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.

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