UPDATE: A Shrine Lost As Development Looms

From Dave Brigham:

Back in July I wrote a lament for a long-gone religious shrine in Boston's Back Bay. I'd never seen the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal behind St. Cecilia Roman Catholic Church near Berklee College of Music, but I missed it nonetheless. Located on a small triangle of land boxed in by a building with a parking garage, bar and bowling emporium; busy Boylston Street; the back of the church; and a gap staring down at the Massachusetts Turnpike and commuter train tracks, the shrine site was slated for redevelopment (see July 7, 2019, "A Shrine Lost As Development Looms").

The shrine was located on the brick wall you see in the middle of the photo above. Behind that is the parking garage/bar/bowling alley. In the distance on the left of the photo is the Capital Grille restaurant, located in a corner of the Hynes Convention Center.

Below is a photo from the Digital Commonwealth web site showing a postcard of the site in all its glory:

In my July post I discussed the pending construction at this site of a project to be known as 1000 Boylston, which would feature approximately "23,000 square feet of new decking over the Turnpike, a base with 2 floors of retail and parking, and a single residential building with up to 108 condominiums," per the web site for developer Weiner Ventures.

There were issues, as there are in any such development. The Friends of the Public Garden were concerned about shadows the giant glass tower would cast over the Commonwealth Mall in Back Bay. And as often is the case, the timeline for building this complex stretched and stretched. The church sold this property more than a decade ago to an outfit called ADG Scotia LLC for $13.85 million. The cost of building decking over the Mass. Pike is high, which likely delayed progress on 1000 Boylston.

Well, the timeline continues to extend, with no end point in sight.

"Then on a Friday evening in August, in response to queries from the Globe for a story on another air rights project, a spokesperson for the development team issued a statement saying the project 'will not proceed,'" per this Boston Globe article from October 25. “A combination of factors led us to this decision,” it said. “While disappointing to have to make such a decision, we believe it is the correct one.”

And just like that, the project died. There is a lawsuit in process between Weiner Ventures and former partner John Fish, head of Suffolk Construction. Read the Globe article for the sordid details.

The team's development rights for the site expired and MassDOT did not renew them, per the Globe. "That condo tower was kaput, meaning the nearly $90 million both developers had spent over a decade on planning and preparation was down the drain. A MassDOT spokeswoman said Thursday that the agency has no plans to seek another developer," per the Globe.

Can't say I'm sad to see this project fall apart. Maybe somebody can bring back the shrine now?

Times Not So Super for Brookline Superette

From Dave Brigham:

Some buildings are historically significant because of their connection to past events, famous residents or tenants, or well-known architects; due to their placement in a neighborhood of importance; or simply because they are attractive examples of craftsmanship. I'm not sure the Durgin Garage (above) in Brookline, Mass., fits into any of those categories. Still, I'll be sad when it gets demolished. And believe me, it will come down.

Built in 1927 in the thriving Coolidge Corner retail/restaurant district, which also features a grand old movie theater, the Durgin Garage has been in flux for many years. In October 2012, education and advocacy group Preservation Massachusetts named Durgin Garage one of the most endangered historic properties in the Bay State. Earlier that year the Brookline Board of Selectmen formed the Waldo Area Study Committee to look at development possibilities for the underutilized Durgin Garage and the adjacent Waldo Street garage, according to this Wicked Local article. Residents "in the area have been steadfast in their desire to see something new at the site, which has seven storefronts," the article continues.

The Waldo Street garage, above, which is sited across a private, dead-end street from the Durgin Garage, has no retail component and is tucked away enough that most people don't notice it. I haven't been able to find out when the garage was built, but I assume it's not as old as the Durgin Garage. Over the years developers have submitted various proposals for residential or hotel uses at the combined garage sites, but to date nothing has moved forward.

(A close-up of the Waldo Street garage.)

I like the Durgin Garage because of the architectural detail and the variety of stores it once hosted (the Jerusalem Pita restaurant being the latest victim of coming redevelopment). I also like the patina on the place.

In addition to the recently shuttered restaurant, the Durgin building was once home to Brookline Grown, a food store that sold locally sourced produce.

I believe there was also some sort of art space here.

As of this writing, the Brookline Superette is still open.

What is a superette? A super market specializing in cigarettes? No, says Wikipedia. "A Superette is an alternative name for a compact food market 'convenience shop' or 'mini-mart' used in some places, particularly in New Hampshire, Hawaii, New York City, Boston, Minnesota, Newfoundland and Labrador and the North Island of New Zealand."

Well, that's pretty good company!

"The ette ending is intended to convey that this is a small version of a supermarket. However, supermarket has been shortened to super - leaving superette as an unusual example of a prefix and suffix with no stem word."

That's all well and good, but this place is coming down and will most likely be turned into super-condos.

The effort to redevelop this rundown area of Coolidge Corner has been under way since 2012, when a "decorative urn-shaped object fell off the building and almost struck a pedestrian," per this Patch article. "At this point, we decided to act," said Kara Brewton with the town's Planning and Community Development. She added that store vacancies went unfilled, graffiti problems were increasing and the garages were not well kept. This in a trendy area served by craft pizza shops, a Trader Joe's, a popular bookstore and countless restaurants and chain retailers.

In April of this year, the Town of Brookline entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with subsidiaries of Chestnut Hill Realty in relation to a mixed-use project that would be sited in part where these garages are now. That agreement says, in part, that the project -- to include a hotel, an apartment building with retail or restaurant space and underground parking (oh the irony....) -- would benefit the City by a) providing 11 affordable apartment units; b) a 95-year tax certainty agreement; c) increased open and green space; and d) access to meeting space for non-profit Brookline community groups.

Since that time, something called the Coolidge Corner Study Committee submitted a zoning by-law amendment that would allow the project to proceed. I'm not sure where the project stands now. Chestnut Hill Realty is currently offering the Waldo Garage for lease. So perhaps things are on hold for now.

When the project does get green-lighted, Chestnut Hill Realty is required, "prior to the issuance of a demolition or other building permit....[to] provide historic documentation of the Durgin Garage at 10‐18 Pleasant Street to Brookline Preservation staff."

To get an idea of what the project would look like, check out the video below:

Hyde-ing In Plain Sight

From Dave Brigham:

I've never had the greatest memory, and it's only gotten worse with age. But I always seem to have room in the back of my brain for backside destinations from years past. I keep a list on my phone for places I want to check out, but sometimes a location pops into my head out of the foggy past. The Gershom Hyde House in Newton, Mass., is such a place.

Built in 1744 and located at 29 Greenwood Street, "the house is one of 12 pre-1800 houses remaining in Newton, of which only a few were built before 1750," per this 1997 Newton Local Landmarks Program report. Look closely at the photo above and perhaps you can figure out my biggest question about this place.

Why is "1727" painted on the chimney?

Before locating the above-referenced landmarks program report, I assumed the number referred to the date the house was built. But it doesn't. Neither is "1727" a street address. So what is it?

I'm not sure, but here's a little perspective on this site, from the landmarks report: "From the late 1600s Jonathan Hyde and his descendants settled in this area of Newton....In 1711 Greenwood Street and Dudley Road were laid out and soon thereafter farms were established....The traditional date for this property is ca. 1744 when Gershom Hyde (1719-1754) is thought to have established a farm at this location."

Perhaps "1727" refers to the date this property came under the Hyde family's control. Or the date of a prior house on the site. Doesn't matter. I love the house and the chimney and the barn next door.

As I said above, I've had this location in a dusty corner of my memory bank for years. I first noticed it while running a half marathon through Newton back in 2010. The race started nearby and I recall being very curious about this old homestead. The site, which is buffered from Newton South High School and its tennis courts by thick woods, has a haunted, Gothic feel to it, especially compared to the modern housing development across the street.

On one occasion in more recent years I drove by to snap some pictures but there was an old guy doing stuff in the yard, and since I'm such an introvert, I cruised on past rather than engage with him. But when my daughter did a camp at the high school over this past summer, I figured I would drive by again before picking her up. This time there was a landscaping truck there, and I spoke briefly with the guy. He said he was doing some repairs on the barn, and that nobody lives in the house now.

The roster of owners over the years included Edward and Phebe Wales, who purchased the farm from Gershom Hyde's grand-nephew, Thaddeus Hyde, Jr., in 1860, per the landmark report cited above. The Wales family started a fruit preserving business at this location. That business thrived and was moved to a different location in Newton.

The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been designated as a Newton Landmark Preservation Site, which provides the highest level of protection for properties deemed to be architecturally or historically significant, per the City of Newton web site.

The Hyde house is located in Newton's Oak hill village. For more about that area, see September 26, 2016, "I Seek Newton, Part V: Oak Hill."

A Mission to Find the Mission of Mission Hill

From Dave Brigham:

This post, like many I have in the works, slipped through the cracks. Many of the photos below were taken quite some time ago, back when my son used to still accompany me on my walks through various Boston neighborhoods. For quite some time now, he and I split up after we take the subway into Boston for lunch. Anyway, let's dig into what I saw in Boston's Mission Hill neighborhood, so named for the massive basilica that dominates the skyline.

Dedicated in 1878 (the spires were added in 1910), Our Lady of Perpetual Help is more commonly known as the Mission Church. The house of worship replaced a wooden structure that had gone up just seven years prior. The church is the focal point of a significant campus that includes the Mission Grammar School (the original building was completed in 1889 and sold to a developer and is being leased to Harvard University's T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the grammar school is active in a different building on the campus); the Mission Church High School (opened in 1926, the school was in operation until 1992. The City of Boston bought the building in 1999 but I'm unsure whether any school is active in the building now); St. Alphonsus Hall, the "parish clubhouse"; and a convent, the latter two of which were sold off and have been vacant for years.

Below is the high school.

It's a beautiful building that for a time was home to the New Mission High School. That school is now located in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood. I'm not sure what, if anything, is located in the old Mission Church school building.

The building in the above photo is the basilica's former convent. Built in 1888 to house the Sisters of Notre Dame, the building has been vacant since the Reagan Era. Seriously. A 2004 Boston Landmarks Commission report on the Mission Church complex states that at that time, the convent had been "vacant for twenty to thirty years." The convent and St. Alphonsus Hall (about which more below) were sold to Weston Associates, which in 2005 received approval from the City of Boston to redevelop the site for residential towers. All these years later, both buildings are empty. I haven't found anything more recent than this 2014 article about the site. Given the site's location near the Longwood medical area and numerous colleges, as well as public transportation, I find it unfathomable that it hasn't been developed yet, while so many similar sites around Boston have gone forward.

Below is a view of the back of the basilica through an alleyway separating the former grammar school, on the right, and St. Alphonsus Hall, on the left.

And here is St. Alphonsus Hall, which on my first trek through this area I totally missed, because I hadn't done any research ahead of time.

Quite something, isn't it? I've never seen a building like this in my travels through Boston's many neighborhoods. Perhaps there are others that look as majestic as this, or used to be before some idiot demolished them. Opened in 1900 as "a social gathering place," what the church called its "parish clubhouse" housed a library, meeting hall, gym, bowling alley and large theater, per the Our Lady of Perpetual Help history web page.

While there may have been other theaters like this at one time in the city, certainly none of them had as cool a sign as the one in the photo below.

It reads "Pilate's Daughter" in the middle. I couldn't imagine what that meant when I shot this photo. Here's my answer, again from the church's history web page: "The Passion Play 'Pilates Daughter written by Rev. Francis Kenzel, C.Ss.R. was performed for the first time in St. Alphonsus Hall in 1902. With an all female cast, the fictitious drama centers around the daughter of Pilate, Claudia, who threw a rose at Christ as he passed by carrying his cross. The flower touches Jesus and has miraculous powers that impact the lives of many. As a central attraction during Lent, parishioners acted out the play every year for over 50 years until performances ended in the late 1960’s."

So cool!

As regular readers know, I rarely trespass on sites like this, and certainly I don't sneak under fences, break locks and risk arrest to get photos. Other people, however, do (thankfully). To see fantastic photos of the inside of St. Alphonsus Hall, check out this Opacity page.

OK, that's it for the religious part of my journey. To read the Boston Landmarks Commission's full 2004 report, click here.

Now on to a random collection of things and places....

I was just so taken by this building. This is 684 Parker Street, near the intersection with Tremont Street. This building, which is unlike anything I've seen in my admittedly limited travels around Boston (I'm trying to get everywhere) is made entirely of puddingstone, per Wikipedia. There was once a puddingstone quarry in the area, and this building was likely built for working class folks.

Puddingstone, as you can imagine, was used throughout this area. A new project at 1470 Tremont Street is restoring two old masonry row houses and combining them with new construction rising above the historic exterior puddingstone walls, as you can see below.

Naturally, I would love for these old buildings to just stay the way they are, but I'm happy that the developer is incorporating these pieces of the neighborhood's historic fabric in the project.

Next door to 684 Parker Street, which I mentioned above, is Fuentes Market. The store has an amazing mural on the back, painted by the Mayor's Mural Crew, which does great work across the city.

Around the corner from Fuentes Market stands a collection of historic buildings that I knew, from a Google Maps search before our trip, that I wanted to check out.

Dating to 1876, the Vienna Brewery complex was in business until 1918, when Prohibition was ratified, per this comprehensive City of Boston document. There were at least two dozen breweries in Jamaica Plain and Roxbury in the early 1900's, according to this Jamaica Plain Historical Society report. The Vienna operation was replaced by a waste-paper processing plant into the 1980s. Nearby Wentworth Institute of Technology acquired the property in 1984 and used it as storage and office space. Some of the buildings have been torn down; I'm not sure what will become of the remaining structures.

Keep your eyes peeled for a feature on other former breweries, and check out the archives for previous posts about same (see December 9, 2017, "Artist Thinks: I HAF to Fix That Smokestack" and January 26, 2018, "Jamaica Plain Has Plenty of Flair").

Back out to Tremont Street, one of the main drags through Mission Hill.

This place is called Sunny Laundromat, which I didn't know when I took a picture of it with the sun blazing down.

Next I want to present to you what I rarely get to show on this blog: gentrification before and after.

I was interested in the Roxbury Knights of Columbus hall for two reasons: the sign and the mural. I didn't think much about the building, and how run-down it was and that it was probably vacant or would be soon. So I guess I wasn't altogether surprised when, upon my return, several weeks later, the K of C was gone.

"So," you may be asking, "what's going in here?"

I'm glad you asked. Known as Mission Hill Flats, a five-story mixed-use building will include some affordable units, a restaurant and -- ta da!! -- a new home for the Knights of Columbus. That's pretty cool.

I realize, looking at some of the photos I've included here, that in more recent months I've spent more time editing and cropping than I did when I shot these. For that I apologize. The next building, home to AK's Takeout & Delivery, deserves a better photo, but I don't have one.

Part of the reason I used to take photos like this was because I had my son with me, and I did things more on-the-fly than I do now that he does his own thing on our trips into Boston.

Anyway....I hope you appreciate the next photo.

I think I did a pretty good job capturing the dichotomy of old vs. new in Mission Hill. In the foreground is Chacho's Pizza & Subs, which also features Argentinian food, according to Yelp reviews. I don't know how long Chacho's has been in business, but judging by the sign, I'm guessing at least a quarter-century. I could be waaaaay off. In the background of the photo is Milkweed, which is by no means highfalutin, but the eatery does offer something I've never heard of -- Shakshuka. Of course, the restaurant also has Lucky Charm Pancakes, so I guess that's cool.

CAUTION: ANOTHER BAD PHOTO COMING UP!

Can I blame the sun, in addition to my son? No, that would be wrong. This cool building is home to Sociedad Latina, which I think is still a going concern. The organization offers education services, workforce development, arts and culture programs and more.

Ugh, another lame picture. This is the former David J. O'Connor Funeral Home. I'm not sure what's to become of this place.

And we wrap our tour up with a half-decent photo of a nice sign.

Open since 1984, Tremont House of Pizza makes and sells pizza and other foods, all of which I've heard of.

End to End In Boston's South End

From Dave Brigham:

OK, strap yourselves in and get ready for a whirlwind tour of Boston's South End....

This is a detail from a fantastic mural at the Harriet Tubman House on the corner of Massachusetts and Columbus avenues. I believe this detail features Cab Calloway. Not sure who the other cats are. The mural, created by Jameel Parker, wraps around two walls of the building, which is where the Cotton Club once stood, per the artist (although other online sources pinpoint the Club at 888 Tremont Street at some point, perhaps in a second incarnation?).

Operated by the United South End Settlements (USES), the Tubman House (named for the former slave and well-known abolitionist) offers early childhood education, job training, an after school program, a summer camp and more. USES announced earlier this year a plan to sell the Tubman House and use the proceeds to renovate its other properties and better serve the families in its programs. New Boston Ventures plans to build a residential complex with 17% affordability, and plans to save or reproduce the artwork, which covers two exterior walls.

Opponents of the deal, which include tenants of the building, say the sale should be nixed, pointing to deed restrictions.

OK, let's stick with the mural theme, and then move on to other public art.

Located on the side of the McKinley South End Academy at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Warren Avenue, this mural of Boston legend Mel King is just fantastic, isn't it? Created by students and faculty of the school, the artwork memorializes the nearly 91-year-old King, a community organizer, politician and currently director of the South End Technology Center, which he founded.

The next photo isn't a mural or art, but rather a plaque honoring a "master visual artist, painter, printmaker, author, lecturer, historian and good neighbor."

Allan Rohan Crite was born in 1910 in New Jersey, but he moved to Boston as a child. He enrolled in the Children's Art Centre run by the above-referenced USES and graduated from high school in 1929. He went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, was employed by the Federal Arts Project and painted under two primary themes, per Wikipedia: religious themes and general African-American experiences. He died in 2007. I love this plaque.

Not far from the Tubman House along Columbus Avenue is Harriet Tubman Park.

This statue is called Emancipation, and was created by Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller in 1913 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, per Wikipedia. In 1999 the statue was cast in bronze and placed in Tubman Park.

What is Boston's connection to Tubman, who was born into slavery in Maryland, escaped via the Underground Railroad to Philadelphia and died in Auburn, New York? Tubman, who may some day appear on the U.S. $20 bill, "had strong links to the Boston abolitionist movement and played a large role in uplifting black Union soldiers," per this Boston Globe article. She traveled with the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. That regiment was comprised entirely of Africa-American soldiers. Tubman cooked for the soldiers, treated their wounds and buried the dead during the battle at Fort Wagner, according to the Globe.

The statue in the above photo is known as the Harriet Tubman Memorial, or Step On Board. It was. sculpted by Fern Cunningham.

Below is a plaque embedded in the park's walkway dedicated to some of the "station masters" on the Underground Railroad.

The final public art piece on my tour is this plaque in honor of Childe Hassam.

"Who?" you ask. I'm embarrassed for you that you don't know this impressionist painter who was born and educated in Boston. OK, so I'd never heard his name before spying this plaque, but it seems he was a prominent painter of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Frederick Childe Hassam in Dorchester, he "was noted for his urban and coastal scenes," per this web site. To see his complete works, click this link.

OK, now on to another form of art, albeit of the commercial variety.

Located at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Rutland Square, these ghost signs advertise Coca-Cola and Southern Fried Chicken (top) and Pepsi-Cola (bottom). I haven't found out what restaurant or store these signs were hawking for.

Now is a good time to plug a Boston Globe article about ghost signs that I was featured in recently. I was contacted by a reporter who found this blog, and we spent about an hour walking through Boston's Fort Point Channel neighborhood looking for and talking about ghost signs. I was extremely flattered to be a major part of the article, which you can check out here.

Now for something artsy that isn't art.

This is on Berkeley Street, between Appleton and Chandler streets. The colors remind me of package of candy.

How about we move along to former houses of worship....

The former Concord Baptist Church, at the corner of Warren Ave. and West Brookline St., was converted to condos several years ago. The congregation moved to Milton, taking over the former Temple Shalom. "The boutique building features 9 residential units and 21 below-grade parking spaces. Residences are graced with preserved Church details, including arched windows and cathedral ceilings; complemented with modern finishes and high-grade appliances," per the Bushari web site that features some nice photos.

Over at 66 Berkeley Street I found this impressive building.

Built as the First United Presbyterian Church, since 1924 this place has been home to the Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House (known as Ellis). Founded in 1885 by Ida Eldredge as an afternoon club for boys, Ellis has grown over the years to offer early education and services to children and their families.

Practically across the street is the former Parker Memorial Building, constructed as a Unitarian church.

Built in 1872, this place was named after preacher and writer Theodore Parker. The building was transferred in 1889 to the Benevolent Fraternity of Churches to become the "cathedral of Boston Unitarianism," per this link. The Star of David must have been added after the fact; I've been unable to find any information about this building's use as a synagogue.

I did, however, find out from a fellow lover of the hidden history of Boston about some of the Parker's secular past.

"....[I]n the late 60s, there was a lot of local rock n' roll history there too, Dave," a great guy named Phil Hailer told me via Instagram. "The 2nd floor was the site of the original Boston Tea Party rock club (and I believe the start of WBCN as a rock FM station in a back room somewhere). The Tea Party moved to Landsdowne Street a couple of years later, but there were some legendary shows at this venue. I remember seeing the Jeff Beck Group there with Ron Wood on guitar and an unknown lead singer named Rod Stewart. Long ago....and far, far away."

Over the past 30 years of living in and around Boston I'd heard of the Boston Tea Party. But I never had any idea where it was. I enjoy searching online for the history of the places I shoot, but it's just so much cooler to get information first-hand from people who have real experience with these places.

Here's a great history of the old club.

I'm gonna shift gears a bit now. The Cyclorama has a origin story that just sounds so unreal today.

"Built in 1884 to house a 360-degree painting of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Cyclorama is on the National Register of Historic Landmarks." Oh, cool, it's on the National Reg....wait. What?! The Cyclorama was built for the sole purpose of housing a circular painting depicting the most well-known Civil War battle, the one with the most casualties?!

"Cycloramas were a popular form of entertainment during the later nineteenth century," per the web site of the Boston Center for the Arts, which runs the Cyclorama. "Most major cities in both Europe and North America had at least one. Built to house enormous, life size, panoramic murals, they frequently depicted battle scenes, evoking a sense of national pride while presenting graphic depictions of many historical events."

Cycloramas were the IMAX theaters of their time.

I've known about the Cyclorama for years, but this was the first time I walked past it. I would love to get inside. In addition to the Cyclorama, the BCA campus includes the Boston Ballet, the BCA Plaza Theatres, the Calderwood Pavilion and the Beehive restaurant.

The complex also includes an artist studio building, below.

Additionally, the BCA is the landlord for the Banyan Bar + Refuge, below.

Just a little ways up Tremont Street is one of the city's oldest gay bars.

According to the Travel Gay web site, "[T]he Boston Eagle celebrates the classic leather-clad gay aesthetic. It isn’t, however, a kink club with a dress code. All are welcome. The Boston Eagle is shabby chic, rough and ready and devoid of pretension. It’s something of a Boston institution." Man, that big ol' bird is sumthin' else.

OK, now to some more "former" stuff.

This is 4 Appleton Street, the former home of Boston Protective Department Company 2. This picture doesn't show it well, but the square plaque under the middle window has the initials "BPD." The station was built in 1892 and housed a fire company that wasn't part of the city's public protection. Rather, the BPD "was funded as an association of insurance companies in Boston who sought to protect the commercial buildings and contents from damage by fire, smoke and water. In this endeavor, the BPD worked very closely with the Boston Fire Department and the Boston Police Department," per the Boston Fire Historical Society. For pictures, check this link at the BFHS web site.

Located at 321 Columbus Avenue, the building below went up in 1906 as a home for electric carriages.

Known, strangely enough, as the Electric Carriage House, this place was renovated in 1987 and features seven floors of office space.

OK, I'm switching on the randomizer for the rest of this post.

I don't know anything about the building above, other than that I find it quite striking. Located on Union Park, it stands out amid all the classic brownstones in the South End.

I don't know anything about Billy's Coffee Shop, which is located next to the Parker Memorial Building mentioned above, but I love the patina on the sign.

The quaint sign for Merrill & Co. is all that's left of this restaurant on Appleton Street, across from the former home of the Boston Protective Department station mentioned above. The eatery was open for only about a year and a half before closing in late 2015.

What is this place? I didn't know but I guessed it was a power plant for the MBTA or for Amtrak, each of which runs trains directly underneath. I love the massiveness of the door. Below is a close-up.

Recently, after I'd written most of this post, I found out the answer to "What is that massive door?" The Boston Globe ran an article about this place, as part of a new initiative inviting readers to ask about odd/quirky/strange things in the city. Turns out I was spot on: "According to the T, the building is the Orange Line’s Berkeley Traction Power Substation, and was built with the opening of the massive Southwest Corridor project in 1987," per the article.

I will conclude my tour of the South End with a shot of the legendary Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe.

Opened in 1927, Charlie's was popular with black jazz musicians in the middle part of last century when so many of them were denied service elsewhere, per Wikipedia. "On May 12, 2014, Charlie's announced that it was closing at the end of June 2014, ending its 87-year run. On August 5, 2014, South End restaurateur, Evan Deluty, announced he would be re-opening Charlie's Sandwich Shoppe and that the breakfast and that the lunch menu would remain unchanged, but a new dinner menu would be added along with expanded hours," per Wikipedia. The remodeled eatery opened in early 2016.

For more on the South End, see June 29, 2019, "Back Streets, Oh Boy."