Kicking Around Downtown Everett

From Dave Brigham:

I take pride in coming up with clever headlines for my posts. I often rely on song titles or lyrics or other music-related terms ("Sneakin' Sally Through Boston's Alleys" came from a Robert Palmer song; "Things Are Poppin' in Windsor Locks" derived from two styles of street dancing). Other times I riff on the name of the town or city ("The Shire of Worcester, Part the Fifth,").

I came up empty while brainstorming about the downtown area of Everett, Mass., a city of nearly 50,000 residents just north of Boston. I tried to work something using former big-league baseball player Carl Everett, known by some as Jurassic Carl for his, shall we say, far out views on the world (denying the existence of dinosaurs, disputing that man has ever landed on the moon). In prior posts about the city, I had better luck (see September 30, 2023, "A Nutty Trip to See Some Signs in Everett" played off the Teddie Peanut Butter factory; May 4, 2019, "Roll the Dice: Encore!"; and June 25, 2013, "Roll the Dice") dealt with the city's casino. But those headlines had little to do with the city of Everett proper.

No matter. Lame headline aside, I've come up with another fantastic post (#906!) featuring a beautiful library, a gorgeous church, a nicely maintained armory and much more. Let's get to it!

The Palestine Masonic Lodge caught my eye first.

It looks practically brand new, all spiffed up and ready to greet the day. Often, when I see a Masonic building, it's closed up or in somewhat rough shape. Built in 1910 along Broadway, just south of the old high school, the lodge was erected to replace a previous building that burned down in a different location.

From MACRIS: "Like Masonic lodges across the country, the Palestine Lodge grew in membership in the first decades of the 20th century. In 1910, the lodge reported 465 members. By 1918 membership had grown to seven hundred and sixty-five and by 1926 the lodge had the third largest membership in the state with 1200 members. Interest in freemasonry and fraternal societies declined after 1930. This trend was evident at the Palestine Lodge, where membership declined to 825 by 1943. The Palestine Lodge continued to own and occupy the building at 536 Broadway until the early 1980s, when it was sold due to lack of funds to maintain the property. From the mid-1990s to 2019 the building was owned by the Islamic Association of Massachusetts."

The building sat vacant for a while before being redeveloped into apartments. "It houses 15 apartments consisting of a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units. 3 units are designated as income-restricted and will be rented to households earning at or below 80% AMI (Area Median Income)," per this Maloney Real Estate listing.

Continuing north-northeast on Broadway, I liked the look of the sign outside McKinnon's Supermarket.

A five-store chain of stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, McKinnon's has been in business since the 1940s.

I continued all the way to Ferry Street, and then turned around. I didn't see much of note until I'd gone past the Masonic Lodge again and into the heart of Everett Square.

Dempsey's Breakfast & Lunch has been operated by the same family for years. I'm a little unclear on just how long the eatery has been in business. From the restaurant's web site: "From the original Donut Villa that opened in 1976 to Dempsey’s today, The Nentis Family has provided excellence in food service for over 39 years to Everett and the surrounding cities."

The MACRIS file on this building shows an old photo of Donut Villa. There are Donut Villa locations in Arlington, Cambridge and Malden. Their eatery in Newton didn't last very long. The building dates to 1940; previous tenants included Oliver's Stationery Store and S.K. Ames, which sold butter, cheese and eggs, per MACRIS.

Across the square from the diner is a rounded, two-story office building painted a distinctive shade of green.

The Everett Trust Company Building opened in 1919. The bank was establshed elsewhere in 1910. An addition on Chelsea Street, below, was built in 1921.

Now home to Iglesia Pentecostal Unida Hispana (United Hispanic Pentecostal Church), the addition was home to a post office for a number of years. Subsequent to that, the space was occupied by a Waldorf Restaurant, per MACRIS. I wrote about another old Waldorf Restaurant, this one located in Fall River, last September. Waldorf was a cafeteria-style restaurant popular in the middle part of last century in various locations across several states.

I continued east-southeast along Chelsea Street for a little bit until I saw a side-by-side clash of colors and histories.

On the right is Zeke's Pub, which I'll discuss in a minute. On the left is Super JC Market, which sells groceries and includes a pharmacy and a cafe.

The market is located in a circa-1925 building that was originally the Melanson Brothers Chevrolet dealership. A photo in the MACRIS file shows that this was also a BMW dealership in more recent years.

As for Zeke's, it has been slinging drinks since 1940, according to its sign.

This joint has a 3.8-star average on Yelp, based on four reviews.

A few steps further east brought me to the front of the Edward G. Connolly Center.

Like me, you may have guessed that this building's original purpose was as an armory. Built in 1902 in the English Revival style, the Everett Armory "was the home of Company B, 8th Regiment Infantry, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia," according to MACRIS. "In its early years the company provided assistance after the Chelsea Fire of 1908 and during the Lawrence Mills labor strike of 1912. The Armory building was taken over by the State in 1910 and was completely renovated for use by the company."

The renovation included a rifle range and two bowling alleys in the basement. "The building was used for military activities through the Vietnam War era but was also the site for various community functions including banquets, exhibitions and social events including military balls," MACRIS continues. "The City of Everett received the building from the National Guard in the 1970s and it received additional renovations in 1989. In October 2006 the building was renamed the Edward G. Connolly Center in honor of longtime state representative and former mayor, Edward G. Connolly."

At this point, I doubled back to Everett Square.

On the left in the photo above is La Hacienda, a Mexican/Salvadoran restaurant located in a circa-1926 building that was originally home to a Kresge department store. I've written about Kresge stores before, in Waltham and New Bedford.

The middle building is the aforementioned Dempsey's Breakfast & Lunch. The third building, the old Everett Savings Bank, I will discuss below.

I headed south on Broadway and was stopped in my tracks by the Frederick E. Parlin Memorial Library.

The main part of the Richardsonian Romanesque library opened in 1894. The addition, seen in the two photos above, dates to 1912, and was designed by the same architect, John C. Spofford, and matches the design of the original building.

Next door is the Central Fire Station, which dates to 1908 and looks to be in fabulous shape.

Renovations were completed in 2020.

Just a little further south is the shuttered Sal's Dry Cleaning.

At this point, I turned around and headed back toward Everett Square. There, I spied two great old buildings abutting the previously mentioned Everett Trust Company Building.

Completed in 1896, the Evans Building was built by Alonzo Evans, who served as the city's first mayor and was the president of the Boston Five Cents Savings Bank, per MACRIS. "The Evans Building contained two stores on the ground story and offices above," MACRIS continues. "The third story, known as Arcanum Hall, was used as meeting space by various clubs and civic organizations and for special functions."

Current tentants include a deli, a smoke shop and an insurance agency.

Next door is the imposing and beautiful Arthur H. Whittier Building.

Built in 1900, the Renaissance Revival building was originally occupied by Arthur H. Whittier & Company, a grocery store. Subsequently, F.W. Woolworth opened a store on the first floor. Current tenants include a T-Mobile store, a Brazilian market and the Skyplex function hall.

From there I headed west on Norwood Street. On the side of Angelo's Touch Hairstyling, I found this amusing mural/ad.

Yes, artist Juleen Jones has turned Vito Corleone's threat against a Hollywood big shot in "The Godfather" into a tagline for a hair salon.

Across Norwood Street, I dug the sign for Taco El Paso.

At the intersection of Norwood Street and Broadway is another in a long line of buildings I've documented here with an "X" on it, which indicates to firefighters that the building is not safe to enter in case there's a conflagration.

Built in 1877, this Second Empire brick building holds a few important places in Everett's history. First, per the photo on the MACRIS file, the building once housed a Brigham's Ice Cream restaurant. Second, it was the first masonry block to be erected in Everett Square, according to MACRIS, and "is also the second oldest (sic) building in the square, pre-dated only by the First Congregational Church." I will discuss that church below.

MACRIS continues: "Originally known as the Whittier & Dearborn Building, the block was soon renamed the Library Building. The city's first public library, organized in 1878, was located here until the Parlin Library was constructed in 1894-95. The other tenant and later owner of note was the Odd Fellows Association, organized locally in 1875."

I hope someone can turn this place around, given its illustrious past.

Just north of the previously mentioned Dempsey's is a great little building, the former Everett Savings Bank.

Currently home to Regal Mexican Grill, this Classical Revival gem dates to 1885. Although built as office space, it was converted to use as a bank in 1889. Everett Savings remained in this location until 1930, per MACRIS, when it moved to a newer building that will be featured below. Since that time, a variety of small businesses and retailers have operated here.

A few buildings away is the gorgeous Everett First Congregational Church.

Now home to Igreja Universal, this Italianate stunner dates to 1852 and is oldest surviving structure in Everett Square, according to MACRIS. "The first Everett town meeting was held here on March 21, 1870. The church was incorporated in 1891 and a year later remodeled and rededicated."

The final stop on my downtown Everett tour was the newer Everett Savings Bank building. The sun was tough, so I apologize for the photo.

You can't tell from my photo, but this building is fairly impressive. "This sandstone building, designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style (infrequently seen on the east coast (sic)) is one of the most distinguished in Everett Square," according to MACRIS. "The exterior walls are decorated with figured panels; multi-pane windows are outlined with rope molding and the arched heads terminate in panels filled with animal and foliate ornament. An arcaded frieze and Moorish cornice finish the major elevations."

Opened in 1930, the building is now home to the Pioneer Charter School...I think.

OK, that's all folks!