Is This Building a Schoolhouse from 1800s? Developer Wants to Know What to Do with Washington Street Property

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A development company has applied to demolish a Washington Street property building that may be from the 1850s. But the developer says the owner of the property doesn't have a proposal for the site, and would like the community's help to inform them on what to do with the property.

J.P. Auto Glass is located at 3326 Washington Street in a building that is from the 1800s.

The vinyl-sided building is located at 3326 Washington Street, and is currently home to J.P. Auto Glass. The property, assessed at $553,000, is owned by Sandra Tardonico, the owner of the auto glass business.

"Based on our research, there was a public school on the site in the 1850s. By 1896, the site is owned by Patrick Meehan (one of JP’s most prolific developers of the time), and has been in private hands ever since," said Jenny Shen of Primary, the architectural design and development company that submitted to demolish the property. "We cannot yet confirm whether Meehan renovated the school, or demolished it and built a residential house. The Meehan building is drawn at a different shape and location than the school. The interior layout is very much like a residence rather than a schoolhouse, and much of it has been changed since the current owners built the auto garage."

Primary, which has two Mission Hill projects in the pipeline, as well as one in East Boston, did submit an application to the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) to demolish the mixed-use building. The BLC had 10 days from receiving the application to determine historical, architectural, cultural or urban design significance. Input on the demolition delay was due Feb. 10.

Shen added that "because the current building is not listed as a landmark, the demo delay application was submitted as a means to move the process forward and have the city take a deeper look. This is not meant to signal the owner’s intent to demolish on a specific date."

Shen said a proposal for the site has yet to be created and that they'd like to hear from the community at a Feb. 21 meeting to learn what neighbors would like for the property.

The community meeting is on Feb. 21 from 7 to 8:15 pm at the Brookside Health Center (3297 Washington St.).

3326 Washington Street, Jamaica Plain

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