Sears family home. Beacon St. to the left. Only structure in photo that is still standing.
[Source: Smithsonian]

Looking east on Beacon toward St. Paul St. Corner of building from the Stearns property visible on the right

Pleasant St. coming in at the left. On the right are the Thomas Sears house at 2 Charles St. (still standing) and 1265 Beacon St. is partially visible behind it. At the bottom of the first decline St. Paul St. is visible.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

From left to right:

• 2 Charles St., still standing
• 3 Charles St., rear, no longer standing
• Second Unitarian Society Parish House, 11 Charles St., rear. Built 1916, still standing and currently home to Temple Sinai
• Rear, 50 Sewall Ave., behind the Parish House. The brick building there today has a similar footprint but any connection is unknown.

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

This photo was taken shortly before the widening of Beacon St. The house of Charles H. Stearns is on the left. Its apparent standing as a typical house on Beacon St. is misleading and requires explanation:

• The house was built in 1767 before Beacon St. existed (1851). It fronted on Pleasant St. and was positioned at a right angle to the street. It is seen at an angle here because Pleasant St. ran diagonally across Beacon St. approximately where the carriage is seen.
• The driveway (viewed in the Pleasant St. photos) is on the left side of the house in this photo, as is the front of the house.
• Charles Stearns would soon be compelled to move his house 400 feet to the southwest to Harvard St. to accommodate the 1888 widening of Beacon St., a requirement he actively opposed.

With the death of Charles H. Stearns in October 1935, the house, the last holdout in a prime commercial location, was demolished. This photo also has an excellent view of how the planks were slightly raised on the wooden sidewalks
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking northeast from Beacon, just south of Coolidge Corner

Viewed from Beacon St.

From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Beacon St. is running along the left border of the photo, the turn onto Pleasant is just visible in the foreground. On the left, in the distance, is the Coolidge & Brother store.

From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking east on Beacon. James S. Whitney house on the northwest corner of Pleasant & Beacon. Stearns house is visible through the trees on the right.

Beacon St. looking east on the left, The old extension, since removed, of Pleasant St. to the right.

From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking west on Beacon St. at the rear of the house which sits at a right angle to its entrance around the corner on Pleasant St. The house would soon be moved 400 feet to the southwest for the widening of Beacon St.

From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

The back of the house is viewed on Beacon St. This image is flipped horizontally.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking west from the Thomas Sears house on Charles St. Foreground right: Charles Stearns house. Foreground left: out-housing of Charles Stearns. Far distance: Aspinwall Hill. The large mansion at the top of the hill with the tall spire was built by Clarence Esty, part of a group of Esty houses that have since been replaced by Schick Park. The spire was an observation tower equipped with a high-powered telescope that enabled detailed viewing of distant scenes. Harvard St., south of Beacon St., runs roughly left to right in the middle of the picture.
[Source: Smithsonian]

Near left is the side of the old school house that was torn down for the widening. In the far distance is the watering station in fron of the Coolidge & Brother store.

From the 1887 photo series taken just before the widening of Beacon St., most likely by Augustine H. Folsom, a Boston photographer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

From left to right:

• 1295 Beacon St., the post office, essentially unchanged today
• 1297 Beacon St., still standing
• 1299 Beacon St.

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Shown from left to right:

• Partial view of a street-watering cart
• Inbound trolley stand
• Boulevard Trust building at 1319 Beacon St.
• Rear of Charles Stearns' house
• Street-watering cart
• Harvard St. looking south

[Source: Joel Shield]

Identifiable businesses, from right to left:

• 1294 Beacon St. Berts Hat Shop
• 1294A Beacon St. William J. Foley, Industrial Bankers
• 1296 Beacon St. Coolidge Corner Fruit
• 1298 Beacon St. London Wine Co.
• 1300 Beacon St. Hood’s Creamery
• 1302 Beacon St. E. F. Kemp, confectioners
• 1304 Beacon St. Lewandos, cleaners (not seen)
• 1306 Beacon St. Alfred Brown, photographer (large sign on roof)
• 1308 Beacon St. Western Union
• 1310 Beacon St. Winchester Sportswear for Women
• 1314 Beacon St. Waldorf Restaurant
• 1316 Beacon St. paint store
• 1320 Beacon St. Coolidge Corner Cooperative Bank
• 1320 Beacon St. Homer T. Brown, Real Estate

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

From right to left:

• 1304 Beacon St. Coolidge Corner Candies and Ice Cream has been closed.
• 1306 Beacon St. Alfred Brown, Photographer
• 1308 Beacon St. Western Union Telegraph
• 1310 Beacon St. Lewandos , cleaners
• 1312 Beacon St. Ladies Specialty Shop
• 1314 Beacon St. Alice Merril, Florist

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking east on Beacon St. from Coolidge Corner
[Source: Iowa State]

Looking east on Beacon St.
Background left: carriages are traveling both directions on the northern side of Beacon St. with no visible traffic on the southern side, presumably because of the greater width of the northern side. The town passed an ordnance in 1924 established unidirectional traffic.
[Source: Iowa State]