History

Jamaica Plain Historical Society Neighborhood Walking Tours Begin May 14

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Ever wonder about the history of Hyde Square, Green Street, or Stony Brook? Learn about those neighborhoods and other JP areas through the Jamaica Plain Historical Society's history walking tours series. This is 27th season of JPHS' historic walking tours. All tours are free to the public, and the series kicks of May 14 with a tour Monument Square. The tours are mostly on Saturdays at 11 am, although there are a few Sunday tours this summer.

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History

History of 30 Carolina Avenue and 52 South Street

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At the corner of South Street and Carolina Avenue in Jamaica Plain is a colorful court that hosts lively tennis, pickleball and basketball games throughout the week. Next door, at 30 Carolina Avenue, is a unique brick building and wooden stable that has housed the Penshorn Roofing Company since 1960 (figure 1). If we stand on that corner and turn back the clock over 170 years, we would visit a time of great transformation and growth for the city of Boston and a family that played a significant role in those changes. We would also learn the story of an entrepreneurial immigrant family and the tragedy they endured. Architecture of 30 Carolina Ave
30 Carolina Avenue is a one-and-a-half story Second Empire-style building.

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Development

Two Affordable Housing Developments and Church Recommended for Community Preservation Act Funding

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Two affordable housing developments and a local church were among 52 projects that were recommended to receive Community Preservation Act funding. Mayor Michelle Wu and the city's Community Preservation Committee's recommendations totaled more than $27 million in grants. The two affordable housing projects recommended to receive funding are:

Stonley-Brookley -- $1,975,000 to partially fund the creation of 45 mixed income-restricted homeownership units in a new development. Community Preservation funds will support the 32 affordable units ranging from 80% to 100% Area Median Income (AMI). 127 Amory St.

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History

Did You Know There’s a 12-Sided Jamaica Plain House on National Register of Historic Places?

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The house at 17 Cranston Street is quite unique -- so unique that it was listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The house, built in 1871, is Boston’s only dodecagonal (12-sided) house, according to the Jamaica Plain Historical Society (JPHS). JPHS describes the residence as having a "flamboyant wood frame". Furthermore JPHS states:
Carpenter Gothic and Italianate design motifs characterize its detail , while its format defies classification in traditional building terms. Built on a tri-hexagonal plan approximating a "Y," the house's axes thrust north, east-southeast, toward Hyde Square, facing onto Cranston Street, and west-southwest, toward the cliff delineating the rear of the property. Standing two stories above street level , the house is surmounted by a central, hexagonal cupola.

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History

Learn About The Industrial History of Green Street on Jan. 23

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How many times have you walked down Green Street in Jamaica Plain? What was on Green Street 100 years ago? What was on Green Street in further back than a century ago? Learn about the industrial history of Green Street during a Jamaica Plain Historical Society virtual presentation on Jan. 23.

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