The Junction Shops
64 Beacon Street
One of the oldest, if not the oldest, mill building in Worcester, the Junction Shops is located in the Junction Shop and Beacon and Hermon Streets Manufacturing District, a National Register District. The property is one of the few remaining factory buildings in the historic district. Built between 1870 and 1878, the Junction Shops is a three story stone structure 450’ long x 50’ wide.
In its heyday, the Junction Shops area was a major local center of manufacturing and contained an assortment of businesses characteristic of the variety of manufacturing companies upon which Worcester’s industrial success was based. Situated near the railroads, the Junction Shops provided rental space and power for small firms. It housed a number of businesses including the Knowles Loom Works, the Worcester Corset Company and the Cereal Machine Company that developed the shredded wheat biscuit.
Located in a depressed area, the city has initiated a revitalization program for the “Beacon/Federal Neighborhood.” The plan is to rehabilitate the neighborhood utilizing New Market Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits and a creative financing technique that was used to revitalize downtown Greenfield, MA. The Junction Shops is a key component in that plan. The current owner petitioned the city to demolish the historic structure and on March 25 of this year will be free to demolish the complex.
The owner earlier had plans and received permission from the city in 2004 to convert 64 and 79 Beacon St., two vacant industrial buildings, into 181 multifamily dwelling units. Even though the Planning Board extended in the agreement in 2005, 2006 and 2007, the project never got off the ground. Also, the building that stood at 79 Beacon St. was razed two years ago under an emergency demolition order issued by the city manager. (1)
District 4 Councilor Barbara G. Haller said, “This is a very fragile part of our city.” Ms. Haller said. “The salvation of the (Beacon Street) area is in its architecture and we must take every step to preserve it. I promise to work as hard as I can during the one-year delay to make sure we come up with an appropriate reuse for it.” (1)
Joel Fontane, the City Planner said the demolition would be detrimental to the city’s architectural and historical resources. “More specifically, the proposed demolition would permanently eliminate one of the best remaining examples of 19th century industrial buildings in the city,” Mr. Fontane wrote. “As demonstrated by the petitioners and approved by the Planning Board, this building complex can be restored and converted into a 181-dwelling unit multifamily residential use. I respectfully recommend denial of the building demolition delay waiver.”
We feel strongly that this block is of vital importance to the development of the neighborhood as a renovated building, maintaining the fabric and context of the historic area in a way that no vacant land or new complex will. The Junction Shops can be the cornerstone of the planned revitalization of the area, and the short term economics should not be cause for short sighted demolition plans.
(1) From Worcester Telegram & Gazette article written by Nick Kotsopoulos.