From left to right:

• Station St.
• Train station and tracks, looking east, of the Boston and Albany Railroad now used by the MBTA “D” line
• Open land of the railroad. Behind the horse-drawn cart are houses and businesses on the north side of Pearl St. The sign for Brookline Coal at 40 Pearl St. is visible.
• Automobile on the railroad property. Directly in front of the car and across the street is the house at 31/33 Pearl St.
• Rear of buildings on Fay Place

[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Pearl St. is foreground right followed by #615 Brookline Ave. Photo by Henry A. Varney, Brookline town engineer.
[Source: Digital Commonwealth]

Looking northeast. At the immediate left is 615 Brookline Ave. at the corner of Pearl St. Robert Winthrop School is on the other side of Pearl St.

Rear of 107 and 105 Brookline Ave., no longer standing. Rear, all still standing, left to right: Dutch House, brick apartment buildings on Aspinwall Ave.
[Source: Olmsted]

Looking south from Pearl St., House on Washington St. is visible in the far distance. Looking from left to right down Brookline Ave.: #101 , a vacant lot fronted by billboards, #77, 75, 71, 65, 59, 55, a vacant lot fronted by billboards, 43, 41, continued to Washington St.
[Source: Olmsted]

Just south of the entrance to Pearl St.
[Source: Olmsted]

No longer standing
[Source: Olmsted]

#7 and #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.
[Source: Olmsted]

Looking north. Boston border on Washington St. to the right.
[Source: Olmsted]

Looking north from NW corner of Washington St.
[Source: Olmsted]

Pearl St. looking north to the left.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking at the north side of Lower Washington St. prior to the start of the urban renewal project for the area known as “The Marsh”. In the center is the building at 127-131 Washington St. housing Sagamore Liquors on the left and The Village restaurant on the right. The large open space on the left had been the site of a wooden building from the 1800s known as “Russell Block”. In August 1962 the town ordered that it be demolished due to its dilapidated condition and no attempt was made to replace it with the urban renewal project pending. On the right is the building built in 1937 housing the entrance to the movie theater.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the block for the Hearthstone Plaza and the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”. The business of the Brookline Bulk Candy was deemed by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority to be neighborhood-specific and was relocated across the street at 216 Washington St. By contrast, the Ames Supply Co., partially viewed on the left, was not given an option to relocated nearby.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

The tracks to the “D” subway line lie immediately to the left. The building anchored the northwest corner of the area then known as “The Marsh” that would soon be completely leveled in an urban renewal project. Ames Supply Co. was one of thirteen businesses forced out by the Brookline Redevelopment Authority, being deemed not essential to Village Life and therefore not eligible for local relocation on redeveloped land.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking east. Gulf service station on the corner of Lower Washington St. is on the right. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

Looking from right to left. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

On the left is Emerald St. looking west toward Pearl St. On the corner is 657 Brookline Ave. followed by #651 and a partial view of #647.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

9 Emerald St. is on the left, sideview of 657 Brookline Ave. is on the right. This photo was taken prior to the leveling of the entire area then known as “The Marsh”.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]

657 Brookline Ave. is on the right.
[Source: Brookline Preservation Department]