Roslindale Substation

Last updated
Roslindale Substation
BostonMA RoslindaleSubstation.jpg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location4228 Washington Street, Roslindale, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°17′11″N71°7′41″W / 42.28639°N 71.12806°W / 42.28639; -71.12806
Built1911 (1911)
Architectural styleClassical Revival
Website https://thesubstation.space/
NRHP reference No. 13000621 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 27, 2013

The Roslindale Substation is a historic electrical substation building at 4228 Washington Street in the center of the Roslindale village of Boston, Massachusetts. The brick Classical Revival building was constructed in 1911 by the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy), a predecessor to today's MBTA. The monumental building is 80 feet (24 m) long, 50 feet (15 m) wide, and 46 feet (14 m) high. The building was designed by Robert S. Peabody of Peabody and Stearns, and built by Stone & Webster. The building was use by the Boston Elevated and its successors to provide AC to DC conversion for street cars until 1971. It is one of four (out of seven originally built) substations built by the BERy to survive. [2]

Contents

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. [1]

Renovation and current use

The building was vacant from 1971 until 2013, when the City of Boston sold it to two local non-profit groups, Historic Boston Incorporated [3] and Roslindale Village Main Street, [4] a former affiliate of the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Streets program. The non-profits purchased an adjacent parcel of land, and entered into an agreement with a private developer, the Peregrine Group, [5] who would build apartments on the adjacent parcel [6] and restore the substation building. [7] [8] Temporary use of the renovated substation began in 2017, and a long-term tenant, the Turtle Swamp Beer Garden, [9] was in operation from 2019 to 2021. Workhub at the Substation, [10] a co-working space, began operations in the basement of the building. After the beer garden announced its closing, Workhub revealed plans to take over the ground floor space. [11]

The substation being renovated in 2016. The new apartment building is at right. Roslindale substation with scaffolding, September 2016.jpg
The substation being renovated in 2016. The new apartment building is at right.

In spring 2022, the ground floor was again turned into a beer hall [12] run by a rotating selection of local breweries. [13]

Official website

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Public Library</span> Library in Massachusetts, US

The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth, meaning all adult residents of the state are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 24 million items, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and New York Public Library, which is also privately endowed. In 2014, the library held more than 10,000 programs, all free to the public, and lent 3.7 million materials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvard station</span> Subway station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Harvard station is a rapid transit and bus transfer station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Located at Harvard Square, it serves the MBTA's Red Line subway system as well as MBTA buses. Harvard averaged 18,528 entries each weekday in FY2019, making it the third-busiest MBTA station after Downtown Crossing and South Station. Five of the fifteen key MBTA bus routes stop at the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles/MGH station</span> Rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Charles/MGH station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA Red Line, elevated above Charles Circle on the east end of the Longfellow Bridge in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is named for Charles Circle and the adjacent Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) campus. It has two side platforms, with a glass-walled headhouse structure inside Charles Circle. Charles/MGH station is fully accessible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roslindale</span> Neighborhood of Boston in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Roslindale is a primarily residential neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, bordered by Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, West Roxbury and Mattapan. It is served by an MBTA Commuter Rail line, several MBTA bus lines and the MBTA Orange Line in nearby Jamaica Plain. Roslindale has its own branch of the Boston Public Library, the neighborhood is covered by Boston Police District E-5 in West Roxbury, Boston EMS Ambulance 17 is stationed in Roslindale, and the Boston Fire Department has a station on Canterbury Street which houses Ladder 16, Engine 53 & District Chief 12. Roslindale's original Engine Company 45, was deactivated on April 10, 1981, due to budget cuts. Roslindale was once called the "garden suburb" of Boston. The portion of the Arnold Arboretum south of Bussey Street is located in Roslindale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old State House (Boston)</span> United States historic place

The Old State House a/k/a the Old Provincial State House, is a historic building in Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1713. It was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is located at the intersection of Washington and State Streets and is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA bus</span> Greater Boston bus network

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 91,459,700, or about 310,700 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston College station</span> Light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Boston College station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line B branch. It is located at St. Ignatius Square on the Boston College campus near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street, on the border between the Brighton neighborhood of Boston and the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Newton, Massachusetts. Originally opened in 1896, it has been the terminus of the Commonwealth Avenue line since 1900. The current station is planned to be replaced by a new station located in the median of Commonwealth Avenue just east of Lake Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway</span> Linear park on former expressway in Boston, MA

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through Chinatown, the Financial District, the Waterfront, and North End neighborhoods. Officially opened in October 2008, the 17-acre Greenway sits on land created from demolition of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway as part of the Big Dig project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hynes Convention Center station</span> Subway station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Hynes Convention Center station is an underground light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line. It is located at the intersection of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue near the western end of the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The station is named for the Hynes Convention Center, which is located about 700 feet (210 m) to the east along Boylston Street. It has two side platforms serving the two tracks of the Boylston Street subway, which are used by the Green Line B branch, C branch, and D branch. The main entrance to the station from Massachusetts Avenue leads to a fare lobby under the 360 Newbury Street building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coolidge Corner station</span> Light rail station in Brookline, Massachusetts, US

Coolidge Corner station is a light rail stop on the MBTA Green Line C branch, located at the intersection of Beacon Street and Harvard Street in the Coolidge Corner neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts. With 3,440 daily boardings by a 2011 count, it had more than twice the ridership of any other surface station on the branch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Elevated Railway</span> Defunct public transit company serving the Boston metro area, MA, USA (1894-1947)

The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railway via lease and merger to become the city's primary mass transit provider. Its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which continues to operate in part on infrastructure developed by BERy and its predecessors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Arboretum</span> Botanical garden in Boston, Massachusetts

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is a botanical research institution and free public park, located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1872, it is the oldest public arboretum in North America. The landscape was designed by Charles Sprague Sargent and Frederick Law Olmsted and is the second largest "link" in the Emerald Necklace. The Arnold Arboretum's collection of temperate trees, shrubs, and vines has an emphasis on the plants of the eastern United States and eastern Asia, where arboretum staff and colleagues are sourcing new material on plant collecting expeditions. The arboretum supports research in its landscape and in its Weld Hill Research Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Hills, Boston</span> United States historic place

Forest Hills is a part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Forest Hills is characterized by hilly terrain and wooded areas within and adjacent to its borders. In general, the area slopes upward from Hyde Park Ave and downward from Walk Hill Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chesterwood (Massachusetts)</span> Historic house in Massachusetts, United States

Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850–1931) located at 4 Williamsville Road in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Most of French's originally 150-acre (61 ha) estate is now owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which operates the property as a museum and sculpture garden. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 in recognition of French's importance in American sculpture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peabody City Hall</span> Building in Peabody, Massachusetts, United States

Peabody City Hall is the historic city hall of Peabody, Massachusetts. It is located at 24 Lowell Street, near Peabody Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Ulmer Brewery</span> Industrial buildings in Brooklyn, New York

The William Ulmer Brewery is a brewery complex in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City. It consists of four buildings—an office, a brew house, an engine–machine house, and a stable–storage house—all constructed between 1872 and 1890 in the German round-arch style. The site is bounded by Belvidere Street to the southeast, Beaver Street to the northeast, and Locust Street to the northwest, with the address 31 Belvidere Street. The main brew house, the engine–machine house, and the office building were designed by Brooklyn architect Theobald Engelhardt, while the stable–storage house was designed by Frederick Wunder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillips Library (Massachusetts)</span>

The Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is a rare books and special collections library. It is made up of the collections of the former Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute. Both had libraries named for members of the Phillips family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egleston Substation</span> United States historic place

The Egleston Substation is a historic electrical substation building located at 3025 Washington Street in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, just north of Egleston Square. The brick Renaissance Revival building was constructed in 1909 by the Boston Elevated Railway during the extension of the Washington Street Elevated to Forest Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conductor's Building</span> Former Boston railway administration building

The Conductor's Building is a former Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) administrative building, located on Bennett Alley between Mount Auburn Street and Bennett Street near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1912 as the headquarters of BERy's 7th Division, it is the only original building surviving from the construction of the Cambridge subway. After being renovated from 2014 to 2017 as part of an adjacent hotel project, the building was used as a restaurant from April 2017 to August 2018. Under the name Boston Elevated R.Y. Offices, it is a contributing property to the Harvard Square Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turtle Bay Gardens Historic District</span> Historic district in Manhattan, New York

The Turtle Bay Gardens Historic District is a collection of twenty rowhouses in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. They consist of eleven houses on the south side of 49th Street and nine on the north side of 48th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. The rowhouses, dating from the 1860s, were renovated between 1918 and 1920 by Charlotte Hunnewell Sorchan to plans by Clarence Dean.

References

  1. 1 2 "Roslindale Substation". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  2. "NRHP nomination for Roslindale Substation". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-03-09.
  3. "Roslindale Substation" . Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  4. "Substation Redevelopment". Roslindale Village Main Street. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  5. "Peregrine Group" . Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  6. "Parkside on Adams" . Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  7. Sutherland, Amy. "Power Play". Preservation Magazine. No. Summer 2021. National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  8. "Parkside on Adams (Roslindale Substation)". Macrostie Historic Advisors. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  9. "Roslindale Beer Garden". Turtle Swamp Brewing. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  10. "Workhub at the Substation" . Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  11. "Co-working space in basement of Roslindale Substation to expand into space the beer garden is leaving - and will keep serving beer on weekends". Universal Hub. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  12. "Beer Hall--The Substation". Roslindale Substation. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  13. "Roslindale Substation formally re-opens as co-working space/beer hall with a pop-up bookshop". Universal Hub. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.