Wandering in Wellesley Square

From Dave Brigham:

I started my series about Wellesley, Mass., in the Wellesley Hills neighborhood, simply because it was closer to my home geographically than Wellesley Square, which is the "downtown" of this tony Boston suburb (see April 23, 2022, "A Wonderful Walk in Wellesley Hills").

Really, though, I should have kicked things off with Wellesley Square, if for no other reason than this: the Romanesque Revival town hall located on a small rise on the outskirts of the village is the most stunning, small-town municipal building I've ever seen.

(Wellesley Town Hall from the front.)

(Wellesley Town Hall from the rear.)

(Side entrance to what was originally the town library.)

For a palace like this to be located in a town of roughly 29,000 people, albeit a very wealthy little burg, is quite unexpcted. Built in 1882 from a design by Henry Sargent Hunnewell and George Russelll Shaw (of Shaw and Hunnewell), the town hall was erected on land donated by Hunnewell's father, Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, who made his fortune via railroads, banking, mining and real estate.

"As stated by the selectmen in their report of 1885, the town hall was erected on land belonging to Mr. Hunnewell, and it was built at his own expense," MACRIS reports. "He gave the land partly in recognition of the honor bestowed upon him in allowing him to name the town 'Wellesley' after the family name of Mrs. Hunnewell, the former Isabella Pratt Welles."

MACRIS continues: "This building can easily be considered the most striking and significant within the Community of Wellesley. It was apparently built under the influence of French architecture which the architects...had seen first hand on their extensive travels in Europe."

The steps at the old side entrance to the building are graced by the original bell that hung in the town hall.

(The bell was placed here on April 6, 1981 to commemorate Wellesley's centennial.)

The bell was cast by H.N. Hooper & Company, whose namesake had apprenticed with Paul Revere.

At the back of the town hall's lawn is a plaque about a historic tree located in Cambridge, Mass.

("THIS ELM WAS A CUTTING OF THE CAMBRIDGE WASHINGTON ELM," the plaque says.)

I don't know an Elm tree from a truffala tree, so I didn't even know which of the many trees on the town hall grounds this plaque referenced. Anyway, the Washington Elm on Cambridge Common lived approximately 210 years, dying in 1923, per Wikipedia. "Beginning as early as the 1830s, it became popular legend that 'under this tree Washington first took command of the American Army (supposedly the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)," Wikipedia continues. "The publication of the fictional 'eye-witness' journal The Diary of Dorothy Dudley in 1876 furthered the legend. Although George Washington did take command of the army on 3 July 1775, there is no official documentation stating that this event took place under the tree."

Maybe he used a cutting from the tree to replenish his fake teeth....

Anyway.

Sticking to the fantastic municipal building theme:

The Central Street Fire Station, at the intersection of Central Street and Weston Road, was built in 1928 in the English Revival style. Made of granite and other stone, the station is set apart from most fire stations of that era, or any other, most of which are built of brick. MACRIS reports: "According to an article in the July 13, 1978 Wellesley Townsman, Wellesley wanted '...to build an edifice which did not look like a fire station, but would...add to the beauty of the town.'"

It certainly does that.

I will discuss a few more places of interest before moving on to the main retail district.

I wasn't expecting to find an outpost of one of the world's largest and oldest fraternal orders in Wellesley.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows was established in the United States in 1806. "The exact date of the first founding of Odd Fellowship is lost in the fogs of antiquity," per the organization's web site. "Some historians trace its roots back to the Medieval Trade Guilds of the 12th and 13th Centuries. Others estimated that it existed before 1650. What is clear is that there were a number of Odd Fellow groups in England in the 1700s."

As for the group's unusual name: per the IOOF web site, a leading theory is "That common laboring men should associate themselves together and form a fraternity for social unity and fellowship and for mutual help was such a marked violation of the trends of the times (England in the 1700’s) that they became known as ‘peculiar’ or ‘odd,’ and hence they were derided as ‘Odd Fellows.’ Because of the appropriateness of the name, those engaged in forming these unions accepted it. When legally incorporated the title ‘Odd Fellows’ was adopted.”

As for this local branch, Sincerity Lodge #173, like others in the international organization, it promotes community service and supports local businesses. The building, located on Central Street, dates to 1875, per this article.

On the corner of Denton Road and Washington Street is St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.

This lovely building dates to 1894. That's all I can tell you, since, unlike most church web sites I've seen, the St. Andrew's one doesn't provide any history of the parish.

A short jog north on Washington Street lands us outside Washington House.

While the building -- a 1904 Colonial Revival house that is now condos -- looks like it could be quite posh, you wouldn't guess that by the sign hanging by the long driveway.

"Although built and used as a private home during the first 12 or l3 years its use took a dramatic turn when Wellesley College bought it in 1918 from the William Johnson's (sic), the second owners," per MACRIS. "The next 30 or so years it served as a freshman dormitory for Wellesley girls. It was named Washington House by the College who were establishing many of the houses in the area as dormitories and were naming them for identification. Time came when all students were housed on campus and Washington House was closed and remained idle for a time. Its life as a guest house began with the ownership of William White who purchased it in 1954. He transferred title to George C. McMichael in 1960."

OK, let's move on to the shopping area of Wellesley Square, which is home to more than 100 shops, restaurants and businesses, per the merchants association web site.

I started my tour of the shops with the flagship location of Dover Saddlery.

Founded in 1975 by by Jim and David Powers, former members of the USET Three-Day Event Team, the equestrian supply store has grown into quite the successful chain. There are 33 stores from coast to coast.

A few doors down from the horse hobbyist shop is the E.A. Davis & Company department store.

When I first spotted the cool sign, I assumed it was a relic from times gone by. Thankfully, I was. wrong. Founded in 1904 by Emma A. Davis, the store sells high-end fashions for men and women, as well as housewares such as furniture and window treatments. This past May, the company announced that another in a long line of local families will assume ownership. "It is with great excitement that we announce the E A Davis legacy will continue under the new stewardship of Brian and Becky Voelkel," the shop announced on its Facebook page. "The Voelkel Family has shopped at E A Davis since childhood."

Note of interest: HBO's recent series about Julia Child, "Julia," filmed at the store last year.

While I love all of the old retail buildings in Wellesley Square, my favorite shot of my tour is of a truly backside location.

Located on Spring Street, which is the closest thing to a back alley in this chic village, Auto Lab Alignment was founded in 1979, and specializes in German cars, such as the BMW 2002 you see in the photo. There were two guys working on a similar car outside the frame of that shot, along the street.

Around the corner on Cameron Street is Bellisario Rare Coin Gallery.

Established in 1965, the store is open by appointment only, according to its web site. While I never shop in coin stores, I hold a soft spot in my heart for them, since I used to casually collect coins, and still keep my eyes peeled for interesting money.

Back out on Washington Street is the Taylor Building, home to, among other businesses, Japanese restaurant Riceburg; Richard's of Wellesley, a hair salon; home furnishings boutique European Manor; Panoply Day Spa; and Lorraine dry cleaning.

Built in 1904, the building was erected by Charles N. Taylor for the Wellesley National Bank, where he was president, according to this Waymarking page. "The building also housed the Post Office until the present one was built in 1964," the entry continues.

Over on Crest Road, hard by the commuter train tracks, is a sprawling old building that's home to many businesses, including Faber Rug.

While I love the hand-painted sign, I'm confused by it. It looks as though it says "Faber's Rug" and perhaps covers up an older version of the sign, so the apostrophe and letters "r" and "s" are still showing. Anyway, this is the back entrance to the store, which was founded in 1954 in a different location in Wellesley. A few doors down is something called the Crest Road Mall.

The mall includes access to the rug store (I think), as well as Fast Frame picture framing, the Hagan Collection art gallery and Richard Tung massage therapy.

(Main entrance to Faber Rug on Central Street.)

A short walk west along Central Street gets you to the Central Block building, home to Lacrosse Unlimited, health food restaurant Cocobeet, the Wellesley Toy Shop and O'Neil Jewelers.

I haven't found any information about this building, but I'm guessing it dates to the 1920s or '30s.

Directly across the street is Clever Hand Gallery, which is located in a building with a surprising history.

An artisans collective around since 1973, the gallery is located in a significant building, as "it is the only building in Wellesley with an Art Deco facade," according to MACRIS. The site rose in 1923 as a shop selling auto batteries, tires and related items, operated by Robert Smith (no, not this guy), MACRIS continues. Just three years later, the building was leased to the Sat-ten Shop, which sold chocolate sauce the company manufactured elsewhere in Wellesley. The shop owners undertook extensive renovations, including "treatment of the front section [that] is a reproduction of a (sic) Italian court scene," according to an article published at the time by The Townsman, which is included in the MACRIS write-up.

(Random sidewalk art located elsewhere in Wellesley Square, which I assume is somehow related to Clever Hand.)

I'm going to wrap up with a sad story about what appears to be a cool store in a neat old building.

Cachet on Church Street, which sells clothing and housewares, is going out of business. "Time to say goodbye," the sign in the window indicates. "We have loved serving you and we will miss you." I don't know how long the store has been business, but I assume for quite some time. This building, like the similar one next door, was built in the early 1920s by Charles E. Holman, according to a marketing web site for the shops and eateries located here. It was Holman's sister-in-law, Emma A. Davis, who opened the E.A. Davis store mentioned above.

I love the architecture of these buildings, especially the leaded glass with lights behind it, as seen in the storefront for women's clothier Clementine below.

That's a wrap for Wellesley Square. Make sure to check back for another post about this lovely town, featuring some off-the-beaten-path landmarks.