The Union Building, a massive stone structure located at the corner of High and Walnut streets, was erected by the Brookline Friendly Union, a group formed to improve the lives of the poor of Brookline. The building was to be the center for all the charitable activities in Brookline. There were rooms for club work, a hall for dramatic and musical entertainment, a coffee room, a gymnasium, a billiard room, a bowling alley, and a "conversation room in the basement for working men to congregate to discuss the affairs of the nation."

The building was razed in 1961 to make way for public housing as part of the Brookline Redevelopment Authority’s urban renewal project in the area known as The Farm.

Image Courtesy the Brookline Preservation Department