Park Street station is a former railroad station in

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

. Constructed by the

Boston and Maine Railroad The Boston and Maine Railroad was a U.S. Class I railroad in northern New England. Originally chartered in 1835, it became part of what was the Pan Am Railways network in 1983 (most of which was purchased by CSX in 2022). At the end of 1970, B ...

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.

History

First Park Street station from Medford Historical Register

The Medford branch was built by the

(B&M) in 1847. A station at Park Street was not added until between 1875 and 1889. The first station was a wooden structure with a

gable roof A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof ca ...

, located on the north side of the tracks just east of Park Street. In the 1890s, the B&M double-tracked the branch to provide more frequent service to compete with electric streetcars. 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. 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. 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. 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. The station was located on the south side of the tracks slightly east of the former station; a footbridge was constructed at the station. Reports vary as to whether the original station was demolished, or was moved and reused by the city highway department. 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. The abandoned building was given to the city in 1942 to reduce the B&M tax bill. Passenger service on the Medford branch, including the stop at the abandoned Park Street building, continued until on October 1, 1957. The tracks were abandoned west of Park Street in 1959, and east to Glenwood in 1961. The former station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 as Park Street Railroad Station. It has been reused as an adult day care center.

References

External links

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Former Boston and Maine Railroad stations Railway stations in the United States opened in 1894 Railway stations in Medford, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Medford, Massachusetts Former railway stations in Massachusetts

History

See also

References

External links