For a while now, FitSense Technology has occupied the red building at 21 Boston Road between Lamy Insurance and Falconi Bros. Just recently the company jumped ship and moved to Westborough.
I’ve always thought that property was a prime piece of downtown real estate. I have no information on the owner and what plans he might have for it, or what the zoning is, but how about we do a bit of dreaming? If that building could be anything, anything at all, what would you want it to be?
(On a related note, does anyone know the history of this building? What did it used to be?)
Town Planner Vera Kolias kindly just sent me this info:
Can the Historical Society cast any info on this building? I’m wondering if it was the Harry Sawin Grainery? Don’t know if it could have been originally. I do remember it being a really cool antique/junk store for a while I think in the 70’s! Maybe one of Lamy’s grandparents? Don’t know for sure.
I’d love to see a bakery and nice sandwich shop/cafe.
It kind of looks like an old railroad depot station of some sort…very charming.
Great suggestion! It really is a perfect location for a bakery or cafe. Something like Flour (in Cambridge and near the Children’s Museum) would be amazing! They’d get tons of lunch business from the Genzyme crowd too.
I remember when Mr. Lamy had an antique shop there in the 1970’s. My mother bought many a treasures there and even a few of my bikes!
I remember that antique shop – I had forgotten all about it.
A reader emailed me to say she believes the building was originally a grain mill and that they sold coal out of the lower level in the back, which makes sense since it’s right along the railroad track.
As for me, I’d love to see it be a cafe by day, bistro by night.
For some reason I seem to remember going in there as a child and it having rows and rows of candy, was it ever a penny-candy store? I miss old Southborough… :o(
Well, I could go for a good bakery but not a cafe…I still love “The Spa” for sentimental reasons! But the evening bistro with maybe room for a little jazz band….that sounds tempting. Next goal….cleanup the “lovely” corner lot with the hideous chain link fence and over grown weeds. Even if the owner (I know who you are!!!) would take down the fence – you could protect it from commuter parking with large boulders placed strategically and then just keep the lot mowed. I know there are perking issues with the lot but at least keep it clean and neat!