Sunday, August 26, 2018
A Café Tour Plus History &
Architecture On The Side
Got up early to go on a guided tour of cafés in downtown Framingham, sponsored by Downtown Framingham, Inc., with Courtney Thraen serving as our friendly and knowledgeable guide.
The tour started at the Amazing Things
Art Center on Hollis Street, as Courtney described the history of the building,
which originally served as the fire house.
Framingham began its boom in 1883 with the arrival of the train passing
directly through town, followed shortly thereafter by the Framingham Water
Company and construction of a public sewer system to deal with the growing
population.
Stop
1: Tesoro Super Market
Here we sampled some of the finest French bread, with its crisp, delicate crust, and soft interior. Perfect! We perused the aisles and found a wonderful selection of everything one could want or need.
Along the way, we saw the apartment
buildings and Odd Fellows Hall built in the Elmwood area.
Stop
2: Neca’s Bakery
Here we feasted on samples of fried plantain, and a variety of little cookies. Yummo!
Looking east down Waverly Street
(Route 135), I caught a picturesque pic of buildings, with bicyclists passing
by.
We headed west on Waverly to our next
stop.
Stop
3: Miranda Bakery
Inside, we found a bustling café,
shelves and cases stocked with fresh breads and Brazilian pastries. The coconut
cake was heavenly, it was so light!
Next, we headed back to the main
intersection, crossed the railroad tracks, and went up Concord Street.
We learned that there was at one time
something called the South Framingham Doughnut. It was huge, cheap, and
delicious. What’s not to love? This is an idea that is just waiting for a
comeback!
If it ever comes back, I had better go
back down Waverly Street to visit my friends at Summit Fitness!
Along Concord Street, we saw the
Common, and a variety of architectural styles all from the late 1800s to the
early 1900s, such as the bank building (1920’s art deco) and Hemenway building
(neo-classical revitalism).
Stop
4: Padaria Brasil Bakery
This is the longest running
continuously operated Brazilian bakery in the US, and still going strong. They
provided a variety of breads to sample. “The best bread I’ve ever had,” I heard
one person say.
Our next stop was just a few doors
down.
Stop
5: Sofá Café
This was a modern space, with
fireplace and lounge chairs. More samples, plus some robust iced coffee. Just in
time, pretty thirsty!
Post-Script
As many times as I have driven through
downtown Framingham, I’m not sure I fully appreciated all the history. Like
many downtowns, their great years of ‘urbanization’ were in the late 1800s and
early 1900s, and with the rise of shopping malls, such as Shopper’s World in 1951,
these downtowns became ghost towns. This is not specific to Framingham, it
happened everywhere across America. Examples abound.
Now these under-appreciated vestiges
of the past are being dusted off and revitalized, and recognized for their
unique place in history, and going through a resurgence. I hear the same is
going on farther down the coast, such as in the little shoreside town of Asbury Park,
NJ.
Even though this was a walking tour, I
don’t think the calories expended made up for the calories taken in! No regrets,
but I will need to put in a little extra muscle to work off all those samples now,
and I know just where to go:
Summit Fitness Framingham. Located in the
KCR building on Waverly Street, a former mill, the space is no longer milling lumber, but instead
devoted to getting attendees back in shape, trim and fit! I hear there is a great
boot camp (“Bubba’s Boot Camp”) on Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM.
Check it out! We could all be a bit fitter,
and we’ll all need it if the mythical South Framingham Doughnut ever makes a comeback!
Mark
Your Calendar:
· August
29: Jahriffe and the JAH-N-I Roots Movement play at the Milky Way Lounge in
Jamaica Way, MA, at 6 PM. Rasta on! Also playing September 8th in
Laconia and September 15th in Portland, ME.
· September
21: Anjimile at Aeronaut, Allston, MA. http://www.zone3westernave.com/aeronaut/
· September 23: Manufacturing Tour, Downtown Framingham, MA.
https://downtownframinghaminc.org/manufacturingtour
· October 13: Oktoberfest, Downtown Framingham, MA.
©
2018 Rosemary A. Schmidt
Rose
Schmidt is the author of “Go Forward, Support! The Rugby of Life” (Gainline
Press 2004). The views expressed herein are solely those of the author, and do
not reflect the views of any other agency or organization. Use of individual
quotes with proper citation and attribution, within the limits of fair use, is
permitted. If you would like to request permission to use or reprint any of the
content on the site, please contact me. Twitter: Rosebud@GainlineRS
Mission
Statement: To Educate, Inform, Entertain, Inspire, and Open Minds.
(E.I.E.I.O.M.)
I'd like to talk to Rosemary if possible about her rugby book. Please contact me at leah.abrahams@icloudcom
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