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The Roslindale Substation is a historic
In spring 2022, the ground floor was again turned into a beer hall run by a rotating selection of local breweries.
electrical substation
A substation is a part of an electrical generation, transmission, and distribution system. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or the reverse, or perform any of several other important functions. Between the generating station and ...
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 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 ...
. The monumental building is long, wide, and high. The building was designed by Robert S. Peabody of Peabody and Stearns
Peabody & Stearns was a premier architectural firm in the Eastern United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the firm consisted of Robert Swain Peabody (1845–1917) and John Goddard Stearns J ...
, and built by Stone & Webster
Stone & Webster was an American engineering services company based in Stoughton, Massachusetts. It was founded as an electrical testing lab and consulting firm by electrical engineers Charles A. Stone and Edwin S. Webster in 1889. In the early ...
. 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.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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 and Roslindale Village Main Street, a former affiliate of theNational Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...
Main Streets program. The non-profits purchased an adjacent parcel of land, and entered into an agreement with a private developer, the Peregrine Group, who would build apartments on the adjacent parcel and restore the substation building. Temporary use of the renovated substation began in 2017, and a long-term tenant, the Turtle Swamp Beer Garden, was in operation from 2019 to 2021. Workhub at the Substation, a co-working space
Coworking is an arrangement in which workers for different companies share an office space. It allows cost savings and convenience through the use of common infrastructures, such as equipment, utilities and receptionist and custodial services, an ...
, 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.
In spring 2022, the ground floor was again turned into a beer hall run by a rotating selection of local breweries.
External linksOfficial website
See also
*Egleston Substation
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 i ...
* National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Boston, Massachusetts
References
Industrial buildings completed in 1911 Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Boston 1911 establishments in Massachusetts Railway buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts {{Boston-struct-stub