The Backside is Coming! The Backside is Coming - to Revere! (Part III)

From Dave Brigham:

So far in my series on Revere, Mass., I have covered a bustling main thoroughfare, as well as a diner and remnants of a trailer park (see July 27, 2024, "The Backside is Coming! The Backside is Coming - to Revere (Part I)" and July 31, 2024, "The Backside is Coming! The Backside is Coming - to Revere (Part II)"). In this installment, I share a little bit of the Beachmont neighborhood.

This neighborhood lies at the southeastern tip of Revere, between Revere Beach to the north, Winthrop and East Boston to the south and Route 1A to the west. My primary quarry on my trek through this area was a one-time diner that most recently was home to Beachmont Roast Beef.

Under the siding lies Worcester Lunch Car #811, which was built in 1948, according to this Diner Hotline Weblog post. "The Shamrock Diner was delivered on June 15th, 1948 and is the first Worcester with the new flat overhangs over the end walls....This diner is...disguised..., having been made more into a roast beef sandwich and fried food place [around 1980]. The counter stools have been removed although the counter is still there. It now has a raised section to utilize it as more of a serving counter. The ceiling has been dropped and the original booths are gone."

As you can see, the property is fenced off (although not all that well). In its heyday, this place must have been jamming with both workers and visitors to the Suffolk Downs racetrack, located just across Washburn Avenue, along with other other locals and beachgoers. The track closed in the summer of 2019, and more recently, redevelopment of the site has been under way. To see what the view used to be from the roast beef joint, before the race track closed and buildings were demolished, check out my May 10, 2019 post, "Feeling Downs in the Dump."

To see a different side of the old racetrack, check out my June 30, 2018, post, "Losing Bet at Suffolk Downs."

As for the redevelopment, HYM Investment Group plans to "transform 161 acres into a new resilient mixed-use neighborhood served by two stops on the MBTA Blue Line," per its web site. "Suffolk Downs will create 10,000 new units of housing to meet critical demand in the market, and will provide a mix of senior, workforce, family and young professional housing, including over 900 affordable units."

In addition, there will be hotels, retail and office space and 40 acres of open space. Development is progressing quite slowly.

I imagine this former diner site will be redeveloped before too long. I have no idea if the diner building will be saved. After checking out the old Beachmont Roast Beef, I took a quick walk through the neighborhood, where I spied some nice signs on businesses that may also be affected by the new development.

Located on Winthrop Ave. east of the MBTA stop, Beachmont Liquors has been in business for a quite a while. That's my guess. They get mostly good reviews on Yelp.

Across the avenue is the oddly named 7 Day Convenient Store.

"Convenient store" is less typical than "convenience store," but is still a term I've seen used in Greater Boston. I feel putting "7 Day" in front of it is unnecessary, as, you know, are there any of these types of stores that aren't open all week? Anyway, the real prize here is the picture of the frolicking horses. I love it! I have no idea why it's there, but it's just great.

Last but not least is Torretta's Bakery & Ice Cream at the intersection of Winthrop and Unity avenues and Bennington Street.

I assume Torretta's has been in business a long time, too. I hope it lasts for many more years.