Alexander the Great or Alexander the Greatest?
By adamg - 5/15/09 - 8:49 am
Wayne Braverman reports the Greek Spirit of Boston Association and Roslindale Clean & Green will be rededicating Alexander the Great Park in Roslindale Square on May 17 at noon, in honor of some new landscaping.
Ed. question: Is Alexander the Great Park the smallest park in the city of Boston?
Comments
There used to be a service
There used to be a service station in that space - hard to imagine but true.
Get out!
And did they only service Nash Metropolitans and Matchbox cars?
trains overhead
Is he honestly saying the fenced in area used to be a service station? Can you imagine pumping gas when the train goes overhead? Boom.
I'll have to take the tyke to see this rededication.
Gas stations and elevated trains
I seem to recall there being a few gas stations on Washington Street in JP and Roxbury when it still had the elevated Orange Line. Never heard of it causing an explosion.
It's not right under the tracks
But next to them, sort of carved out of the side of the abutments keeping the parking lot from sliding onto the street. There's a still operating gas station on the other side of the tracks whose back is, I think, right up against the tracks.
Now, if you want to see the site of a real disaster along that line, you need to go a mile or so further north, to Bussey Street. Look for the impressive, seemingly out of place stone arch bridge across the street. If you're coming from the Washington Street side, look up on the left side for a plaque commemorating the Bussey Street disaster.
Fascinating, thanks.
I've been in that section of the Arboretum on the South St side many times, where it rises up to the current tracks, but I'd never seen the plaque, or known about the crash.
Freudian Typo?
From the story about the disaster, very last line (italics mine):
"On the south side of the South Street bridge, there is a plaque put up by the MBTA, with help from the local historical societies, marking the spot of the disaster and how it spurned better standards in bridge design and construction."
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
It wasn't under the train
It wasn't under the train tracks, it was up against the wall at the turn from Belgrade ave towards the tracks. There was just enough room to service one car at a time, but I'm not sure if he sold gas. My father was a Boston cop and worked out of old Station 17 that was on Centre st in West Roxbury, and got to know the guy while walking the beat in Rosilindale. It was a one-man shop.
That's it
The ersatz Greek temple is snugged up against the wall where the gas station building was, which was a glorified hut. The green space in front was basically a drive through with old school pumps, so cars coming along past the bus stops could pull in and fill it up with high test. There was a hanging sign out front on the corner. I seem to recall it was a Gulf or a Jenny. But the pump was a teeny thing like the one out in front of the Dedham Bike and Leather or that one that used to sit on the sidewalk in front of the place in Brookline. It was in business probably up until 1971 or 1972. That was when most of Rossie Square started to go under or get struck by convenient lightning.