This is one of the two earliest known photos of the Harvard Sq. area of Brookline Village. The business life of the Village was still largely centered along Lower Washington St. From left to right:

• Carriage in front of Kenrick Brothers, stoves and furnaces
• Carriage in front of Marshall Russell, Grocer [unconfirmed]
• Large tree in front of the house of Benjamin Davis
• "Panter’s Building" at the apex of Washington and Harvard streets. In 1859, John Panter acquired the former Baptist Church building, moved it forward into the apex of the two main thoroughfares, and created storefronts on the first floor.
• Behind the "Panter’s Building" is the steeple of the newer Baptist Church on Harvard St.
• Coming forward from the church is the "Rooney Building" which was later raised up one story to accommodate stores underneath and is still standing.
• Foreground right is the train station. This was also the location of the telegraph office (sign visible) and the post office (washed out sign above)

The Church was built in the early 1850s between Andem Place and Station Street to serve the growing Catholic, mostly Irish, population of Brookline. The first service was held on Christmas day, 1853. The current church on Linden Place was opened in 1886 and this building was later incorporated into the Holtzer Cabot factory on Station St.

The photo is one of a series of stereoviews taken circa 1873-1876 by Richard Hills and son. There is a bit of an optical illusion in the left foreground. Shown is the wooden fence from the property on the other side of Andem Place.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking south towards Brookline Village. To the right is the rear of the Colonnade buildings. In the background, on the left, is the only known side view of 171-173 Washington St. (at the rear of today’s 10 Brookline Place). In contrast to the ordinary front, the side of the building is embellished along the roof line and with accent pillars down the sides. The large window signs can’t be read but it can be speculated that these features were viewed by the passengers on the railroad that passed right next to the building.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking south on Washington St. The third Colonnade building is seen on the left it its original position, lower than the second Colonnade building. It can be seen today higher than the second building having been raised to accommodate the widening of the bridge in 1886. In the center rear of the photo, the individual signs for the stores in the Guild Block can be seen. Prominently displayed on the end of the building is the oval sign for F. Sullivan, Plumber. To the right of that is the house known as the “old Webber house” which had two stories or more of basement below the level of the bridge where it abutted the railroad tracks.
[Source: Brookline Public Library]

Washington St. looking south toward the fire station, in the distance, on lower Washington St.; Station St. is to the left; Guild Block building is visible in the rear center.

Looking north on Washington St.; brick building in foreground exists today. The building was raised significantly to match the height of the bridge before Station St. was added.

At Station St., looking west under the Washington St. bridge. Only entrance to White Place.

Tom Condon, Sr. Civil Engineer for Brookline writes:
It would be interesting to note that the roadway passing under the bridge to the right of the railroad was the only access to White Place at the time since it was a dead end street. When the bridge was later widened, it was also shortened so as to only cross the railroad tracks. The end of White Place was filled in to meet the grade of the new bridge. That is the reason for the retaining wall between White Place and the "D" line which is located about where the center support of the bridge is.

Looking east at Washington St. bridge before the late-1885 elevation of the road to meet the Washington Street bridge. Railroad tracks (today's Green Line) to the right. Allen & Rowell Photographers.

Looking west. On the left is the rear of the brick building at 81 Boylston St., still standing. In the middle is the pedestrian overpass at Davis Path, no longer standing. In the foreground left is a partial view of the rear of 38 White Place, followed by 40 White Place, both still standing.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

This photo of White Place was taken by well-known photographer James Wallace Black before the late-1885 elevation of the road to meet the Washington Street bridge. 1885 saw contentious town meetings on how best to integrate White Place, then a private roadway which ran underneath the bridge, into the town’s planned widening of the bridge. It was decided to first elevate White Place to meet the existing bridge and the proceed with the expansion of the bridge and Washington St. Several of the homes viewed here were raised and remain standing today much as they appear in this photograph. From left to right:

• “Halfenstine Tailor”. Adam Halfenstein emigrated from Prussia in 1847 and changed the family name to Halfenstine. It is not known if the current structure located at #2 White Place was constructed from the tailor’s store.
• #10 White Place, the Halfenstine house.
• #13/15 White Place
• #11 White Place
• #9 White Place
• #190 Washington St., rear. The building had several folds to conform to the slant of the road.

[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

This house, still standing, was built circa 1857 and is known as the Jonathan D. Long house. Long later moved to 358 Washington St. circa 1868 where he also ran his carpentry business.
[Source: Fleming Collection]

This is the oldest known photograph of the full train station in the Village. Visible are the signs for the post office and the telegraph, both of which were housed in the depot. Visible in the rear is a train parked on a side track.
[Source: Brookline Public Library]

Heading east, current location of Brookline Village "D" Line stop of the MBTA. Station St. to the left

Looking east. The partially-visible building behind the station at 31 and 34 Station Street still stands.

Looking east from the Washington St. overpass. Station St. is on the left, Pearl St. is on the right. Brookline Coal on the north side of Pearl St. is visible.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking east on the Boston and Albany railroad tracks, today’s “D” line. From west to east:

• Washington St. overpass
• The top of the building at 171-173 Washington St., no longer standing
• The train station platform
• Businesses on the north side of Pearl St. including Brookline Coal Co.

[Source: Leo Sullivan]

Looking north on the east side of Washington St. are the three Colonnade buildings that still stand today. Shortly after this photo was taken there was a major regrading and widening of Washington St. and the creation of Station St. This was undertaken to increase the width of the narrow bridge over the tracks. The dirt ramp would become an extension of the bridge and this necessitated raising the nearest brick Colonnade building to its present height.

The awnings on the near corner of the Colonnade buildings are for Nelson Bros., Grocers, "dealers in fine teas and pure coffees" Also still standing today, on the west side of Washington St., are the two tallest buildings in the photo, both brick.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

This unique photo is a rare photo of the early stages of the expansion of Brookline Village northward away from the business center on Lower Washington St. It shows the first two buildings of Colonnade Row which have just been built and populated with the initial businesses. A third building would be added on the right in 1875. All are still standing as are the original cast-iron pillars visible on the store fronts.

The horse-drawn car is being pulled on rails which were first laid in 1859 to effect a much-needed improvement over the slow and bumpy rides of the trackless Omnibuses which were essentially enlarged stage coaches. This horse car is being pulled northward either to the final stop at Washington and School Streets or to the final stop at Harvard and School Streets. At these final stops the horse(s) would be unhitched and attached to the other end of the car and the route retraced.

There are three stores in the building on the left:

• The first store, at #243, appears unoccupied
• In the middle, at #239, is the dry goods store of Walter Martin
• On the right, at #235, is the grocery store of George F. Joyce who would later expand and relocate up the street

There are three stores in the building on the right:

• The store on the left, at #227, is the apothecary of Charles P. Ladd
• In the middle, at #223, is the store of George Turnbull, the first tailor in Brookline
• On the right, at #219 Washington St., is the Brookline Savings Bank which had just been incorporated in 1871

In the distance the old railroad depot can be glimpsed with a sign for the American Telegraph Company. It also housed the post office.
[Source: Leo Sullivan]

Shown are the first two buildings of the three-building Colonnade group, all still standing. The three stores with awnings, left to right, are:

• Charles F. Lamb, Dry and Fancy Goods, at 239 Washington St.
• H. Frank Rich, Books and Stationery, at 235 Washington St. He lived in Brookline and his main store was at 25 West St., Boston. He opened this store in 1873 and there is no record of it past 1874.
• The apothecary of Charles P. Ladd at 227 Washington St. in the second building

[Source: Brookline Public Library]

Washington St. heading toward Rt. 9 and Boston. This is a Type Four car, in use in Boston from 1911-1950. The two brick buildings still stand.

While nominally just a photo of a subway car this photo actually contains a number of interesting details of Village life in the late 1930s. To the right is the front end of what appears to be a 1935 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Coupe. And there are glimpses of the following businesses:

• Earl Colvin, dentist, is the clearest. He was at that location (221 Washington Street) as early as 1922 and as late as 1940. In 1944 he had moved to 1 Harvard Street.
• Moore's, up the street, is Moore's Grille at 6-9 Harvard Square.
• A.J. Grennan, Chiropodist.
• Wolf & Smith, Meats. They are beneath Colvin and the name is only partly visible. They were there as early as the 1920s through at least 1944.
• Elisabeth Cleansing Shop. The name is on the corner above the back of the trolley.
• Daniel Goldberg. His name is on the window next to Grennan, but we don't find him in the city directories.