Is It Still Urbex If There Are Ridiculously Priced Apartments Across the Street?

From That Same Old Guy:

I am fascinated by the dichotomy between old and new Boston in just about every neighborhood I explore for this blog. This time around it's the part of South Boston just southwest of the massive Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Amid the hotels, upscale athletic clubs and high-priced apartment buildings here, there are still plenty of warehouse, crane rental, roofing, self storage, electrical supply and other industrial businesses.

When I saw this building, I figured it was abandoned.

I was wrong.

American Ramp Systems (AmRamp) installs wheelchair ramps and other accessibility equipment, including portable roll-in showers, automatic door openers, vertical platform lifts, inclined stair lifts, pool lifts, grab bars, wireless alert devices and more, per the company's web site. I just love the blue; I could shoot photos of this place all day long.

I also love the building below, which is part of AmRamp's warehouse.

Just southeast of AmRamp I found this scene on the Maxim Crane Works property.

Directly across from the crane business, and catercornered from AmRamp, is West Square Boston. Amenities at this newfangled apartment complex include: a pet relief area, a pet spa, a concierge, a game room, a fitness center, indoor parking, a coffee bar and an entertainment lounge with a fireplace. Studios range from $2,655 – $2,995; 1-Bedrooms from $2,855 – $3,435; 2-Bedrooms from $3,800 – $4,395.

Yowza!

And just across the street, to the northwest of this hipster haven, we have....

This is 190-206 West 2nd Street (aka 181-185 West 1st), which appears to have been abandoned since the Reagan years. I'm not sure what used to be in this building and the adjacent empty lot. Back in July 2014, Triad Alpha Partners and R&B Design announced a plan to tear the pile down and erect a 90,000-square-foot, three-floor apartment complex. Nothing has happened, as you can see.

Triad's web site is no longer active; the company focused on acquiring property at a steep discount in addition to the execution and improvement of the property, per the firm's obviously outdated LinkedIn page. As for R&B Design, I can't find any information.

Fear not. This property is sure to be snapped up by somebody at some point in the not-too-distant future. And while it will be nice to erase this eyesore from the landscape, whatever high-priced condo project ends up here will be one less place that I'll want to take pictures of.

A Sliver of Sterling

From Dave Brigham:

The day before Thanksgiving last year, I headed out from my son's school in Sudbury, Mass., in search of...I wasn't sure exactly what. I had a few hours before I had to return, as he had an early release. After too much aimless driving, I found myself in apple orchard country. "I just need to find a little town, anything with a few buildings," I told myself. Shortly after passing Clearview Farm in Sterling, I found what I didn't know I was looking for.

I found plenty of photo opportunities in Sterling's quaint, All-American downtown. Originally part of nearby Lancaster, Sterling broke away and incorporated in 1781. Primarily an agricultural community for decade upon decade, the town still features at least five farms, and holds an annual fair.

Since I started off with a photo of the coolest place, I might as well talk about it.

The former Sterling Cider Mill is now home to Oh My Gosh! Antiques & Collectibles and Kim's Reiki Room. "Founded in 1906 by Walter Hildick Sr., [the mill] took advantage of Sterling’s apple orchards and of the direct access to railroad transport," per this Town of Sterling web site. "During its heyday, the mill produced 2 million gallons of apple cider, apple juice and cider vinegar. In [the] 1980s the cider mill halted its pressing process due to environmental concerns, and in 1988 it finally closed down and moved its operation to Pennsylvania.

Directly in front of the old mill complex I found Auto Technica.

There were a few old cars inside; all these months later I don't recall what kind. Porsches, perhaps?

Running behind the Cider Mill Building, along the route on which trains once hauled away apple cider, juice and vinegar, is the Mass Central Rail Trail.

I do love a good rail trail, especially ones that still showcase remnants of the past.

The Mass Central Rail Trail is the longest rail trail in the Northeast, at 104 miles. Of course, only 51 miles are currently open. The line once stretched from downtown Boston at North Station to Union Station in Northampton, Mass., per the official web site. There are still 19 miles in "unclear ownership," per the web site.

I've written about the Mass Central Rail Trail before (see 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 March 24, 2019, "Weston By Musket and Sextant"). I've also written about the Bay Colony Rail Trail (see December 30, 2017, "Rail Trail Mix") and the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail (see November 30, 2015, "Walking Dead Tracks").

As I said, Sterling is small but scenic, and has that Main Street USA look that calendar makers love.

Woody's Barber Shop on Main Street has been operated since 1912 by five generations of the same family, per this blog post.

Old-timey barbershop? Check.

Statue commemorating one of America's most beloved poems? Check.

Mary Sawyer was born in Sterling in 1806, and as you might surmise from the photo above, she had a little lamb. "On [the] fateful morning of the poem’s inspiration, Mary walked to class at the Redstone Schoolhouse and tucked the little lamb in a basket at the foot of her desk," per this Boston Magazine story. "All was well until the restless pet let out a bleat. As the children laughed, the teacher insisted the lamb must wait outside until Mary could take it home at lunchtime."

As it turns out, this simple tale that inspired a classic poetic song is mired in controversy.

"But who wrote the tale that captured this simple yet charming history?" the above-linked article continues. "The author of the original poem was John Roulstone, a new arrival in town who came to study under his uncle, a minister. Roulstone witnessed the lamb’s ordeal and wrote three stanzas, which he later gave to Mary. Debate arose roughly fifteen years later, when writer Sarah Josepha Hale published Poems for Our Children in 1830. The collection included an extended version of Roulstone’s 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' that wove a moral about kindness into the tale. Hale, born in Newport, New Hampshire, was attributed authorship, but (for the most part) debaters seem to have decided only the last three stanzas of the poem were her own original material.

In the same park as the "Mary Had a Little Lamb" statue, stands a memorial to "All deceased Sterling firefighters."

To the left of the flag, the memorial says, "This tire stone was used in a Sterling blacksmith shop." That's pretty cool.

Adjacent to town hall, and behind an insurance agency, I spied this orange building, which really stands out amid all of the Colonial white and red brick.

I knew the Internet search and media company by this name wasn't headquartered here, even though the business has faltered in recent years. So what the heck is Y.A.H.O.O.? Young Adults Helping Out Others is a town-run program in which 7th - 12th graders volunteer to help seniors with yard work in the spring and fall.

Ready to shoot your next wholesome family film here yet? No? Well, check out the wonderful library.

The Conant Public Library was named "in honor of Elizabeth Ann Conant, daughter of Edwin Conant who donated a majority of the funds that made building the Sterling library possible," per the web site. Edwin Conant was a businessman, lawyer and philanthropist. The building dates to 1885.

Next to the library is this classic New England church.

The First Church in Sterling dates to 1842, but the congregation goes back another 100 years. Formed in 1742, the small parish built its first meetinghouse on this same site two years later. In 1830, the church became Unitarian. Many other changes occurred over the ensuing centuries, until in 2017 the church voted "by unanimous vote to become an Open and Affirming, Welcoming Congregation to the LGBTQ community.

Across the small common, where the above memorials are situated, is a former church.

Built in 1837, this place has an interesting history. It was erected by the First Universalist Society, which sold it to the First Evangelical Congregational Society in 1852. Per the MACRIS page I found about the building, "it was used in the basement as a meat shop." Over time, the Congregationalists merged with the local Baptist church and met here. That combined congregation eventually merged with the Unitarian Church across the street (see above). The latter church's facility was used for worship; the Congregational property was used for youth activities. In 1952, the church sold the building.

Eventually, the building fell out of use as a house of worship, and an auctioneer took over the space. It is now home to Sholan Realty.

Directly behind this former church property, at the corner of Bridge and Maple streets, is St. Richard of Chichester Roman Catholic Church. Just stop and appreciate that name for a minute.

Named, per the church's web site, to honor the patron saint of Richard Cardinal Cushing, who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944-1970, the house of worship dates to the 1950s. Richard of Chichester lived from 1197 to 1253, and was Bishop of Chichester, per his Wikipedia page.

(This statue is located in the parking lot next to the church.)

Back on Main Street, next to the former church/auctioneer office, is the wonderful 1835 Town Hall.

As you might expect, this building, and the property it sits on, have rich histories. In 1799 the owners of the site, Ebenezer Pope and Lucretia (Wilder) Pope, deeded the property to be used by the residents of Sterling. Prior to that date, the site was used as a blacksmith's shop by Samuel Brown. In 1801, the site became the first Town House in Worcester County, in which church business was separated from town business, per this history of the old town hall. A school was located on the second floor.

A deed dated 1807 indicates that the property is never to be converted to private use. In 1834, the town voted to build a new town hall. The previous building was moved to Worcester Road, where I believe it still stands. The building has been enlarged and improved over the years, and used for a number of purposes, ranging from balls and graduations to cattle show events, antique fairs and much more. It was also used to store fire equipment and house jail cells. Today it is used regularly by scouting groups, 4-H, town committees, guitar lessons, a children's music program and hosts various community clubs, per the town's web site.

My final stop on this brief tour of Sterling was a nice conservation area behind the current town hall. The Butterick Nature Trail is a 13-acre haven donated to the town by Mary Ellen Butterick, whose father, Ebenezer Butterick, invented the tissue paper dress pattern, per the town's web site.

A sign at the foot of this staircase told me that there was a side trail to the former Town Pound. The pound was used for more than 100 years, up to the time of World War I, according to the town web site. A town pound (or enclosure) was a high-walled and lockable structure mainly used for holding stray sheep, pigs and cattle until they were claimed by the owners, after payment of a fine or levy, per the web site.

I'd never seen such a thing, so I sought it out.

Wasn't at all hard to find. In addition to the cow you see in this photo, there is also a a sheep.

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

From Dave "Smokey" Brigham:

L.J. Peretti Co. has been in business for 150 years in Boston. That's pretty good for a business selling products that are bad for your health, and that pollute the air we breathe. Don't get me wrong: I have no problem with cigars and pipes, especially the latter, which always smell good and remind me of my late uncle. The number of folks who smoke them, though, has decreased significantly in the last 15 years.

Founded in 1870 in Boston's North End, Peretti at one time had a factory in Park Square where "fifty rollers...produced some of the finest cigars in New England," per the company's web site. "Not only did Peretti's manufacture blended cigars, but they also created Clear Havana Vitolas such as the legendary La Mirendella."

The tobacconist at one time had stores in the Financial District and elsewhere, but I believe this one at the intersection of Boylston and Charles streets, just steps from the Boston Common, is the sole survivor.

Perched outside the front door is a stogie-holding Punch.

Half of the ancient comedy duo Punch & Judy, the cigar-loving wag has been common outside tobacco shops for decades and probably centuries.

For more about local tobacconists, see November 29, 2018, "Leavitt & Peirce: For All Your Hoity-Toity Tobacco Needs."

A Garage for the 1 Percent

From Dave Brigham:

Now THAT is a sign (although I like this older version better). And the building ain't too shabby, either. Located on tony Newbury Street in Boston (aka the Rodeo Drive of the East), the Danker & Donahue Garage was built in 1919 and for decades offered seven floors of parking for those looking to part with lots of money on clothes, shoes, ice cream, sunglasses, tchotchkes, art, sneakers, jewelry, blah blah blah.

The sign on the facade has been retouched and updated, but the old sign on the side of the building has faded to a nice ghostliness.

We're actually looking at old ads for two places: Danker & Donahue Garage (right) and White Garage/White Cars (left). To see more old photos of the garage as well as some current ones, check out this City of Boston document.

I don't believe you or your fancy-pants friends and relatives can park here anymore. Until recently, one could park one's Rolls Royce Black Badge Cullinan, Range Rover PHEV or Tesla Model S on floors above and below the Uniqlo store.

But this past December, new owner Gazit Globe Ltd. pulled a permit valued at $4 million for "removal and infill of the existing automobile elevator and construction of white box office space and fitness room," per this Bldup post.

I guess the One Percent will just park their amazing vehicles along the street, on top of the lesser cars and trucks.

For another post about a cool building along Newbury Street, see February 5, 2020, "God -> Movies -> Books -> Food -> Education."

Another Ramble Through East Cambridge

From Dave Brigham:

Many times over the years on my subway trips in and around Boston with my son we end up at Lechmere Station in East Cambridge, the end/beginning of one branch of the Green line. I've taken a lot of pictures in that area (see November 3, 2019, "East Cambridge-ish Randoms"); here are some more.

Steps from the Lechmere stop, on Cambridge Street between Second and Third streets, sits the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds, a beautiful red-brick behemoth dedicated in 1900.

The building was designed in 1898 by Boston architect Olin B. Cutter, who also designed the Middlesex County Courthouse in Lowell and the New Bedford Armory. As stunning as the registry of deeds building is, however, it's the one looming behind it in the photo above that dominates the view and the conversation in this area these days.

The former Edward J. Sullivan Courthouse (named for a former mayor of Cambridge who also served as clerk of courts for Middlesex County) at 40 Thorndike Street has been vacant since June 2014. Built in 1971 and loaded with asbestos, the skyscraper, which also featured a jail near the top, is out of character with the neighborhood and with general aesthetic values. The neighborhood is a mix of small businesses, apartment buildings, office space, historic row houses, an arts center, a mall and a juvenile court. It's a very active neighborhood.

As you can imagine, there are folks who oppose adding more traffic/people/dogs/e-bikes/beards/latte liberals/scooters/pizza delivery people/vaping hoodlums/etc. to this area. OK, I'm joking. Sort of. The Neighborhood Association of East Cambridge (NAEC) is one of the groups against the development of the 280-foot building. "Others are still angered...with (developer) Leggat McCall for not reducing the structure’s 280-foot height, far above the 80 feet zoned for the area," per this Herald News article. "They argue the courthouse got an exemption in the 1970s because it was a public building, but the exemption should not remain for a commercial building."

While the developer isn't going lop off 200 feet of a skyscraper, Leggatt McCall has agreed to reduce the height from 22 stories to 20, according to the company's web page for the developments it's calling 40 Thorndike. The Brutalist look of the building as it currently stands will also change. "A new terra cotta and glass skin will transform the exterior of the building giving it a more inviting look and feel," per the Leggat web site. "In response to community feedback, the height of the building will be reduced from 22 to 20 floors. A Zen garden inspired urban pocket park, with ample trees to provide shade during summer months and wind protection during cold and blustery days, will be created at sidewalk level along Spring Street."

In September, the Cambridge City Council voted 6-3 in favor of leasing 270 parking spaces in a municipal garage across from the former courthouse to Leggat McCall. The developer had sought 430 spaces. The square footage of office space will be lower than originally proposed, as the developer agreed to increase the number of affordable housing units, per this Boston Globe article.

OK, let's check out what new office workers and residents at 40 Thorndike will see in their new 'hood.

This sturdy house of worship is St. Francis of Assisi Church, located at 315 Cambridge Street. Built in 1837 by the Second Baptist Church, the building is the fifth-oldest church in Cambridge, per this Cambridge Historical Commission document. Next to the church are a couple of cool old brick buildings that appear to have apartments or offices on upper floors, above ground-floor retail.

The Cambridge Assessors office dates these buildings to 1900, but I'm guessing they're older.

Not too far away, on Sixth Street, is Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

I'm not sure when this place was built. The Cambridge assessor says 1860; the city's historical commission says the cornerstone was laid in 1874 and the church was consecrated in 1883. Either way, it was the largest and most expensive church in East Cambridge.

On the church grounds, next to the rectory, is a small monument to the men and women from the parish who served in World War II.

The rest of the shots are random ones from along Cambridge Street.

I bet the Central Bakery sign (above) was pretty cool in its heyday. I dig the clock, too. Here's the part where I admit that I need to pay more attention to what I'm shooting. I have ADD and often am on a constrained schedule to take photos, so I sometimes miss important details. I shot this sign and moved on along the sidewalk. Now, months later, I searched online for "Central Bakery" and found Yelp reviews but no evidence that the bakery still exists. When I search on Google Maps for the address provided on Yelp, I see the sign on "street view," but next door I see the Royal Pastry Shop, which has been in business since 1941. Maybe Royal used to be Central? Or perhaps Central pre-dated Royal and the sign is incredibly old? Anybody got any clue?

Anyway, how about a few ghost signs?

Heading west along Cambridge Street, there is this one for the former Santoro Bakery:

And just up the street, facing east, you'll find this one for Gold Medal Flour:

Those signs are pleasant enough, but nowhere near as iconic as the one below:

Mayflower Poultry Co. on Cambridge Street has been in business since 1932. The sign, however, is no longer accurate. Per the company's web site: "Our sign is a trademarked historical landmark ONLY. We no longer process any poultry on-site."

As cool as the sign is, the building's history is even more impressive and interesting. The larger building with the peaked roof is the sole survivor of a circa-1869 three-structure car barn "built to house the horse cars for the Union Railway’s East Cambridge service," per the Cambridge Historical Commission. "The shorter building with the Mayflower sign went up sometime in the 1960s, and replaced what was a horse stable."

Also along Cambridge Street is the East Side Bar & Grille, featuring this great mural of the Chairman of the Board:

Also, a spot where hipsters take their young'uns.

Sew-Low Discount Fabrics is no longer open.

There's something about this sign that appeals to me. I'm not sure if it's still there.

Finally, a cool old police facility.

Located on Gore Street, this place "was connected to the police station (and fire house) on Sciarappa Street and housed Police Station #1's police wagon," per the Cambridge Firefighters Local 30 web site.

And there you have it.