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When you could get your car any color you wanted as long as it was black
By adamg on Fri, 02/26/2021 - 2:30pm
The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can place this scene. See it larger.
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Hint
Off all these buildings, only 1 is left, and it is the tallest here. Many a tenant should know if your rent is late and you had to walk it into the office.
Ah!
I think I know it, even though I only ever paid rent to two of the other three big landlords in that neighborhood.
How do people get these?
Are you talking about the Samia Co. building, current Google Maps address 60 Leo M Birmingham Pkwy in Brighton? It must be - I can definitely ID the building in the old photo once I look at street view (the front of the building says Roddy Hall 1898). But Christ, I have probably driven this stretch of road literally a thousand times or more and I never would have guessed this photo. This reminds of the one they ran on Harvard Ave. for a spot which I've also been by countless times but also totally didn't get. I'm clearly no good at this. They could probably show my house and I wouldn't figure it out.
Here's my lame guess
Dorchester Avenue. If pushed, I'll say by Peabody Square.
On second thought
Market Street Brighton, right at the Turnpike.
The Answer
Thanks for playing, folks! This photo shows Market Street at Wexford Street in Brighton. It was taken in 1930
Finally one from my neighborhood
Pretty sure that's the lower half of Market Street now known as Leo Birmingham Parkway. My great grandfather was a meat inspector at the Brighton abbatoir, now long gone.
Wexford Street
According to "A Record of the Streets, Alleys, Places, Etc., in the City of Boston", published by the city in 1910, Wexford Street was off of 105 Market Street in Brighton.
So we are on Market Street looking north, at that time just north of the Boston & Albany Railroad. Today's Massachusetts Turnpike has a wider right of way than the railroad, so yes, Waquiot's "On second thought" comment is absolutely correct.
That would be Lincoln Street coming in on the right, just beyond the two parked cars.