From Dave Brigham:
Are you old enough, like me, so that when you hear the name "Magoun Square" you think of this guy? Or perhaps immature like me and giggle when you hear the name "Ball Square"?
Located in the northern part of Somerville, hard by the Medford line along Broadway, these squares stand to benefit from the new Green Line Extension (GLX) of the MBTA's light-rail system. Largely commercial areas, Magoun and Ball squares haven't suffered the loss of backside buildings the way Gilman Square has (see March 11, 2023, "The Pros and Cons of Winter Hill and Gilman Square"). Still, the neighborhoods are changing because they now provide easy, direct access to Boston.
Magoun Square was a thriving commercial center by the 1920s, according to this Somerville Times article, "serving a neighborhood dominated by Irish, Canadians, and Italians, with pockets of Eastern European Jews and Portuguese." As with many towns and cities that relied on factories and streetcars, Somerville suffered a long post-war decline when manufacturing moved out and trolleys stopped running. "By the 1990s," the article continues, Magoun Square "was a wasteland, with many storefronts empty, and others occupied by 6-to-12-month tenants."
As you'll see, the square is no longer a "wasteland," although there are certainly still some empty retail spots, but you'll find that in just about any neighborhood in Greater Boston.
I will discuss Ball Square's history below.
First I will talk about what I found in Magoun, in late 2022 and early 2023, and then Ball.
I want to start this dance on the outer confines of Magoun Square, at 438 Broadway, the Adams-Magoun House.
Built in 1783 in the Federal style, the nicely restored house was once situated on a 71-acre farm, per MACRIS. It is "the best-preserved of Somerville's 18th century residences...[and] retains integrity of location, design, materials, workmanship, and association."
MACRIS continues: "The Adams-Magoun House was built...by Joseph Adams, a member of the same Adams family as the [second and sixth] U.S. Presidents. Adams married Sarah Tufts, the daughter of Peter and Anne Tufts who also lived on Broadway. Joseph and Sarah Adams had a daughter, Sarah Anne, who married John C. Magoun, for whom Magoun Square is named. The 71-acre Adams farm extended from Broadway to the Boston and Maine railroad, between Central and Lowell Streets. The Adams-Magoun House is the last eighteenth century house to survive on the entire length of Broadway."
John Magoun was well-known in the area during his life. "He was a founding member of the First Unitarian Society of Somerville," according to the Bouseblog. "He also captained a local militia....John served Somerville for 34 years as town Assessor and for 22 years as an Overseer of the Poor, collecting poor taxes from the city’s more fortunate and administering relief money to the poor. In addition, he was a member of the School Committee and Sealer of Weights and Measures."
West-northwest of the Adams-Magoun House along Broadway is the former Winter Hill Laundromat.
According to a sign in the window, as well as this article from The Somerville Times, this space is being renovated to become the new home of Woody's Liquors, which is currently located a short distance away on Broadway.
Continuing the same direction, on the north side of Broadway, I spied a sad sight.
Wang's Chinese Cuisine was severely damaged by a fire in September 2022. I'm not sure whether the eatery plans to re-open here or another location. The restaurant's neighbor, the Dark Horse Public House, closed in March 2021, with the owners citing rising rent. With new transit stations in both Magoun and Ball squares, this is the type of property that may get redeveloped in the not-too-distant future.
Wang's other neighbor, Premiere on Broadway, features Italian-American food, live music and dancing.
I love the bold sign, and hope this plays stays in business.
In the heart of the square, at the intersection of Broadway and Medford Street is, appropriately, the Magoun Square Building, the rear of which is shown below.
Built in 1924, this two-story brick commercial and office building was once home to Mike's Hardware, as you might have guessed by the ghost sign. Prior to that, it was Rose Hardware. Current tenants include a MetroPCS cell-phone store, J.R. Pierre Real Estate and some law offices. The space behind the building is used as a patio for Daddy Jones, a casual Greek food and burgers place.
Across Medford Street from Daddy Jones is Olde Magoun's Saloon, which has been around for several years.
The building dates to around 1920, and was for decades home to Canty's Cafe, a local institution. The owner of Canty's, Tom Davenport, was the uncle of a friend of mine. Davenport owned the joint for 50 years. When he bought it, Davenport kept the name of the place that had been there for many years prior. My friend said the saloon used to have a "Ladies Entrance" sign over the door to the right. Davenport sold it to the Olde Magoun's guys.
On the opposite side of Medford Street, anchoring a row of small retailers, is a two-story brick building wrapped around a pitched-roof residence (or perhaps former residence).
"Like many of the commercial buildings on Medford Street, No. 507-509 Medford Street is a commercial storefront attached to the front of a residence," MACRIS indicates. "The builidng was probably built around 1920 by Angelo Luciano, a dentist....It is likely that Luciano built the commercial front on Medford Street to house his own office and provide rental income, taking advantage, as his neighbors did, of the growing commercial center at Magoun Square. In 1924 other tenants included a tailor and provisioner."
You can see the triangular roof of the home peeking out above the flat roof of the brick building.
Three doors down, heading southeast, is a space formerly home to Pat's Towing.
According to the sign, a business offering tailoring and alteration services will fill the space.
Across from the old towing place is a pizza joint with a unique name.
I'm not sure where the name White Sport Pizza comes from. Makes me think of squash, the racquet game, not the vegetable that comes in many shapes, sizes, colors and flavors, none of which do I care about.
Next door to the pizzeria is the clubhouse and library of the New England Science Fiction Association.
Founded in 1967, NESFA claims to be one of the oldest sci-fi clubs in New England. The group hosts the annual Boskone convention, and operates NESFA Press, which publishes reference books of science fiction and science fiction fandom; books honnoring the guests of honor at Boskone; and reprints of classic works in the genre.
The final building in Magoun Square is one that struck me immediately, and I just knew it had to have a MACRIS entry.
Nicely maintained and solid-looking, 495-499 Medford Street is home to Morais Jewelry, as well as apartments. Built in 1896, it "is probably one of the earliest commercial buildings in Magoun Square," per MACRIS. "It...initially had a provisions store and hairdresser as tenants."
While it is located a short distance from Broadway, MACRIS indicates that the building's location "at the corner of Norwood and Trull Streets reflects the development of Magoun Square north along Medford Street towards Broadway, stimulated more by the growing residential area to the south and the presence of the Derby Desk Company on nearby Vernon Street, than the traffic along Broadway."
What a nice segue into the final entries for this half of the post, which I'm referring to as Magoun Square-adjacent.
Founded in 1881, the Derby Desk Company was located at the corner of Vernon and Central streets, hard by the railroad tracks. In addition to commuter trains, those tracks now carry the Green Line Extension; the Magoun Square stop is a short distance away. "The 2-story brick core of the present factory was built...in 1887 along the Boston & Maine Railroad with the remaining 7-story portion built 1895-97," per MACRIS. "At its height, with sales outlets in cities throughout the country, the company was held to be 'the largest manufacturing industry in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of office furniture,'" MACRIS continues, citing the Board of Trade.
"In 1931 the company sold out to Heywood Wakefield Furniture Co.," per MACRIS. "By the 1950's the building was occupied by several small tenants, most of whom had abandoned the building by 1960. In 1973 the Rogers Foam Corp. bought the building, leasing the upper three floors to artists. Two years later the firm renovated the second floor for their own offices. The company's manufacturing operations are located in the basement and on the first floor."
Rogers Foam, which has been in business since 1947, once made Nerf Balls here (!).
As this sign on the side of the building indicates, this address is also home to "Somerville Artists & Artisans." Collectively, the group exists online at the Vernon Street Studios web site. According to the site, "Vernon Street housed the first group of artists in Somerville to open their studios to the public in 1975."
Artists affiliated with the studio painted panels on the exterior of the building that faces Central Street, as seen below.
The panel above brings together the history of both the Derby Desk Co. and Rogers Foam, showcasing a roll-top desk with Nerf balls bouncing around it and piling up in front of it.
A short distance away on Vernon Street is the old Harry Gavel Garage.
Gavel built this garage in 1910, and offered "repair, painting, rental, and manufacture of custom auto bodies," per MACRIS. There are currently three apartments (or condos) in this building. I'm not sure when the renovation took place.
Let's do-si-do on over to Ball Square, which is perhaps not quite as bustling as Magoun Square, but nonetheless has plenty of shops and restaurants, as well as a brand-spanking-new stop on the GLX. Also, it's located very close to Tufts University, so that means a fresh supply of hungry and thirsty students every year.
As is the case all along the new Green Line route, proprietors in Ball Square are hopeful that more commuters using the stations will translate into more business. "I think this is going to be a great thing for Ball Square, Gilman Square, all the new stops,” Tanner Spees, owner of Ball Square's True Grounds coffehouse, said in this Boston Globe article (which is likely behind a paywall). "I do think it’s going to take some time for people to use the train more and drive less....I think we’ll probably see a bigger uptick in maybe April or May, when the weather is better and everyone is more used to it."
The square was named for John Nichols Ball. "Following in the path of his uncle, Ball opened an insole factory in 1883 at 686 Broadway, between Josephine and Rogers Avenues," according to Wikipedia. "A respected business man, Ball took up politics in 1895. That year, he began his term as a member of Somerville's Common Council. In 1897 he was elected to the Somerville Board of Aldermen and by the next year served as board president....[H]e [ran] successfully as Representative for the 7th Middlesex District in 1900. Ball was well liked enough in his first term that he was reelected to the House in 1901. His burgeoning political career was cut short, however, by his death that October at age 66."
I'm going to start on the eastern edge of the square, at a dialysis clinic located in a former auto services garage, where Broadway goes over the MBTA tracks.
Built in the 1930s, the former Broadway Garage (aka Knox Brothers Garage) straddles Somerville and Medford. I believe this was also an auto dealership at some point.
On the other side of the Broadway bridge is the new Ball Square station, part of the aforementioned Green Line Extension that folks in this part of the world have been awaiting for decades.
The new Green Line route runs alongside the Lowell commuter rail line. That line was originally built as part of the Boston & Lowell Railroad, and was later used as part of the Boston & Maine Railroad's Southern Division, per Wikipedia. As such, there was a station at Ball Square that dated to the 1880s, according to MACRIS. I'm not sure if that station was torn to make way for the new line, or whether it was demolished a long time ago.
Staying on the north side of Broadway, we come to the Neighborhood Produce store.
Opened in Ball Square in 2020, Neighborhood Produce debuted its first location, in Somerville's Winter Hill, in 2017. The stores offer what you would guess by the name, as well as grocery items and everyday staples, per the company's web site. As for the Ball Square location, it's known historically as the Hillson Building, which you can sort of see in the photo below.
Built in 1925, the beautiful and well-maintained Hillson Building "held a variety of businesses including a drug store, hardware store, bakery, provisioner, and deli," per MACRIS. "[I]t is likely that it was financed by Hyman Hillson, president and treasurer of the Hillson Company, manufacturers of tinware, whose factory was located in the Ten Hills neighborhood."
In addition to Neighborhood Produce, this two-story building's tenants include a realtor, a dentist, a dry cleaner and a flooring company.
Adjacent to the Hillson Building is a one-story retail strip that is home to a chiropractor, vegan restaurant Taco Party, True Grounds coffeehouse, The House of Kebab Indian restaurant and Princess Nails.
(I love the colorful signs and facades on these eateries.)
Abutting the nail salon is the Arthur Building, a lovely yellow brick structure that is home to a dry cleaner, a pet grooming store and a salon, Lindsay Griffin + Company.
I've been unable to find out any history for this building.
At the far outskirts of Ball Square, so far out that it's actually in Powder House Square (which by the way, isn't a proper square) is the Museum of Modern Renaissance, the likes of which I haven't seen around Boston.
Located in a former Masonic Temple, the museum is the brainchild of Russian emigre artists Nicholas Shaplyko and Ekaterina Sorokin. They have turned the former lodge into a psychedelic treat for the eyes, with brightly colored art covering just about every surface, from the great hall to the kitchen to the bathrooms to the bedrooms. While the place doesn't open to the public like a typical museum, it is available to see by appointment, and sometimes the couple hosts guided tours and concerts and other events. I strongly encourage you to check out the video below to get an eyeful of the interior!
At the peak of Powder House Park, located in Powder House Square, is, of course, a powder house.
The rounded stone structure with the pointed dome and American flag sticking up high and proud is more than 300 years old! Built around 1704 by John Mallet as a windmill, the building was eventually used by numerous parties as storage for gun powder (to read about another pre-Revolutionary War powder house, see June 17, 2013, "Powda House," about the most significant historic structure in Dedham, Mass.).
Per MACRIS: "The structure was sold to the Province of Massachusetts in 1747 for use as a powder house. The Provincial Powder House was the largest repository of gunpowder in New England, with many of the surrounding towns keeping their powder there in addition to that of the province."
In 1774, Gen. Thomas Gage, who was commander-in-chief of British forces in North America, dispatched Lt. Col. George Maddison and a force of 260 soldiers to remove all remaining powder from the old windmill. The troops secured the powder in Boston, according to MACRIS. "After the war began the Powder House was used by the Americans to store gunpowder, at one time containing the entire Continental supply, a paltry 38 kegs." The building was used as a powder house until the 1820s. In subsequent years, it was used as a pickle store house, and likely other uses. It was owned by the Tufts family, who transferred it to the city as part of a park in 1892.
(I would be remiss if I didn't mention my friend Ray's band, Powderhouse, a group going strong after many years, formed by graduates of the nearby Tufts University.)
(Rock and sheep sculpture commemorating the Tufts family's Powder House Farm.)
There is another historic stone building in Powder House Park.
Built in 1935-36, the field house "was constructed using stones from the demolished Highland Railroad Station on Lexington Avenue," according to a brochure for Powder House Park issued by the City of Somerville. "...It has served many purposes over the years, including as an office for the Draft Board, then for the Traffic and Parking Department, and most recently as a Youth Program center. The building underwent significant repairs and restoration work both inside and outside during 2001-2002, and is now available for public use by petition."
We'll continue east on Broadway, on the south side, to check out more of Ball Square proper.
736-744 Broadway was built in 1924, and has, according to MACRIS, "a concrete parapet with stepped shield and swag motif over the corner bay and along the Broadway facade and urn finials." Get that? More importantly, in my mind, is that this is the new address of Stereo Jack's record store.
Located for years along Massachusetts Avenue just outside Harvard Square, the record shop celebrated its 40th anniversary last year. I'm sure the store's neighbor, A-List Laundry, is great, too.
Next on my tour is Lyndell's Bakery, a Somerville institution in business since 1887!
"Birger C. Lindahl, a Swedish immigrant who arrived in America in 1882, changed the spelling of his name to Lyndell and converted his fresh bread home delivery route to a bakery shop," according to the shop's web site. "Lyndell’s...is well known as the 'Godfather' of all New England scratch bakeries....Birger Lyndell owned the bakery for 45 years until 1932 when Eugene and Albert Klemm became the new owners. For the next 40 years, the Klemms operated the bakery and introduced many new European style baked goods including rich chocolate cakes, fresh cream, and puff pastries. In 1972, the Klemms sold Lyndell’s to a young baker who worked for them. For the next 28 years Herman Kett and his wife Janet continued the great Lyndell’s tradition by baking fresh everyday and introducing new popular Holiday Items. In 2000, the Ketts retired and sold Lyndell’s to the fourth and current owner, Bill Galatis."
Pretty amazing how dedicated each of the owners has been over the past 136 years.
Up next is a building housing Ball Square Fine Wines.
Located in a storefront tacked onto a residence, this place dates to 1900, if the Somerville assessor's database is to believed.
Next in line, heading east, are the Ball Square Cafe, which has been serving breakfast and lunch since 2007; Sound Bites, a breakfast/lunch/dinner joint around since 1996; and Salon CU, which has been run by a pair of cousins since 2006.
The Ball Square Cafe building rose in 1924, per MACRIS, and its "concrete parapet has a cornice with dentils and wide frieze with indented ends. A rope moulding outlines the store bays." I've never eaten there, but I used to frequent Sound Bites when I lived in Somerville in the mid- to late-'90s. I'm glad to see the restaurant still offers the mashed-potato homefries I loved so much, as well as grilled muffins.
The salon and Sound Bites buildings allegedly date to 1900.
The final two buildings are quite different in style and age, but they serve similar purposes.
On the right is The Pub, located in the Ball Square Block, which dates to around 1910, according to MACRIS. While it's not much to look at, this one-story commercial block has an interesting history, as does the site it sits on.
The building "was originally the site of the home and manufacturing facility of the J. N. Ball Company which made paper inner soles for shoes," per MACRIS. "John Ball [came to] Somerville in 1875 as a foreman working for an inner sole manufacturer in Boston. [I]n 1883 [Ball] began his own manufacture of inner soles. By 1890 Ball was living at 694 Broadway next to his 2 1/2-story factory....In 1901 he moved his business to South Boston and continued to reside at 694 Broadway. In 1902 John Ball died, and his widow continued to live at 694 Broadway through 1909. In 1911 the present structure was probably built on the site of the Ball House and possibly incorporated part of the shoe factory. The 'Ball Block' had 7 stores and featured one of the first bowling alleys in Somerville, located in the basement."
I patronized The Pub -- which despite its generic name, evidently has good food -- once several years ago after participating in a reading at an adjacent book store. The place was called, appropriately, The Book Shop. Along with a few other authors, I read a story from an anthology curated by my college buddy Jim. Called Movable Feasts, it is available an an ebook from Booklocker.
Last, but hardly least, on our Ball Square dance is Kelly's Diner, which you can see at left in the photo above, and in the shot below.
Constructed in 1953 by Jerry O'Mahony, Inc., the stainless-steel diner has booths and tables, as well as bar seating. For the first 40+ years of its life, the building was located in Wilmington, Delaware, and was known as Frank's Diner. In 1996, the Holmes family moved the diner to this location. "It was transported to its Ball Square site on two specially equipped, low bed trailers, in two pieces and reassembled with a great deal of care," per the eatery's web site.
I moved to Somerville in January 1995, and lived not too far outside Davis Square. As I mentioned, my girlfriend (now wife) and I used to frequent Sound Bites. I was very excited when I learned that Kelly's was being moved to the square. Honestly, though, I can't recall whether I ate at Kelly's before moving out of Somerville in late 1997. I recall that the renovation work took quite some time, and may not have been finished before then. I'm glad it's still there.
I hope you enjoyed dancing around Magoun and Ball squares as much as I did!
For more Somerville coverage, check out my Union Square series from 2019/2020:
Union Square, Somerville, Part I: New Purposes & Grease Monkeys
Union Square, Somerville, Part II: Factories and Housing
Union Square, Somerville, Part III: Retail and Hangouts
Union Square, Somerville, Part IV: Holy
Union Square, Somerville, Part V: The Future?
Also check out the posts below:
November 3, 2019, "East Cambridge-ish Randoms"
April 7, 2016, "Sweet and Junky"
