Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters
National Register of Historic Places

Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters

Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Listed
July 18, 2010
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
10000506

About this property

The Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters (Speedway Headquarters) is located at the corner of Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is a complex of seven buildings designed by architect William D. Austin in the Shingle and Colonial Revival styles and built between 1899 and 1940. The site served as the headquarters of the State-managed Charles River Reservation and as horse stables for the Charles River Speedway, a harness and bicycle racing track along present-day Soldiers Field Road. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) owns the Speedway Headquarters and considers it to be one of its origin properties. Vacant since 2005, the property was redeveloped as a mixed-use commercial and cultural facility beginning in 2019 under DCR's Historic Curatorship Program by the Boston-based Architectural Heritage Foundation. The Speedway opened in 2021.

Location

1420-1440 Soldiers Field Rd
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
42.36143, -71.14640

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Charles River Reservation Parkways
Modern
0.2 mi
Engine House No. 34
Industrial
0.3 mi
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Listed
0.6 mi
Holmes, Joseph, House
Industrial
0.8 mi
Harvard Avenue Fire Station
Industrial
0.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
2.1 mi
Siege of Boston – Roxbury Lines
1775Revolutionary War
3.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters listed on the National Register?

Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 2010.

What type of historic resource is Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters?

Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters?

The period of significance for Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1899.

Can I research the history near Charles River Reservation (Speedway)-Upper Basin Headquarters?

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