In the Valley of Belmont, Part II: Waverley Square

From Dave Brigham:

Belmont's Waverley Square is named for the Waverley Oaks, a well-known -- and long-gone -- famous stand of trees in what is now Beaver Brook Reservation, on the border with Waltham. The grove of trees -- somewhere between one and two dozen -- were "very large and ancient," according to the web site for The Waverley Trail.

The Oaks "inspired the creation of the world’s first regional land trust," according to the Trail's site. Said land trust, The Trustees of Reservations, was formed in 1891 by the Massachusetts Legislature "for the purposes of acquiring, holding, maintaining and opening to the public...beautiful and historic places...within the Commonwealth," per the Trustees' web site.

By the late 19th century, these trees were already older than the nation, according to various online accounts, with estimates of their ages ranging from 100 to 1,000 years old. Unfortunately, none of those mighty oaks are still standing, although the Waverley Trail site tells us that descendants of those mighty trees stand today.

But I'm not here to bum you out about dead timber - I'm here to celebrate yet another Belmont commercial destination (for my first Belmont post, see November 22, 2025, "In the Valley of Belmont, Part I: The Center").

Located in the south-centralish area of the town, Waverley Square is roughly bounded by Trapelo Road, Lexington Street, Pleasant Street and, oh let's say Bartlett Avenue. Amid the residential streets flanking Trapelo Road there are stores, restaurants, churches, historic signs and other points of interest.

I made a few visits to this area. From Beaver Brook Reservation, an area I wrote about once before (see November 25, 2012, "Crouching Barn, Hidden Mill"), head east along Trapelo Road to get to the square. Right where Trapelo meets Pleasant Street stands a small brick building that marks the southern tip of the expansive and well-known McLean Hospital facility and grounds.

Known as the Pleasant Street Lodge, the building once served as an entry gate to the grounds, I believe. These days, it serves as a meeting space for members of the residential community on the grounds. I haven't been able to track down information about its age, prior usage or architect.

At the corner of Church and Lexington streets is a fantastic architectural two-fer.

Occupied by Best Cleaners, on the left, and a Dunkin' franchise, on the right, these two nicely maintained buildings date to different decades of the 1800s. The Dunkin' building was likely built in the 1880s, per MACRIS. It "has most likely always been used for a commercial business on the ground floor and residential space above, as it is today," MACRIS continues. "It may have functioned as hotel space for immigrant workers who came to Boston in the 1890s to help construct the McLean Hospital complex."

Its similarly styled neighbor dates to the early 1850s and is known historically as Waverley Hall. One of the oldest buildings in this area of Belmont, it was originally located across from its current site, according to MACRIS. "[T]he structure was built to provide a meeting place and general store for the emerging population. The first floor was probably used commercially and the second floor served as a hall. The building may have also been used as the railroad depot for the Waverley stop [of the Fitchburg Railroad]. The hall was used as a location for public meetings and as the home of the First Congregational Church of Waverley, organized in 1861."

A few doors down, heading north on Church Street, is one of two storefronts for Wheelworks, a bike shop that was founded in 1977.

There's nothing particularly amazing architecturally about this place, but in doing some pre-search before heading out for second pass through Waverley Square, I learned that this Art Deco building served as a First National grocery store when it was built in 1931. First National Stores (later known as Finast) formed in 1925 from a merger of three grocery store operators, per Wikipedia. The company was eventually acquired and the stores were rebranded in various ways.

The main entrance to Wheelworks is located at 480 Trapelo Road, in what is known historically as the Leonardi-Maynard Block.

"This block was one of many such single-story 'taxpayer' commercial structures which sprung up along streetcar routes and commercial centers in the Boston area in the early 20th century," MACRIS indicates. "Charles E. Leonardi, a Boston attorney, was issued a building permit for the seven unit building in 1914. In 1915 the tenants included Charles E. Scott, insurance agent at #472; the Waverley Square Provision Co. at #476; Isaac Silver’s dry goods store at #482; Pannanchio & Albany’s fruit store at #486 and the Waverley Square Bowling Alley in the basement."

I wonder if remnants of the bowling alley exist. Over the years, I've learned about numerous buildings in Greater Boston that once had thriving bowling alleys in their basements. Sadly, many of those businesses ended up in the gutter.

On the north side of Trapelo Road, a short walk from the commuter train stop, where Waverley Street meets the main drag, stands a beautiful former municipal building that is now surely a great place to live.

This gorgeous place was built in 1873 as a school. In 1895 it was named the Rev. Daniel Butler Grammar School. "It is the oldest surviving schoolhouse in Belmont," according to MACRIS. "After a new Butler school opened in 1900, the second story of this lovely old pile was occupied by the Waverley Society of Odd Fellows. The first floor was vacant until 1906 when it became temporary quarters for the Fire Department and Electric Light Department.

"The Odd Fellows moved out in 1926 and the second story was remodeled to provide sleeping quarters for the firemen. In 1930 an addition was made and the building was converted to a two-door station, with the current Art Deco entry added. A third and final addition was made in 1933 when a branch library wing was constructed."

This building was converted to condos in 2007.

Walking east on Trapelo Road, I looked south down Maple Street and thought I spied something worth checking out in the middle distance. That turned out to be a backside mirage, but on my trek along Maple, I found something real...if a little odd.

Home to Friendship Lodge #20, the Oddfellows Hall is...uh, I got nothing. MACRIS has no details, neither does the Belmont assessor's database.

Back out on Trapelo is a place that I was hoping was still an active theater. But alas....

Now occupied by Beacon Community Church, the former Strand Theater opened in 1921 from a design by Funk and Wilcox. The firm was "primarily known for designing apartment houses and commercial dwellings," according to this Back Bay Houses article. "They designed the Boston Arena (1910) on St. Botolph [Street] and a number of theaters, including (in 1918) the Strand Theatre at Upham’s Corner" in Boston.

The architects also designed the Cabot Theater in Beverly, Mass., which I mentioned in my write-up about that North Shore town (see September 16, 2023, "Downtown Beverly, Part I: Cabot Street + Environs").

The Belmont theater operated under a few names over the decades, including the Studio. In 1976, the owners installed new seats, reducing the total number to just over 400. The moviehouse was renovated again in 1998. According to Cinema Treasures, the theater "was closed in January 2015, but reopened July 2015. On September 9, 2020 it was sold to a church."

On the side of the adjacent Lisa's Family Pizzeria is a great mural.

Across from the pizza joint is Art's Specialties, part of a small local chain of specialty gourmet shops selling cheese, wine, beer, chocolate, dried meat, teas and much more. I dug the poster in the window, as well as the beer selection.

The image is a famous one. From the Library of Congress: "Marching under banners emblazoned 'We Want Beer,' and to the tune of 36 bands, more than 1500 union men paraded through Broad Street, Newark, N. J., on October 30th. [1931], in spectacular anti-prohibition demonstration. Over 20 labor unions and 800 musicians took part in the huge demonstration which is said to be one of the largest and most impressive of any staged in the country."

Side note about Trapelo Road: for a few years after I moved to Greater Boston in 1990 I thought the road was pronounced "TRAP-e-lo," rhyming with Tupelo, the Mississippi birthplace of Elvis Presley. I called information [look it up, kids] one day in the early '90s while I was at work, trying to find some company's phone number, and was corrected by the operator: "It's pronouned "Tra-PELL-o."

I crossed the street, and on the south side of Trapelo, as I was heading west, I spied L.C.'s Variety, about which I know two things: it has a pleasant sign, and it is located in a building that dates to 1927.

Continuing west, I had to make a photo of the automaton cobbler in the window of Peter's Shoe Repair.

This place looks like it's been in business for quite a few decades. As for the somewhat creepy dude who looks like a ventriloquist's dummy, he's part of a culture that I'm hoping to learn more about. In my travels over the years in service of this blog, I've come across a few such automatons, including one at The Cobbler Shop in Newton Corner; one at Eagle Shoe Repair in Norwood; and let's not forget this variation from David's Instant Shoe Repair in Boston, which is now out of business:

I wrapped up my Waverley Square-ish tour at the Pleasant Street Garage, which is north of the Star Market and the Belmont Car Wash. According to MACRIS, the complex "was constructed as an automobile sales and service facility in multiple stages between 1912 and 1949. The complex includes an automotive showroom at its west end and a long narrow section extending to the northeast formerly used for service and storage."

That western end is now occupied by Artefact, a home and garden store.

"The Pleasant Street Garage was initially operated by Cheney J. Holton and George Williams about 1912," MACRIS continues. "The garage consisted of a small building and offered supplies, accessories and storage with all makes of cars bought, sold and exchanged. Holton sold his share of the business to Williams and in 1928 George Williams sold to Amedio (Joseph) DeMelia.

"Amedio Joseph DeMelia was born in Verona, Italy, and upon arriving in the U.S. settled initially in New York City before arriving in Belmont. Under his ownership, the Pleasant Street Garage was continually expanded over the next fifty years and became one of the largest Dodge dealerships in New England.

"The complex was sold by Joseph DeMelia’s daughters, Claire and Lorraine DeMelia, in 2010 to Paul Tocci."

I really like the look of these buildings, and love that they have been repurposed for a variety of uses, including several related to automobiles, including Boston Motor Werks and Coachworks

I love that the owner of this property left an old sign intact.

I hope you enjoyed this tour of Waverley Square. Make sure to check back for the final installment in this series, in which I will cover Cushing Square. In the meantime, check out the links below for older posts about Belmont.

November 21, 2017, "Punk Farm?"

July 2, 2013, "Ped Xing"

May 28, 2013, "Small, But Useful"

Wandering in Waltham...Again

From Dave Brigham:

On Father's Day I spent quite a bit of time trying to come up with a backside adventure destination. Should I explore Everett some more? Venture into Malden for the first time? Maybe tromp through the woods of Concord? Perhaps find a corner of Boston with some interesting sites?

I wasn't motivated to travel too far. So I started looking a little closer to home on Google Maps and quicker than you can say "Watch City!" I zeroed in on Main Street in Waltham, between Elm and South streets. "How have I not taken pictures there before?!" I asked myself. I've driven down this strip countless times, yet I'd never made photos along this commercial drag, despite all the posts I've done about Waltham (see bottom of this post for links to past work).

So here are some photos, most of them black and white, all of them edited a bit more than I usually do for the blog, with just basic information about the places, as opposed to the usual deep-dive history. There will be no rhyme or reason.

Located at 808 Main Street, between CVS and Wendy's, this place has sat vacant for years. The property is owned by CVS, and was once a medical center of some sort, according to the ghost sign on the facade.

Is CVS just sitting on this building to prevent Walgreens from opening a competing operation? Does the pharmacy store products here? Maybe after dark the drug store's pharmacist leads a rollicking band through ecstatic jam sessions as they prepare for the chain's annual summer jam. Or maybe I wrote this while I was half in the bag.

Baan Thai Food was located at 659 Main Street. I'm not sure when it closed.

I like the pagoda designs at the bottom of the window.

Next door (OK, so there is a little bit of rhyme and reason) is the former space of Gustazo, a fantastic Cuban restaurant now located on Moody Street in the old space where The Skellig Irish bar was.

This space has been empty for a few years. I hope that both the Gustazo site and the Baan Thai space are filled before too long.

Also in this block facing Waltham City Hall is Leo's Place Diner.

Originally located in Cambridge's world-famous Harvard Square, Leo's Place moved to Waltham several years ago. I love the tip of the hat to Bruce Springsteen and the Beatles in the window.

The Chateau on School Street is an old-school, family-style Italian restaurant. I dig the hand-painted sign.

Founded in 1933, the chain now includes eateries in Andover, Braintree, Burlington, Franklin, Norton, Norwood, Stoughton and Woburn.

Over at the Ira B. Gordon Center for the Arts, named for a prominent local businessman and leader in the transformation of the downtown Waltham area, some waggish artist has posted some absolutely f***ing brilliant signage.

Food for thought for train commuters.

Some may find it odd that there is a place in Waltham called Cowboy Supermarket. This former mill town is located thousands of miles from the Wild West of American history, you might think, so why is there a place trading in the ultimate American superiority stereotype?

Opened within the last three or four years, the market has a butcher shop and bakery and offers plenty of grocery items (I haven't been inside, but I imagine there are many bright colors and a great soundtrack). I like the bravado. The name stands out in a crowd of small markets. I'm guessing the name was inspired by the many Mexican and Central American immigrants in town who come from farming and ranching backgrounds, as evidenced by the cowboy hats, boots and jeans they wear around town.

Over at 685 Main Street, at the corner of Common Street, Foster & Cannon Attorneys have been rendering legal opinions on behalf of clients since 1963. Or perhaps not, as the only evidence I find online of the firm's ongoing existence is the LinkedIn page of one of the partners, which hasn't been updated in a while.

In that same building is another sign of the olden times.

Opened in 2004, the Cafe on the Common makes me think of a time when web access wasn't near-universal, people raged to burn CDs and many folks still listened to Usher.

Down on Moody Street, across from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, is Jimmy the Tailor.

According to one review I found online, "Jimmy the Tailor is actually a small, asian (sic) woman who likes to listen to hymns." A few other reviews confirmed that Jimmy is an Asian woman, but didn't find it noteworthy to mention anything about religious music. Some reviews say Jimmy the Woman is excellent, with soft hands that work miracles on wedding dresses. Others beg to differ, countering that she is a no-talent hack. Still in business, so she-Jimmy must be doing something right.

I like that Joe Sent Me on Main Street is named after the phrase people used during Prohibition to gain entry to speakeasies.

Joseph's Two on Main Street serves breakfast all day, and has been doing so for more than 40 years.

I don't know if there ever was a Joseph's One.

I don't know why the nail and spa shop below spells its name with a "Z." To stand out from the crowd, perhapz?

Main Street Music is located in a building along Main Street known historically as the Knights of Columbus building.

When I first saw the sign for Mister Monut, I thought I wasn't seeing clearly.

At the store's web site, I learned that a monut is "a pastry which combines the light fluffiness of an American donut with the chewiness of Japanese mochi into one delicious, satisfying pastry." The shop also sells kroffles, which are a hybrid of croissants and waffles, originating in South Korea.

Located on School Street, Moody and Regan Printers has been in business under various names since 1890, despite what the company's sign says.

Back on Main Street is Nickerson & Hills, a paint supply store founded in 1946. The shop also offers interior and exterior painting contract work.

Coming up a side alley, I spied a cool doorway to Formalwear Ltd. on Elm Street.

Located in the former Victorian Eclectic Music Hall, the store sells and rents tuxedos, suits, shoes and accessories. I believe the door is where customers can return their outfits.

At the back of the aforementioned alley is Frank's Auto Repair, the exterior of which inspired me to switch to the vivid color setting on my camera.

Frank's Spoke 'N Wheel, located on Main Street near the corner of Hammond Street, is one of three stores in the area; the other two are in Sudbury and Westboro. I'm not sure how long they've been in business, but I'm guessing quite a few years.

Stazione di Federal, a high-end Italian restaurant, is located in a nicely restored brick building that dates to the 1880s.

Finally, Watch City Cigar, which is located in the same building as J & J Variety.

I know I said I wasn't going to get into history here, but what the hell, it's what I do. The building at 851-857 Main Street is known historically as the Antonio Cincotta Building, and dates to 1921. From MACRIS: "The 1925 Directory lists the Cincotta Brothers Confectionery store at 851 Main Street with the Alyce Food Shoppe and Tilton Dry Goods. The 1941 Directory shows Peter Raimondi as the Confectionery store at 851 Main sTreet (sic) with the Alyce Food Shoppe and the Liberty Lunch. By 1952 the corner store at 851 Main Street had become the J&J Variety store...with Star Lite Cafe and Tavern at 855 Main Street in 1962."

Cool to see that the variety store has been around for more than 70 years.

In case you need more Waltham:

May 7, 2022, "Getting Moody in Waltham"

January 15, 2022, "There's Always More Waltham"

March 20, 2017, "Brigham in Waltham, Part III"

January 5, 2017, "Brigham in Waltham, Part II"

November 9, 2016, "Brigham in Waltham, Part I"

August 15, 2011, "Goodbye Reed, So Long Bill"

February 27, 2011, "UPDATE: What a Dump"

May 12, 2010, "Dead-End Tracks, Part I"

Boston's Got a Big South End

From D. Anathopolous Brigham:

Like Boston's North End, the South End has countless nooks and crannies to explore. I haven't patronized any of the neighborhood's top-shelf restaurants and clubs over the years, but I have found a lot of the lesser-known gems that we all love at this blog (see October 12, 2019, "End to End in Boston's South End," July 26, 2019, "Former Oasis in Boston's South End An Abandoned Mystery," June 29, 2019, "Back Streets, Oh Boy" and February 23, 2019, "Exchanging Flowers for Life Science").

Let's dive in!

Starting off with a bang...this abandoned building is an outlier in the neighborhood, sandwiched between two elegant brownstones. Located at 1654 Washington Street, this place brings down the neighborhood. I was shocked to see a building in this state of decrepitude. I haven't found out anything about it. While I hate to see places like this, it sure makes for some good photography.

There are even faux window coverings on it, so obviously it's been in decay for years, and people are making at least a minimal effort to pretty it up.

Let's move on from a door that is beautiful in its own decrepit way, to an ornate entryway unlike anything I've ever seen.

I don't remember where in the South End this is. You should wander around until you find it, like I did. It's like a church or museum display. I wonder: can you even walk in or out of this door?

The statues would be enough to make this place stand out.

But the door details just put it wonderfully over the top.

And now how about a social club doorway....

Located on Albany Street, Pontiaki Estia of Massachusetts is a Greek religious, cultural and social club that has been around since 1970, I believe.

OK, enough doors. How about a one-of-a-kind memorial?

"You Know The Deal," it says above a picture of the late Fred McDuffie. Born in 1930, he died in 2012 and was "A Friend to All." I found an obituary online that I believe is the correct one. If so, Mr. McDuffie had 16 children and 31 grandchildren. This is located on the side of Gaslight Brasserie.

McDuffie's memorial is on the same building as the ghost sign below.

Why is there a sign that says "218 WABASH AVE. CHICAGO" on the side of a building in Boston? I don't know. I posed the question on Instagram a while back, and the closest thing I got to an answer was, "Emerson Piano was in 560 Harrison and I believe that was the address of the Chicago location." Well, I searched online and there was an Emerson Piano in both Boston and Chicago, but the Boston one was on Boylston Street and the Windy City one was at 195 Wabash.

Alright, let's get to a bunch more ghost signs.

Located at the SoWa Open Market complex in the South End, this ghost sign tried to keep its secrets. Took quite a bit of searching online, including on Flickr, but I finally figured it out. The words "wise one" at the bottom were the key, as that is part of a tag line for Just Suits cut plug tobacco. And I could make out the words "real tobacco" at the top.

But there is still a complicating factor here. This building is 520-524 Harrison Avenue, which, according to my friend MACRIS, is the former Emerson Piano Co. building. Above, I indicated there was an Emerson facility on Boylston Street. Perhaps that was the corporate office; this building was the factory.

Built in 1882, the Emerson factory built 80 pianos a week. After Emerson moved, A.M. MacPhail Piano moved into this space. Hub Hosiery Mills moved here in the early part of the 20th century.

Below is a ghost sign on Appleton Street, at the intersection with Tremont.

I haven't been able to solve this one. What I see is the word "IDEAL" and then the rest is too fuzzy for me. Any help is appreciated.

The sign below is on Bradford Street, on the corner of Shawmut Avenue. It is located on the side of an outlet of Polka Dog Bakery.

The only stuff I've found online about Boston Creamery are case studies done by college students about the business. But they are locked down and I can't find out when the business launched or where it was or when it melted down.

Northeast along Shawmut Avenue, at the corner of Dwight Street, I spied this lovely old sign.

Again, I haven't found out anything about Imperial Marble.

Inside that building is Shawmut Place, a tailor shop.

Now I'm gonna jump back over to the SoWa neighborhood for a well-known and large work of art.

Located on the side of a Prime Storage facility along Traveler Street, this beautiful mural used to be viewable from the Southeast Expressway. Painted by Ronnie Deziel in 1998, the 125-foot-tall by 100-foot-wide work is now largely hidden from highway drivers' view by a new apartment building. Back in 2015, the artist repainted the whole thing to make it more awesome.

Just around the corner from this great work of art is a beautiful building where important work is done.

The Pine Street Inn opened its door to Boston's homeless population in 1969. The organization provides housing, emergency services, and workforce development to support nearly 2,000 men and women each day, per its web site. Its building is the former Boston Fire Department headquarters, which was built in 1893.

I'm gonna finish up with two named buildings.

Located along Warren Avenue, this is the rear of the Boston Center for the Arts, which faces Tremont Street and houses the Huntington Theatre Company and the Community Music Center of Boston, among other arts facilities. What else is that building known for? The Cyclorama! Built in 1884 to house the Cyclorama of the Battle of Gettysburg, a 400-by-50 foot cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg, per Wikipedia, this place is a local legend. And from 1923 to 1963, this place was also home to the Boston Flower Exchange, which is what that hunk of concrete in the upper middle of the photo above says.

Finally, the Renbrandt.

No, that's not a typo.

I did a double-take when I spied this place. Renbrandt, Inc., was a tool and metalworking business that occupied this small building near the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Washington Street, per this real estate web site. Developers recently added four stories, and it now features commercial space on the ground floor and nine luxury apartments. "The historic structure was originally built in 1915 and operated as a bean factory," per the web site. "Throughout the years the building housed several different business operations including an automotive repair shop, dry cleaner and bookie joint."

Love that history!