SEAN SULLIVAN PHOTOGRAPHY - EIGHTY-SIXED

The Metropolitan State Hospital, established in 1927 in Waltham, Massachusetts, was a modern state hospital designed to treat individuals with mental illness. The hospital's official opening took place in the Fall of 1930, one year after the construction of its Administration Building in 1928.

The hospital's buildings were built in the Colonial Revival style, and its landscaping was based on the principles laid down by the Olmsted Brothers. Unfortunately, the hospital closed in January 1992 due to state cost-cutting measures. The patients were relocated to a community-based setting. All hospital buildings, except the Administration Building, have since been demolished for a new housing development.

This residential property in Newton, MA, was built in 1947 but has been abandoned and deteriorated for over 30 years. The owner is an unusual former academic who lives elsewhere and rarely visits the property. A mannequin's head has been placed in one of the windows to give the impression that the house is occupied. However, the overgrown foliage makes seeing the mannequin from the outside challenging.

The Trapelo Cottage, constructed in 1900, was initially intended to serve as housing for the nearby Walter E. Fernald State School employees in Waltham, MA. The school, once the oldest organization for developmental disabilities in the Western Hemisphere, is now closed. In the 1980s, the cottage was transformed into a daycare center for the staff, but it closed down in 2007. As of 2014, the City of Waltham has owned the property currently scheduled for demolition.

The Trapelo Cottage, Waltham, MA

The Trapelo Cottage, Waltham, MA

In the mid-1880s, Mr. James Seery relocated from Gardner Street to his new home on Crafts Street in Newton, MA. The building's small, narrow windows and cropped eaves suggest it was built in 1840. Mr. Seery worked as a laborer for Albert Brackett, who dealt in coal, grain, and hay.

The Baldwin Cottage, constructed in 1875, was initially used to accommodate the nearby Walter E. Fernald School staff. Later, in the 1980s, Waverly Oaks Child Development transformed it into a preschool for employees, and it served that purpose until 2005. Unfortunately, the City of Waltham had to demolish the cottage in the spring of 2022.

The Louis A. Brown House, later known as the Mary A. Thompson House, was built in Natick, MA, in 1850. Louis A. Brown, a shoe stitcher, and his wife, Jennie, lived at 247 North Main Street until 1923 when they sold the property to Mary A. Thompson.

During the mid-twentieth century, Wesley B. Thompson, a civil engineer and Mary's son, owned and lived on the property. The Thompson family owned the house for much of the twentieth century until they sold it in 1987. Unfortunately, the original house has been demolished, and new townhouses have been built.

The property boundaries for this house, located at 84 Speen Street, Natick, MA, were established in 1948. The house was constructed between 1948 and 1949, while the garage was added in 1953. Following World War II, the neighborhood had significant development, with many homes dating back to the mid-century. The property remained in the same family's possession until it was demolished in 2018. A family member who served in the Army during the Korean War was awarded the Bronze Star for his honorable service.

84 Speen Street, Natick, MA

William Lowe purchased a piece of land in Wellesley, MA, in 1860 and built a farmhouse in 1874. He was a well-known property owner in the area and bought the Historic Hunting House, a neighboring property built in 1831, in 1868. In 1884, Frederick and Catherine Voggt acquired the farmhouse from Lowe. Unfortunately, the surrounding properties are slated for demolition to make way for a new 5-story residential building.

 Farmhouse, Wellesley, MA

2578 Massachusetts Avenue, located in Cambridge, MA, was a six-bedroom multi-family house built in 1886 for Michael Collins, a local teamster. At its construction, the property included a stable/barn where Michael kept his horses. A widower, Michael lived in the house with his sister, Mary Collins, along with Michael’s children, Elizabeth (age 23), Dennis (age 21), and Matthew (age 8) until 1916. The next owner, Victor Casagrande, demolished the barn in 1922 and replaced it with a stone service garage that still stands at 18 Magoun Street.

In 1932, a later owner named Joseph Linhares had the house demolished. That same year, a gas station was built on the property, and Cambridge Brake Service occupied the garage in 1936. When the house was first built, it was addressed and later readdressed as 401, 535, 893 North Ave before the street was renamed Massachusetts Avenue. In 1894, the house was renumbered to 2578. The property has been unused since late 2007/early 2008, possibly due to extensive environmental contamination.

The Beacon Valve/Brass Co. Inc. was a plumbing fixtures company established in 1949 in Waltham, MA. Unfortunately, the company was dissolved on June 18th, 2012. In 2010, a low-income housing project was proposed to the city but didn’t pass the planning stages. In the summer of 2023, the building was eventually demolished, and now the space has been transformed into a well-manicured backyard of an adjacent home.

Beacon Valve/Brass Co. Inc., Waltham, MA

The Webster Building was constructed in 1898 and was home to G.K. Webster & Co., a silver company that produced many items, including flatware, thimbles, and jewelry. Unfortunately, the building has been vacant for decades, and its poor condition has become a cause for concern in the town. In 2014, the property was put up for sale for $889,000, and plans were made to construct condominiums, apartments, and offices.

However, as of March 2024, North Attleboro had to take emergency measures to remove the wooden structure due to fears of collapse and the risk of debris falling onto the street. Only the concrete building, which has been boarded up and deemed structurally sound, remains.

The Webster Building, North Attleboro, MA

The Pig 'N Whistle Diner, a 1952 Mountain View Diner, was initially called the Circle Diner and was located in Watertown, MA, before being moved to its present location on North Beacon St. in Brighton, MA. The diner was featured in two Zippy the Pinhead cartoons in February and June 2001, showcasing both the diner's interior and exterior. Unfortunately, the restaurant has been closed since 2002, and despite rumors of a possible revival in 2017, the building remains dilapidated.

The diner's name derives from the Brighton Cattle Market, a popular livestock trading center during the late 1800s. The Boston & Worcester Railroad was constructed in 1834, and livestock from all over New England was transported to Brighton. In 1884, the stockyards were relocated to North Beacon St. next to the railroad and remained there until they were closed in 1967.

This barber shop in Newton, MA, has been primarily frozen in time since the late 1990s when its owner passed away suddenly and his wife soon after. Looking inside, it's just a space, as the barber chairs have been removed. Judging by the overgrowth over the entrance, an apartment or two upstairs is also abandoned.