On a recent tour of the completed Charles River Speedway, AHF president Sean McDonnell and project architect Christopher Nielson of Bruner/Cott led participants around the complex, giving them an in-depth understanding of the complicated project. Over the years, many people have expressed interest in learning more about the Speedway’s history and redevelopment. To share this story with a larger audience, we invited filmmaker Padriac Farma to capture the insights of the site’s developer and architect.
We invite you to watch the full tour here – or jump around to different sections of the complex.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:49 Garage B
03:39 The Courtyard
09:08 The Office
10:24 The Cocktail Bar
12:03 The Brewery
Background
The history of the Charles River Speedway is a long one – built in 1899 to support the nearby Charles River Reservation, the complex has expanded and served several different purposes throughout time. Home to the Metropolitan District Commission (later the Department of Conservation and Recreation or DCR), the Speedway served as police headquarters, Superintendent’s residence, horse stables, and maintenance garages. The complex was also a companion facility for the Speedway trotting park, a horse and bicycle racecourse that curved for a mile along present-day Soldiers Field Road.
Long underutilized, and then vacant for over a decade, the buildings fell into disrepair. After a long process, DCR selected AHF in 2013 to preserve and redevelop the Speedway through the agency’s Historic Curatorship Program.
AHF and DCR partnered to revitalize the Charles River Speedway in Brighton for commercial, cultural, and community uses. Now complete, the Speedway is home to a mix of shops, bars and restaurants, including Notch Brewing’s taproom and courtyard biergarten. The site also features offices and a large event facility, Garage B.