruby features a dining room, a party room and a bar "for guests desiring a tasty, stiff drink," per the web site.)

(This building just a jog up from China Ruby was a Knights of Columbus Hall until 2015, according to the excellent Maynard Life Outdoors and Hidden History of Maynard blog. Now it is home to Celia T's Music Hall. In addition to a main hall with a stage, Celia T's features the Jimi Hendrix Lounge, which doesn't feature loops of "Purple Haze" and "Foxy Lady" pumping through the sound system, but rather a "quieter environment" where guests can chill, enjoy cocktails and perform karaoke. This site "was once home to the Riverside Cooperative Hall," per the town web site. "The original four-story building was built in 1882 and remained until it was devastated by fire in 1936. Riverside Cooperative Block, a food cooperative created by the town’s English immigrants, held meetings there until the hall’s eventual destruction.")

If you spit with the wind from Celia T's, you might reach the Fine Arts Theatre.

(This theater has quite a history! Built in 1897 as Coughlan's Livery and Feed, this building also served as a garage for James Coughlan's burgeoning auto business. In 1949 Coughlan's son, Burton, who managed the People's Theatre, opened Fine Arts in this location. For decades the theater served the town well, but it closed in 2012 after falling into disrepair. A local man purchased the building in 2012 and began restoring it to its former glory. In late 2014 the theater reopened; in 2018 new seats were added. Read the entire history here.)

(Cool old projector in a giant display window at the theater.)

Regular readers of this blog know I love a good rail trail (see December 30, 2017, "Rail Trail Mix," August 1, 2016, "I Rail Against Trails [Not Really, But I Don't Want Every Abandoned Set of Train Tracks Converted for Cyclists and Roller Bladers)" and December 11, 2012, "Concord, Part III: New Haven rail bed"). The Assabet River Rail Trail runs through Maynard.

The Assabet River Rail Trail, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed to promote the creation of the rail trail, which passes (or will eventually) through Marlborough, Hudson, Stow, Maynard and Acton. The trail is being built along the abandoned rail bed of the former Marlborough Branch RR, which was active between 1853 and 1980, per the organization's web site.

Here's a video of the bridge being installed.

(The back of John's Cleaners & Tuxedos, seen from the rail trail bridge.)

(Detail from a large mural that covers most of an outbuilding behind the former Gruber Bros. Furniture building. Visible from the bike path, this building is slated to be demolished, along with the main Gruber Bros. building. The company sold furniture at this location from 1917 until its closing in 2015. Because the main building has changed so much over the years, due to fire and renovations, that the town historical commission determined it need not be saved. The new owners announced a mixed-use project in late 2017 but to date nothing seems to have happened. Daniel Craig shot part of a movie in Maynard, and at the Gruber building in November 2018.)

Now, having mentioned the Assabet River, I must get to the 800 lb. gorilla of downtown Maynard: Mill & Main Place.

Founded in 1847 along the Assabet River by town father Amory Maynard, the Assabet Woolen Mill dominates the town. After the mill went bankrupt in 1898, the American Woolen Company took over the mill, and expanded it, according to Wikipedia. That mill operated until 1950. Digital Equipment Corporation took over from 1957 until 1998. After that the complex -- which became known as Clock Tower Place -- was home to various businesses. For a while, job search company Monster.com was headquartered here. In 2015, Artemis Real Estate Partners and Saracen Properties took over ownership and began the process, still ongoing, of turning the 162-year-old former mill into Mill & Main Place.

Mill & Main's partners last summer completed "upgraded landscaping and hardscaping, base building work, lobby renovations, upgraded security features, a new 6,000 SF fitness center with lockers and showers, a 24/7 mini-mart and the creation of wayfinding signage throughout the site," per this press release masquerading as a news story. Businesses on site include contract employment agency Panther Group; Tea Forte, a retailer of tea and tea accessories; and ClearGov, which "works with hundreds of local governments from large cities to small school districts to help them communicate, connect and engage with their constituents to build community support for mission-critical projects," per the company's web site.

All of those upgrades make the place look great, but also a little...hallucinatory.

(Directly across from the mill, on a bridge over the Assabet, is this World War I memorial.)

(The multi-family residences along Railroad Street, between Mill & Main and the former train tracks, date to the 1920's. They once housed workers at the American Woolen Company.)

I kicked along a little west of Mill & Main, down past the Mill Pond and a long parking lot. That's where I found this gem.

(1959 Bug.)

Across the street from this blue beauty I found The Faucetorium.

(Foley & Sons Floor & Tile has been in business since 1982, and at this location since 1984 when the company acquired The Faucetorium. I just love that business name.)

At the outer limit of my walk away from downtown I fell in love with St. Bridget Parish.

(I know this isn't the greatest picture of the church, but I was going for an artsy feel with the church and the bingo sign. I took this picture a few years ago. St. Bridget's building was dedicated in 1884.)

Back in the downtown area, I found this tableaux.

(There's a lot going on here, yes, but there's even more that we can't see. What we can see, if we squint or enlarge the photo, is a stone fountain that serves as a memorial to Luke Brooks. What we can't know unless we go to Google, is that Luke Brooks isn't a modern-day country singer, but rather he was a soldier who served during the Revolutionary War. I just love stumbling across local historic touches like this. What else can we see? A sign that says "SANCTUARY OPENING LATER THIS YEAR." But we don't know what that means. This is the former Union Congregational Church, which was built in 1857. Or 1852, again depending on which online source you believe. There is a yoga studio in this building, which no longer offers religious services but which is now known as The Sanctuary [I took this photo in October 2018]. I'm not sure if there are other businesses. Now we know something more than when we started this paragraph.)

On my way out of town I stopped by Glenwood Cemetery. Incorporated in 1871, the same year as the town, the graveyard holds the remains of town founder Amory Maynard and other family members, among other local luminaries.

(Detail of doors to the Maynard family crypt.)

OK, there you go! I'll most likely check back in on the Maynard Crossing development in the near future and write something up.

Headline explainer:

R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Animals

From Dave Brigham:

Quick, what do novelist/playwright George Bernard Shaw, international man of peace Gandhi, 1960's French movie star Brigitte Bardot, Goth television personality Elvira, novelist and humorist Mark Twain and member of the band Wings Linda McCartney have in common? They were (or, in Elvira's case, are) animal lovers! And they all appear on the mural below in East Cambridge, Mass.

This mural by Be Sargent dates to 1999 and adorns the side of the Cambridge Antiques Market on Monsignor O'Brien Highway. Called A Wall of Respect for Animals, the painting, which is sponsored by various animal rights and anti-vivisection groups, features the likenesses of 29 animal lovers. In addition to those mentioned above, folks on the wall include the late gorilla expert Dian Fossey, novelist and poet Alice Walker, the late poet and novelist Victor Hugo, the late actress and singer Doris Day, "The Price Is Right" kingpin Bob Barker, TV "star" ALF (Allegedly. Zoom in and tell me that's Alien Life Form over Bob Barker's shoulder, holding a dog. Looks more like the Unabomber.) and the very dead Greek philosopher Pythagoras.

Your headline explainer:

To All My Friends!

From Dave "Members Only" Brigham:

Located in Keene, NH, this abandoned Fraternal Order of Eagles social club is a touchstone for me. While attending Keene State College in the mid-'80s, I went on a "back lot" tour with two friends. Kristen sang, Peter played guitar and I tapped on a set of bongos as we strolled off Main Street. We dubbed ourselves the Spittin' Nightstalkers, and entertained (perhaps) random people along our route. When I spied the FOE building, all lit up, people milling about outside smoking, music and loud conversations spilling through the open door, something pulsed through me. "What IS this place?" I asked.

I grew up in Simsbury, Conn., a rural town with a Masonic Lodge, a grange hall and probably some other social clubs. My parents weren't members of any of these clubs, and I never gave them any thought. So when in my early 20s I stumbled across a lively hangout among the old mill buildings of Keene, I was intrigued. While I've never joined such a club, I've been intrigued by what goes on inside them ever since (see August 31, 2012, "I Wanna Walk" and March 14, 2017, "Working Our Way Around Winthrop," and scroll through each of them).

Part of my fascination stems from that age-old desire many of us have to find a place "where everybody knows your name." The thing is, I don't drink much and am not great at socializing with friends, never mind strangers. Still, I love the idea of places where people gather to drink, talk politics, watch soccer/football/hockey/baseball/jai-alai, crack dirty jokes and, oh yeah, once in a while raise money for some charitable organization.

Hibernian Hall in Watertown, Mass., looks great, doesn't it? Sometimes these social clubs look a bit down at the heels, but this one is bright and shiny and flying some great flags. Established in 1894, The AOH Tomas Cardinal O’Fiaich Division 14 fundraises for charities and holds events such as St. Patricks' Day dinners and music performances. "We are an Irish Catholic organization established to preserve our Irish heritage and perpetuate our Roman Catholic faith," per the web site.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is "America’s oldest Irish Catholic Fraternal Organization," per the national organization's web site, "founded concurrently in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania and New York City in May, 1836. The Order can trace its roots back to a series of similar societies that existed in Ireland for more than 300 years. Today the AOH exists in America, Canada, Ireland, England, Wales and Scotland, however, while the organizations share a common thread, the American AOH is a separate and much larger organization."

Headline explainer:

Exchanging Flowers for Life Science

From Dave Brigham:

From 1971 to 2016 this long, low building in Boston's South End was home to the Boston Flower Exchange. The Exchange was founded in 1909 when the Boston Cooperative Flower Growers Association, which was founded in 1892, merged with the Boston Cooperative Market, which dates to 1903. Over the ensuing 68 years the organization was housed at various locations, including Winthrop Square and the Cyclorama Building.

Two-thirds of the group's shareholders agreed in late 2015 to sell the property, a smart move given the amount of money involved: more than $40 million. The Exchange closed up shop here in early 2017 and most of the wholesale vendors moved to Chelsea. Located between the Southeast Expressway and Albany Street, the site is close to Boston Medical Center and is just one of several rehab and new projects that have been completed or approved in recent years (stay tuned for a more comprehensive look at this part of the South End in the near future).

So what's going to rise here? Boston-based developer The Abbey Group has announced plans for Exchange South End, a 1.6-million square foot, four-building "life science and technology urban campus" featuring lab and office space, as well as restaurants, retail and park space. The buildings will range between six and 20 stories, with parking both above and below grade.

When I visited this site I thought the adjoining Jacobson Floral Supply building was part of the deal. But it's not. In fact, one of the Boston Flower Exchange vendors, Quinlan-Wasserman, Inc., moved into part of the Jacobson space when other flower wholesalers relocated to Chelsea. I'm curious how long these businesses can hold out before selling to a developer.

Finding Some Cool, Mostly True, Memorials in Sudbury

From Dave "Old Yankee" Brigham:

Opened in 1976 in the historic district in the center of Sudbury, Mass., Heritage Park presents a quaint, peaceful respite in a lovely wooded location. In addition to a small stone bridge and several benches, the park features numerous stone memorials. Let's take a look at them.

The first one features a quote from John Weighton, a soldier from Sudbury who fought in the Revolutionary War. "May the present generation and those unborn, preserve unimpaired the liberties, sivil (sic) and religious, as long as time endures."

"I have left myself wholly in the hands of God." That's what Capt. Samuel Dakin, selectman, deacon, assessor and soldier from Sudbury, said as he led a Sudbury militia company to Fort Ticonderoga during the fourth French & Indian War. He was killed in battle in 1758.

In the third memorial, we get a sense of how democracy was birthed in the colonies, but also learn that history is open to misinterpretation. "We shall or should be judged by men of our own choosing." Underneath the quote, it says: "With these words Selectman John Ruddock, in the spring of 1655, speaking for the town defied the Committee of Reverend Elders led by Reverend Increase Mather, and announced for all time the separation of church and state."

As impressive as this quote and the circumstances under which it was said may be, there is a major error on this plaque. Putting aside the issue of whether a small-town selectman really "announced for all time" that government shall not infringe upon religious freedom, we need to look at the leadership of this "Committee of Reverend Elders." Increase Mather, who served as president of Harvard College from 1685 to 1701, was 16 years old in 1655. So he obviously wasn't leading a Committee of Reverend Elders before graduating from college. According to the Sudbury Chamber of Commerce web site, it was instead the Rev. Edmund Brown to whom the fiery Ruddock made his demand:

"In 1654, a frustrated Rev. Brown made his final stand, insisting on the divine power of the church over the citizens of Sudbury, and calling in a delegation of ministers from Cambridge, Watertown and Concord in an effort to enforce his rule. Solemnly assembled in Parmenter’s Tavern, the delegation was met by John Rudduck, now Town Selectman, and the issue of church and state separation was dispatched in short order. His words were sure and confident with a wisdom beyond his years.'We shall, or should, be judged by men of our own choosing.'"

I'm a writer and editor, so I can't help but wonder if the committee that put together these wonderful memorials got this piece of information wrong, what else might be incorrect in Heritage Park? And how did they get it so wrong?

Moving on.

The fourth stone honors Rev. Israel Loring, namesake of the nearby Loring Parsonage. Loring was a minister in Sudbury for 67 years.

Next is a memorial to the three victims of the 9/11 terror attacks who were from Sudbury: Geoffrey Cloud, Peter Morgan Goodrich and Cora Hidalgo Holland.

The sixth stone marker commemorates a 1676 battle between the residents of Sudbury and soldiers loyal to infamous Native American leader King Philip. Captains Wadsworth and Brocklebank, according to the plaque, were among the 74 soldiers killed in the fight. "Their defense of the five garrisons broke the back of the Indian Confederacy, and saved the town and the colony," the memorial states. This seems hyperbolic, but I'm no Indian Wars expert. To read something tangentially related to King Philip, check out August 30, 2016, "The Tavern of Death."

Hmm. This memorial puzzles me a bit. Or rather, information I found subsequent to my Sudbury visit confounds me. "Four miles to the southwest on Nobscot Mountain lived the Indian Tantamous, called Jethroe, a Nipmuc sachem." OK, I'm with this so far. "Friend to Sudbury, converted by Reverend Eliot, he sought brotherhood, peace and justice. Hanged in Boston September 26, 1676, to the everlasting sorrow of a saddened Sudbury."

Per Wikipedia, Tantamous transferred land in what is now Concord and Maynard "by defaulting on a mortgaged horse and mare." During King Philip's War, he and his family were sent to Boston's Deer Island (see February 27, 2015, "Digesting Deer Island" for some background on the island). Tantamous escaped, but his son ratted out his location and the older man was captured and executed. Here's the thing that gets me: if Wikipedia is to be believed, Tantamous was 96 years old when he was hung in what is now Boston's North End. Sure, one of his nicknames was Old Jethro, but he was almost a century old?! I've searched online and haven't found anything to dispute the basic facts of this story, even though no source actually takes the time to mention how old Tantamous allegedly was.

The Sudbury Oath. I can't find much about this online. Presents further proof that Sudbury residents truly believed in separation of church and state. "The Oath of Allegiance to the Town substituted for that to the Church...." it begins.

The final stone memorializes The Confidence, a ship that sailed from Southampton, England, in 1638 carrying passengers who were to become the first settlers of Sudbury, including Peter Noyes, who, with Edmund Rice and the Rev. Edmund Brown, "created here a new concept of open democratic government," says the plaque. But wasn't Rev. Brown the guy who wanted town residents to pay fealty to the church, and not the state? Hmm.

Note of personal connection: Edmund Rice's second wife was my grandmother several times removed. Her name was Mercy Hurd, and her first husband was Thomas Brigham, considered the first "Brigham" in Colonial America. I am directly descended from Thomas and Mercy, who were married in 1641 and lived in Cambridge. After Thomas died in 1653, Mercy married Rice in 1655 in Sudbury. After Rice died in 1663, she married William Hunt as his second wife. Hunt died in 1667 in Marlborough. Mercy Hurd Brigham Rice Hunt died in 1693.

Cricket Pond is small and, I'm just guessing here, a popular vacation spot for the Gryllidae family.

This bridge is lovely, but a little small for trolls isn't it?

It's a Long Way to the Longwood Top

From Dave "Posh Spice" Brigham:

Ever since I laid eyes on this place in Brookline, Mass., I've dreamt of retiring here.

Longwood Towers opened in 1925 as Alden Park Manor, according to the Brookline history section of the CommunityWalk web site. "It was the largest and one of the most fashionable of several apartment complexes that replaced some of the original houses of David Sears' development," per the history page. Sears was a well-off merchant and landowner who built the nearby Christ's Church (see November 25, 2018, "American Church, British Style, Napoleon-Inspired Name").

As I've documented on this blog, I have WASP-envy (see November 29, 2018, "Leavitt & Peirce: For All Your Hoity-Toity Tobacco Needs," March 22, 2018, "WASP Wanderings and Wonderings" and September 9, 2010, "The Privilege Is All Mine"). I like to imagine that if I lived in Longwood Towers I'd hobnob with blue bloods, trading genealogy tidbits about our privileged ancestors while tossing back gin and tonics galore.

In 1925, the then-Alden Park Manor was the second property of that name to be built in the United States. The first was in Detroit four years earlier. A third rose in Philadelphia in 1927, according to this article. Longwood Towers also includes what seems to be a stunning event space.

The complex has been undergoing renovations for a while. Prices range from a half-mil for a 1-bedroom to a cool $3.5 million for a penthouse.

If you look closely, you can see wrapped-up gargoyles in the left side of the photo, and above the garage door. I can't wait for these wonderful architectural details to be back on public view.

Here's your headline explainer:

A Southie Diner Fit for a King

From Dave Brigham:

The Galley Diner in South Boston has been serving up classic fare for nearly 20 years, although the place has been open since at least the 1960's. Perhaps the "Rumpy's" indicated on the sign references a previous incarnation? Anyway, I love the sign and I'm sure if and when I sit down at the counter, I'll love the food as well. Just like Anthony Bourdain (R.I.P.), the king of foodie travel shows, did.

From Garden to Eden?

From Dave Brigham:

Mahoney's Garden Center operates seven retail locations in Greater Boston and Cape Cod, along with a growing facility. Launched in Winchester, Mass., 60 years ago, the company is a well-known, family-run business. Mahoney's used to run an eighth store, in Wayland, but that place, seen above and in photos below, closed in the summer of 2017. Developers have had their eye on the Weston property for at least a decade.

In July 2017, Eden Management applied to the Town of Wayland to demolish the Mahoney's buildings and erect 60 apartment units in a 5-story building (later amended to 4) with 98 parking spaces. In January of this year, the Wayland Zoning Board of Appeals voted down all of the waivers the developer requested. As such, Eden Management will need to scale back the size of the project. The company said it planned to appeal the decision, which it would have needed to do by January 28. I'm guessing that happened.

As you can imagine, residents of Wayland, a relatively sleepy suburb of Boston, albeit one with major roadways (Routes 20 and 27) running through it, have organized to fight this project, which they deem too large and potentially harmful to the environment.

Who will get the Christmas present? The developer or those fighting the proposed development? Stay tuned....

UPDATE: This Town Ain't Big Enough

From Dave "Nostradamus" Brigham:

Turns out, I don't know anything about suburban planning. In late 2015 I wrote about efforts in Maynard, Mass., a town of just over 10,000 located 22 miles west of Boston, to develop a former Digital Equipment Corp. property (see November 8, 2015, "This Town Ain't Big Enough"). In my conclusion of that post, I wrote: "It's hard, though, to see a way in which the small city can also support numerous other retailers just a short drive/long walk out of town, at Maynard Crossing." This was in reference to what I viewed as too much competition for consumers' dollars at the former Digital site and in the nearby downtown, which at that time had numerous vacant storefronts, in addition to a recently cleared-out mill complex that also once was a Digital Equipment site.

Three-plus years later, development is under way at the former Digital site, as evidenced by this photo I took recently.

In the background of this photo are residential units under construction. Known as Maynard Crossing, the development is slated to include a mix of retail, restaurants, a bank, a grocery store, a fitness center and 300 residential units. The explorer in me would love to have seen this site left to decay, or, failing that, to have been returned to nature. But that doesn't pay the town's tax bills.

I'm happy to report that the former downtown mill complex -- where job search company Monster.com vacated in recent years -- is showing signs of life. Known as Mill & Main Place, the development is being overseen by Artemis Real Estate Partners and Saracen Properties. To date, the partners have completed "upgraded landscaping and hardscaping, base building work, lobby renovations, upgraded security features, a new 6,000 SF fitness center with lockers and showers, a 24/7 mini-mart and the creation of wayfinding signage throughout the site," per this press release masquerading as a news story.

Keep your eyes peeled for a future post featuring lots of shots of downtown Maynard and Mill & Main.

Kickin' It Root Down in Sudbury

From Dave Brigham:

I love driving through the rural towns just west of I-95 outside Boston, with their horse corrals, small farms and vast conservation areas. Lincoln Meadows is owned by the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a land trust focused on protecting the natural resources of the Sudbury, Assabet and Concord river basins.

Located near the line with Lincoln, the meadows land is at the base of Round Hill. I'd love to know just how long this land has been farmed. According to the Trustees web site, there are community gardens on the property, and a commercial flower grower leases land and uses the root cellar pictured here (notice the AC units).

I like the look of this barn. I want to see the vehicle that the mag wheel belongs on.

For more about Sudbury, see October 20, 2017, "Dead Reckoning", August 30, 2016, "The Tavern of Death," February 17, 2016, "Bunker Buster" and October 24, 2011, "Love Barn."

For more about Lincoln, see March 27, 2017, "The Land of Lincoln" and February 27, 2017, "Stone Cold Surprise."

OK, here's your headline explainer:

Last Stop Wonderland

From Dave Brigham:

This building doesn't exist anymore.

Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Mass., was open from 1935 to 2010. The dog racing track's lifespan was defined by actions of the State. The park debuted a year after the Massachusetts Legislature legalized pari-mutuel wagering, and closed in the wake of passage of the November 2008 Massachusetts Greyhound Protection Act ballot question, according to this history of Wonderland (which spells the name of the park incorrectly in the title of the web site...oh well.)

Since moving to the Boston area in the early '90s, I was always vaguely aware of Wonderland. It was this place at the far end of the MBTA's Blue line subway, near Revere Beach. Since I've never been much of a gambler -- I can count on one-and-a-half hands the number of times I've been in a casino -- the dog track might as well have been halfway around the world. Sure, I've been to Connecticut's Plainfield Dog Track - once. It, too, is long out of business. I used to gamble at Hartford Jai-alai with my high school buddies a long time ago, but I was chicken to wager very much.

I took these pictures last fall. I'm pretty sure the site has been cleared by now. To see photos of the park in its heyday and at the end of its business life, check out this Boston Globe article and gallery. Prior to opening as a dog track in 1935, this site was home to a bicycle track, and before that, an amusement park.

To get an idea of what bicycle tracks at the turn of the 20th century were like, check out "Get On Your Bikes and Ride!" from May 2016, about a Waltham, Mass., course.

Demolition at the Wonderland site was halted for several months in 2017-2018 when crews discovered asbestos, according to this article. It's unclear at this point what the site's owners will seek to develop on the property. Best guess: multi-use development, with housing, retail, hotels and office space.

(Where the track itself once stood.)

For more on gambling facilities and projects in Massachusetts, see:

June 25, 2013, "Roll the Dice," about the neighborhood around what is soon to be the Encore Boston Harbor hotel and casino in Everett, Mass. This post dates back 5 1/2 years; I plan to post an update featuring tons of photos of the casino and surrounding neighborhood soon.

June 30, 2018, "Losing Bet at Suffolk Downs," about the loss of another former gambling mecca that straddles Revere and East Boston.

February 20, 2011, "Lose, Place or Show," about the former Great Barrington Fairgrounds horse track, which was recently leased by the owners of Suffolk Downs for the purpose of reopening for racing, perhaps as soon as this year.

Here's your headline explainer: