#(710 (fmr 7) and #706 (fmr 17) at the left. Boston Consolidated Gas Company at the right. Visible center left is 40 Washington St. at the corner of Walter Ave., one of several buildings owned by Thomas Miskell. Walter Ave. no longer exists and was located at the present day entrance to the Brook House complex. At center right is a brick building owned by John Fleming. This account of later plans for the building appeared in the 1921 issue of Automobile Topics.


Brookline Mass is to have a garage that will be managed operated and patronized by the fairer sex. Disregarding a certain traditional feminine ineptitude for filings mechanical John F Fleming of Brookline is firmly convinced that the rapidly growing number of women drivers calls for a garage run exclusively by women. In other words not only will all the patrons be women but the establishment will be managed by a woman and there will be women attendants and mechanics throughout even the cab service to be operated in connection with the garage and for its women customers will have women drivers exclusively.

For the woman owner whose only interest in her car is to have it always ready for driving the garage will offer complete service. All she needs to do when she desires to use the car is to telephone the garage. A cab will be sent to her residence for her and when she reaches the garage her car will be ready to drive away. Upon retuming she will leave the car at the garage door and if she wishes have a cab take her home. In the interval between drives the car will be whipped into driving state and will be stored in a private stall.

On the other hand for the woman who likes to take care of her car the garage will offer exceptional attractions. There will be no men about the building so the mechanically bent lady can don overalls and crawl under the car or do any work on it she pleases. There will of course be trained women mechanics to assist her in anything mechanical she does not care to tackle alone.

During the Summer months Fleming plans to fit out the building which is located at 5O Washington street with the most up to date garage equipment and to put into operation a number of original ideas he has for the comfort and convenience of feminine motorists. When it is finished the garage will have the appearance of an automobile club for women with every facility for careful handling of cars and for their maintenance in first class condition. The front of the building will be fitted up as a lounge or waiting room. There will be comfortable chairs and tables desks and also an attractive fireplace.

The garage will accommodate not more than forty cars for it is the intention to allow plenty of space in each stall and no car will be put in front of another so that owners can work around their cars or get into and get out of them without being crowded by other cars. There is a large automobile elevator connecting all floors and there will be telephones all over building connecting with an outside switchboard in the office. On the exterior of building there are to be no signs except those denoting the entrance and exit.

It is Fleming's plan to close the garage fairly early in the evening Patrons who have their cars out late can leave them at his large general garage across the street and they will be taken to their places in the women's garage and cared for early in the morning.

[Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site]