What can I do? It’s a simple question that leads to a conversation, then to an idea, then to action. And it’s a question that countless people in Boston and beyond have been asking and answering, with powerful results.
Twain Financial Partners announced the investment of $1.6 million in federal historic tax credit equity for the historic renovation and adaptive reuse of the Charles River Speedway in Boston, MA. The Speedway is located in the North Brighton section of the growing Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in July 2010. The 1.28-acre site includes three adjoining parcels, including the original 1899 former historic racetrack administrative building and garage facility.
Since construction began at the Speedway five months ago, the renovations have progressed by leaps and bounds. Thanks to our partners at D.F. Pray, the historic site is getting a makeover from top to bottom that is transforming what was once a collection of dilapidated buildings into a vibrant public space. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far:
If winter is cold and dark, at least snowdrops and the promise of spring give us hope and hint of new life. The cycles of change—to cities and the natural world—can remind us that places have souls to lose. Emotions may be mixed. There is a quiet richness to the reworking of existing buildings that has crept into the psyche of the design professions as they resurrect past aesthetics, juxtaposed against new imageries and an overturning of previous uses. Those cycles of change reel from catastrophic to delicately nuanced, and architects try to counter one and orchestrate the other.
The end of a year, and especially of a decade, is a reflective and celebratory time. For AHF, this New Year’s Day is particularly meaningful, as it marks the end of ten years of exceptional growth that afforded us new challenges and opportunities. The 2010s began during a recession that stalled several of our historic preservation projects, yet concluded with a groundbreaking, site control agreement, launch of a fundraising campaign, and more.
Yesterday marked a turning point in the Charles River Speedway project, as AHF, DCR, and local leaders and community members officially broke ground at the historic recreational complex.
The backers of a redevelopment of the long-shuttered Charles River Speedway at Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road in Brighton plan to formally break ground on October 24. The most prominent feature of the multifaceted project—dubbed the Speedway—will be an outpost of the Salem-based Notch Brewery, including a taproom…The nonprofit Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF) is overseeing the project, which is expected to be done in time for a summer 2020 opening. Construction started this month, and available retail spots of 250 square feet to 5,000 square feet are available.
A Massachusetts brewing company will be opening its second taproom and brewery in Brighton. Salem-based Notch Brewing will be the anchor tenant of the Charles River Speedway in the summer of 2020… The Charles River Speedway complex is a collaborative effort by the Architectural Heritage Foundation the Department of Conservation and Recreation to rehabilitate the old racetrack that once stood on Western Avenue.
