Park Street | |||||||||||
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General information | |||||||||||
Location | 121 Washington Street Medford, Massachusetts | ||||||||||
Line(s) | Medford branch | ||||||||||
History | |||||||||||
Opened | c. 1880s | ||||||||||
Closed | October 1, 1957 | ||||||||||
Former services | |||||||||||
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Park Street Railroad Station | |||||||||||
Coordinates | 42°24′59″N71°5′55″W / 42.41639°N 71.09861°W | ||||||||||
Built | 1894 | ||||||||||
Architect | Clarence B. Cutler | ||||||||||
NRHP reference No. | 75000280 [1] | ||||||||||
Added to NRHP | April 21, 1975 |
Park Street station is a former railroad station in Medford, Massachusetts. Constructed by the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1894, the building was abandoned in the 1930s, although passenger service continued to stop until 1957. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as Park Street Railroad Station. It is the only extant railroad station building in Medford. [2]
The Medford branch was built by the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1847. [3] A station at Park Street was not added until between 1875 and 1889. [4] [5] The first station was a wooden structure with a gable roof, located on the north side of the tracks just east of Park Street. [6] [7] In the 1890s, the B&M double-tracked the branch to provide more frequent service to compete with electric streetcars. [8] B&M vice president Samuel C. Lawrence became the first mayor of Medford in 1893, partially on promises to provide new station buildings at Park Street and Glenwood. [9]
Construction of the new Park Street station began in mid-1893. Because land was difficult to obtain, the B&M originally considered building the station over the tracks. [10] It was designed by Clarence B. Cutler and was completed in 1894. It was unusually large and well-appointed for a branch line station due to the influence of Lawrence; he had his personal gardeners attend to the station grounds. [8] [9] The station is a one-story rectangular structure built of red brick with granite base and trim. A hip roof and porte-cochère are supported by posts with large curved brackets. [2] [8] The station was located on the south side of the tracks slightly east of the former station; a footbridge was constructed at the station. [9] Reports vary as to whether the original station was demolished, or was moved and reused by the city highway department. [9] [7]
Despite the new stations and frequent service, the branch lost most of its ridership to the streetcars and later automobiles. Service was discontinued for a period around 1933-34, and the station building remained in disuse even after service resumed. [11] [8] The abandoned building was given to the city in 1942 to reduce the B&M tax bill. [8] [12] Passenger service on the Medford branch, including the stop at the abandoned Park Street building, continued until on October 1, 1957. [13] [14] The tracks were abandoned west of Park Street in 1959, and east to Glenwood in 1961. [3] [15]
The former station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as Park Street Railroad Station. [1] It has been reused as an adult day care center. [6]
Wellington station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line rapid transit station in Medford, Massachusetts, near the border of Everett. It is located on the Revere Beach Parkway, slightly east of its intersection with Route 28. Wellington functions as a park and ride with more than 1,300 spaces, and a bus hub with 10 routes terminating at the station. The Station Landing development, connected to the station by an overhead walkway, includes residential and retail buildings and additional parking. Wellington Carhouse, the primary repair and maintenance facility for the Orange Line, is located adjacent to the station.
As with many large cities, a large number of Boston-area streetcar lines once existed, and many continued operating into the 1950s. However, only a few now remain, namely the four branches of the Green Line and the Ashmont–Mattapan High-Speed Line, with only one running regular service on an undivided street.
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900. The main line from Boston to Fitchburg is now operated as the MBTA Fitchburg Line; Pan Am Railways runs freight service on some other portions.
The Fitchburg Cutoff was a rail line running 2.8 miles (4.5 km) from Brighton Street in Belmont, Massachusetts, to Somerville Junction in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was constructed in two segments in 1870 and 1881 to connect the Lexington Branch and Central Massachusetts Railroad to the Boston and Lowell Railroad. Passenger service lasted until 1927. Freight service ended in 1979–80 to allow construction of the Red Line Northwest Extension; the line was abandoned in three sections in 1979, 1983, and 2007.
The Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad was a railroad company chartered in 1845 and opened in 1846 that operated in eastern Massachusetts. It and its successors provided passenger service until 1977 and freight service until 1980 or early 1981.
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West Concord station is an MBTA Commuter Rail station located in West Concord, Massachusetts. It is served by the Fitchburg Line. The station has two side platforms serving the line's two tracks, with mini-high platforms for accessibility. The adjacent station building, now a restaurant, is not used for railroad purposes.
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Magoun Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Lowell Street south of Magoun Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.
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South Sudbury was a commuter rail station in Sudbury, Massachusetts. It was located at the junction of the Central Massachusetts Railroad and the Framingham and Lowell Railroad slightly north of Boston Post Road in South Sudbury. The Boston and Maine Railroad station was incorporated into the MBTA Commuter Rail through subsidies in 1965. The station was closed in November 1971 when the branch's last remaining round trip was discontinued. The 1952-built station building was a private business until its closure in 2019, and the building is now abandoned. In August 2023 the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation offered the building to the Town of Sudbury at no cost.
Lake Street station was a commuter rail station on the Lexington Branch, located in the East Arlington section of Arlington, Massachusetts. The line opened as the Lexington and West Cambridge Railroad in 1846, with a station at Pond Street among the earliest stops. It was renamed Lake Street in 1867. The Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) acquired the line in 1870 and built a new station building in 1885. Service continued under the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) – successor to the B&L – though it declined during the 20th century. Lake Street station and three others on the line were closed in May 1958. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began subsidizing service in 1965, and Lake Street station reopened in March 1968. All passenger service on the Lexington Branch ended on January 10, 1977; it was converted into the Minuteman Bikeway in the early 1990s.
The Medford branch was a railroad branch line of the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M). Located entirely within Medford, Massachusetts, the branch connected Medford Square to the B&M main line. It had passenger service from 1847 to 1957, with freight service on the inner part of the line until 2010.
Winchester Highlands station was an MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line station located at Cross Street in the northern part of Winchester, Massachusetts. It originally opened in the mid-19th century under the Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L) as a flag stop called North Winchester. In 1877, a local real estate developer constructed a new station building, which was renamed Winchester Highlands. The B&L became part of the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) in 1887. Service to the station gradually decreased in the 20th century, and the depot was replaced by a wooden shelter around 1943. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began subsidizing service on the line in 1965. Winchester Highlands and two other stations with low ridership were closed by the MBTA in June 1978.
Cross Street station was an MBTA Commuter Rail station in northern Winchester, Massachusetts, on the border with Woburn. The station first opened in the mid-1840s as Richardson Row on the Woburn Branch Railroad, part of the Boston and Lowell Railroad (B&L). It was renamed Cross Street in 1876. The Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) leased the B&L in 1887, built a new depot at Cross Street in 1893, and replaced it with a concrete shelter in 1955. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began subsidizing service on the Woburn Branch in 1965 and purchased the line in 1976. The station was closed along with the Woburn Branch in 1981.
Media related to Park Street station (Boston and Maine Railroad) at Wikimedia Commons