Northampton station was an elevated rapid transit station located above Washington Street at

Massachusetts Avenue Massachusetts Avenue may refer to: * Massachusetts Avenue (metropolitan Boston), Massachusetts ** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Orange Line station), a subway station on the MBTA Orange Line ** Massachusetts Avenue (MBTA Silver Line station), a stati ...

in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It served the

Washington Street Elevated The Washington Street Elevated was an elevated segment of Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway system, comprising the southern stretch of the Orange Line. It ran from Chinatown through the South End and Roxbury, ending ...

, part of the

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

's Orange Line, from 1901 until 1987. Massachusetts Avenue station, a street-level bus station on the Washington Street branch of the

Silver Line

bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...

service, opened on the site in 2002. It is served by the SL4 and SL5 Silver Line routes as well as several local

MBTA bus The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates List of MBTA bus routes, 170 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance (defined as ) for all residents ...

routes. Like all Silver Line stops, Massachusetts Avenue is

accessible Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i.e ...

History

The

, including Northampton station, opened as part of the

Main Line Elevated The Orange Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south on the surface from Oak Grove station in Malden, Massachusetts through Malden and ...

on June 10, 1901. It was originally built with a short center

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

, similar to Dover station to the north. Like most of the other Elevated stations, both were designed in a Beaux Arts style by

Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr. Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr. (August 18, 1854, Portland, Maine – February 16, 1934, Portland) was an American architect and nephew of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Biography Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr. was the son of Alexan ...

Mere months after opening, both stations had their platforms extended for four-car trains; the platforms at Northampton were extended again in 1908 to six-car length. Unlike Dover station, which was completely rebuilt in 1912, Northampton station received no substantial modifications other than the extended platform. The Main Line Elevated was renamed the Orange Line in 1965. Northampton station was closed on April 30, 1987, when the Washington Street Elevated was closed and the Orange Line was rerouted to the west along the Southwest Corridor. Because it retained its original style, the station building at Northampton was selected for preservation. It was detached from the elevated structure and moved to the

Seashore Trolley Museum Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. While the main focus of the collection is trolley cars (trams), it also includes rapid transit trains, ...

Kennebunkport, Maine Kennebunkport is a resort town in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,629 people at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland–South Portland, Maine, Sout ...

in 1988. Around 1989, a

gas station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Columbus Avenue was built to resemble the former station. Silver Line service on Washington Street began on July 20, 2002, replacing the route 49 bus. Service levels doubled on October 15, 2009 with the introduction of the SL4 route.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline *MBTA: Washington St @ Massachusetts Av
northbound
an
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Silver Line (MBTA) stations Railway stations in Boston Orange Line (MBTA) stations Former MBTA stations in Massachusetts Railway stations in the United States opened in 1901 Railway stations closed in 1987