Looking west on Boylston St. toward Cypress St. On the south side of Boylston from left to right:

• 316 Boylston St., the Boylston Garage, corner partially visible
• Southeast corner of Boylston and Cypress St., the large house of Annie C. Crocker
• Southwest corner of Boylston and Cypress St., store fronts, still standing
• 402 Boylston St., house

On the north side of Boylston from left to right:

• Northwest corner of Boylston and Cypress St., the large curved building of storefronts and apartments, still standing, barely visible
• Northeast side of Boylston and Cypress St., apartment buildings 351 to 299 Boylston St. A man and a woman are viewed in the second-floor window of #305.
• #293 Boylston St., business of B. W. Neal, builder

The couple in the window of #305 are Elizabeth (Ryan) Grennan, 37, and her husband, fireman Thomas Grennan, 40. They raised five children – three boys and two girls. In 1917, the children ranged in age from 1 to 13. Two of the boys became doctors – one a podiatrist and the other a veterinarian – and one of the daughters became a nurse. The other daughter became a teacher and the other son a corrections officer, eventually rising to superintendent of the state prison in Concord.

At the time of this photo, Thomas Grennan was the driver and a hose man on one the engines stationed at the Washington Square firehouse. Six years later, he was promoted to lieutenant and transferred to the Monmouth Street station (now the Brookline Arts Center). His picture appeared in the Boston Globe at that time. He died in 1961 at the age of 84. Elizabeth died in 1967 at the age of 88.

[Courtesy of the Digital Commonwealth (CC BY-NC-ND). From the Metropolitan District Commission, Water Division, Metropolitan Water Works Photograph Collection, 1876-1930]