“Evaluate and propose phased repair and restoration to address deferred maintenance.” Does this sound like a call for help? This is 2125 Comm. Ave. in Boston. It is part of Boston College.
2125 Comm. Ave. is located at B3 on the Brighton Campus map. You can find it using the grid system. You can also download a Brighton Campus PDF for a larger map.
Boston College commissioned Wessling Architects to evaluate the building. The project size is about 10000 square feet. The project was completed in 2017. The budget was $50000.
The challenge was deferred maintenance. Wessling Architects had to propose phased repair and restoration. The project scope included an existing conditions evaluation. They also had to report on exterior masonry repointing. Wood window restoration was also part of the project.
Commonwealth Avenue is often called Comm Ave. It is a major street in Boston and Newton. Comm Ave is compared to Paris boulevards. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall has statuary and memorials. It forms a link in the Emerald Necklace.
Where Comm Ave meets Kenmore Square the MBTA Green Line B branch rises. It dominates the roadway through Boston University. After leaving Boston it enters Chestnut Hill in Newton. The avenue passes by Boston College.
The trolley is replaced by grass. The scenery becomes more suburban. The Commonwealth Avenue Historic District begins here. The road continues into Newton Centre. Comm Ave has two roadways. They are separated by a grassy median.
The section from Cleveland Circle in Brighton to Route 16 in Newton is along the Boston Marathon route. It is known to be hilly. It contains the three Newton hills.
The Commonwealth Avenue Mall was designed by Arthur Delevan Gilman. Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Newton portion. It was included as part of the Emerald Necklace park system.
The first statue on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was erected in 1865 at Arlington Street. In 1923, the stretch became the first street paved with concrete in Boston.
Protected bike lanes were added between the BU Bridge and Packards Corner in 2020. This resulted in a tripling of bikeshare usage.
Commonwealth Avenue West was built between 1885 and 1895. Frederick Law Olmsted provided the overall conception. It was called Massachusetts Avenue at first. It acquired its present name on March 1, 1887.
Commonwealth Avenue was built through the least populated section of Allston-Brighton. The poor soil and ledge outcroppings had retarded development. In August 1887, a journalist described the area. He remembered it as a sporting ground.
By the end of 1888, Commonwealth Avenue had been completed in its preliminary form. It consisted of a 200-foot-wide strip. A single driveway meandered with gravel paths. The central driveway was paved with broken stone. Its surface was held together with tar.
The high hopes of Commonwealth Avenue landowners were dashed by the Depression of 1893. Six years after the improvements, only four buildings stood on the avenue.
Beacon Street was the focus of development. Electric streetcar service was an enormous advantage. Little development occurred on Commonwealth Avenue until 1909.
So next time you pass 2125 Comm. Ave. remember its story. Think about the deferred maintenance. Think about the architectural work. Think about the history of Commonwealth Avenue.