| The Mayor and Others Celebrate Post Office Renovation |
 Fields Corner Main Street would like to thank everyone who came out on February 5th to celebrate the completion of the beautiful new façade for the Fields Corner Post Office. Mayor Menino and US Postal Service Postmaster Boston James Holland cut the ribbon with a giant pair of scissors to the cheers of a crowd of residents, business owners, employees and elected officials.
 FCMS Vice President and Design Committee Chair Arlene Lopes initiated the project in the fall of 2006. The new facade enhances the streetscape and recreates the historic look and feel of the building. Now fully handicapped accessible, the post office can serve all members of the Fields Corner community. FCMS hopes the project will be a catalyst for further improvements in Fields Corner. For more information on our Storefront Improvement Program, contact FCMS at 617-474-1432. |
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Dorchester Avenue Project Update |
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After four years of planning and community meetings, the design plan is nearly complete for the traffic and streetscape upgrades to Fields Corner as part of the Dorchester Avenue Project initiated by Mayor Menino. The project, presently being led by the Boston Transportation Department, aims to develop a more attractive streetscape and a pedestrian-friendly, safer and simplified traffic pattern in the heart of the Fields Corner retail area. A major focus of the project in Fields Corner is the expansion of the "Hero Square" plaza at the intersection of Dorchester Avenue and Adams Street. The existing island on which the veterans' memorial sits will be joined to the main city block to create a larger plaza area with seating. Both the flagpole and the monument will be centrally located to give them prominence. The landscaping will be upgraded with colorful annual plants, hardly perennials and small flowering trees. There won't be a nicer place from which to watch the parade on Dot Day!
Pedestrians will get a leg up with the planned improvements to the crosswalks and sidewalks in the Dorchester Ave./Adams Street intersection. The intersection and the crosswalks will be delineated with distinctive patterns to be chosen by community vote (we will send out a survey soon). More time will be given to get across the street, and the crossings will be shortened by extending sidewalks and widening them at the crosswalks. Sidewalks also will be widened where possible along the storefronts. The uneven brick sidewalks will be replaced with a smooth concrete surface with a decorative brick accent strip at the curb's edge. And thanks in large part to the tireless efforts by the Kit Clark Senior Center and the seniors who go there, the city also will be extending the sidewalk replacement throughout Fields Corner.
Drivers should see improvements, too. The existing traffic signals at Park, Adams and Kimball Streets will be replaced with new, modern equipment and signal timing will be interconnected. A new traffic signal will be added at Gibson Street. Public way finding signs will be installed to help drivers navigate the area and locate parking. All modes of transportation get their due; as a reflection of the city starting to pay more attention to the needs of bicyclists, accommodations for bicycles are included in the plan. Fields Corner will get new bike racks, "share the road" markings and signs. Bicycle sharing lanes also are in the mix and will be connected between squares as work proceeds along the Avenue. New trash receptacles, including four "Big Belly" solar-powered trash compactors, new street trees, benches and new street lights also are a part of the improvements slated to begin as early as this summer. The deteriorated acorn street lights will be upgraded with energy efficient lamps and new poles that maintain the same scale and aesthetic. Click here for more information on the project and to read the 2007 Dorchester Avenue Streetscape and Transportation Action Plan. |
| This Corner in History |
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by Jeffrey Gonyeau, Historic Boston Incorporated
With the Academy Awards just behind us, now seems like a good time to consider the history of cinemas and theatres in Fields Corner.
Prior to the days of television, the entertainment needs of most people were met communally and often locally, right in their neighborhood. Like many neighborhood commercial districts in Boston, Fields Corner once boasted a variety of venues to see movies and live performances. We know of two movie theatres and one music hall that once served the local population.
Many people may remember the Dorchester Theatre on Dorchester Ave. at Park Street. Opened in about 1915, this theatre originally had 850 seats. By the 1960s it had become the Park Cinema, and then the Park Cinema 1 & 2, after it was "twinned" and divided into two theatres. The lobby entrance was at the corner in the location of the current Radio Shack and was marked by a variety of signs and marquees over the years, as can be seen in the accompanying photo. The Park Cinema was open until the early 1980s, and the theatre auditorium still exists, although divided into two stories of commercial space. The large upper floor is vacant, and the original pressed metal ceiling and much colorful, Art Deco stenciled painting still survives, some of it shown here.
Further up Dot Ave., on the western side of the intersection of Adams Street, stood the Fields Corner Theatre. Opened on April 28, 1924, it was quite large, with over 1,500 seats. A historic house at 215 Adams Street owned by Benjamin Clapp was either torn down or moved when the theatre was built. The theatre's 1923 building permit lists the architects as Funk & Wilcox, who also designed the Strand Theatre in Upham's Corner and the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square. We have no photos of this building, but its location can be seen on the detail of the 1933 map below. Surprisingly, this large, brick and stone building had a very short life and seems to have been torn down in the early 1950s. Its site is now occupied by the Citizens Bank building and a parking lot.
Finally, Fields Corner was also home to the Dorchester Music Hall, a music and vaudeville performance hall that was located on the top floor of the Fields Building, now commonly known as the O'Hearn Storage Building at 1444 Dorchester Avenue. Built in 1886 and designed by noted Dorchester architect Edwin J. Lewis, Jr., this imposing building originally had three stories and many windows. When converted to storage use in about 1910, two additional floors were inserted, subdividing the theatre space and another large meeting hall on the second floor into two shorter floors each. Most of the building's windows were bricked in at this time, including the graceful arched windows of the auditorium. The Music Hall started off with lofty ambitions of presenting plays and serious concerts, but by the early 20th century it was used for political meetings and low-brow entertainments. The historic photo attached shows an interior view of the former stage area, and the accompanying rendering prepared by Historic Boston shows what the building could look like if its many windows were restored.
No doubt many people have memories of their local movie theatres. Please feel free to share these--and any other local history you know--with HBI and our partners, FCMS and Viet-AID, as we continue to work in Fields Corner through the Historic Neighborhood Centers Program. For more information on the program, and Fields Corner's history, tune into BNN Channel 9 (Comcast) on Wednesday, March 18 at 1:30 p.m. or contact Jeffrey Gonyeau at 617-227-4679 or email jtg@historicboston.org.
All historic images courtesy of the Dorchester Historical Society. |
| FCMS Presents Dancing with the Stars of Boston 2009 |
Mark your dance card with FCMS for June 18, 2009! Join us for the third annual Dancing with the Stars of Boston at Boston College High School's new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center. The event will feature some of Boston's most notable personalities teamed up with professional dance partners from Arthur Murray Dance Studios.
Some of Boston's brightest stars have competed to raise funds for our economic revitalization efforts. In 2008 Miss Massachusetts/USA 2008 Jacqueline Bruno and Massachusetts State Director of March of Dimes Edward Doherty demonstrated their fancy footwork. But it was former Dorchester Board of Trade President Mary Truong from Caritas Carney Hospital who took home the winning trophy with her elegant rumba. Dancing with the Stars of Boston 2007 was won by Edward Merritt, CEO of Mt. Washington Bank, who out-danced pro football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett and former Red Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd. WCVB-TV Channel 5 covered the star-studded event both years and came out to support their own Shayna Seymour and Karen Holmes Ward.
Dancers have been judged by a line-up of celebrities who added to the evening's fun, including car tycoon Ernie Boch, Jr. and Improper Bostonian columnist Ezra Dyer. Dyer proved he could easily upstage Bruno Tonioli or Paula Abdul with his creative commentaries.
We're looking for volunteers to get involved with the planning committee to help us produce this unique event and help out on the night of the event. Volunteers will get in free. To learn more and to sign up, we will be holding a volunteer orientation on Tuesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at the Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Avenue. Refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact FCMS at 617-474-1432. |
| Businesses, Volunteers and Winners of Holidays in Fields Corner |
A few months back at the start of the 2008 holiday season, several local businesses welcomed all to enjoy winter treats as part of FCMS' A Taste of the Holidays in Fields Corner to promote their Boston Community Change rebate specials. Thank you to all of the businesses that participated: Blarney Stone, Century 21 Cahill Associates, D'Bennys, Pho Hoa and Signature Bridal. As part of the promotion, anyone who showed their Community Change Card received a free raffle ticket for a chance to win a flat screen TV (those wanting a better chance at winning were able to purchase more tickets). Councilor Maureen Feeney announced the winner at the Fields Corner Tree Lighting Celebration. Congratulations to winners Donna & Bobby Martin!
Visit here to sign up for your free Boston Community Change Card and to discover all of the many local businesses take the card.
Special thanks to all who came out for the tree lighting celebration, the Blarney Stone for providing hot chocolate, the Field's Corner Civic Association, the Melville Park Association and all of the local sponsors. We also would like to thank all of our volunteers.
If you are interested in getting involved with local events in Fields Corner, contact us at 617-474-1432.
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| Fields Corner Main Street Calendar |
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Dancing with the Stars of Boston 2009 Planning Meeting: Wednesday, March 4, 5:00-6:25 p.m., Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Ave.
FCMS Board Meeting: Wednesday, March 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m., Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Ave.
FCMS Design Committee Meeting: Tuesday, March 10, 6:30-8:00 p.m., FCMS Office, 1452 Dorchester Ave.
Elder Friendly Business District Steering Committee Meeting: Monday, March 16, 1:15-2:30 p.m., FCMS Office, 1452 Dorchester Ave.
FCMS on TV -- Fields Corner History Show: Wednesday, March 18, 1:30 p.m., BNN, Channel 9 (Comcast).
Economic Restructuring Committee Meeting: Thursday, March 19, 6:00-7:30 p.m., FCMS Office, 1452 Dorchester Ave.
Dancing with the Stars of Boston Volunteer Orientation: Tuesday, March 24, 6:00-7:00 p.m., Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Ave.
FCMS Executive Committee Meeting: Wednesday, March 25, 5:30-7:00 p.m., FCMS Office, 1452 Dorchester Ave.
Promotion Committee Meeting: Thursday, March 26, 5:30-7:00 p.m., FCMS Office, 1452 Dorchester Ave. |
| Community Corner |
 Youth Jobs for Summer 2009
Youth interested in summer jobs must be registered on the Hopeline in order to work through the Boston Youth Fund. For summer 2009, the Hopeline is the only application process and it is opened for a limited time. For eligibility, you must be a resident of Boston, be at least 15 years old on or before July 5 and cannot be older then 18 years old on or before August 14.
To register call 617-635-HOPE. For more information, or to register online, visit here and click on the Summer Jobs link.
Dorchester House's Free Tax Preparation Clinic
 DotWell's EITC Free Tax Preparation Clinic will continue until April 15, 2009. The sessions operate on a first-come, first-served basis (they do not make appointments). The Tax Clinic is held at the Dorchester House, 1353 Dorchester Ave., on Monday and Wednesdays from 4-8 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m-12 p.m. Service is only guaranteed for the first 20 walk-in clients per session. Bring the following items to the session: Social Security Card for you, your children and your spouse; all W-2, 1098 and 1099 forms, including 1099HC or health insurance card. If it applies to you, also bring your total childcare expenses in 2008 and the employer ID number for your childcare provider, your total student loan interest paid and the amount from last year's Economic Stimulus Payments (ESP).
ODWIN Learning Center Offers English Talk Time Sessions
 ODWIN Learning Center will be offering 90-minute English "Talk Times" beginning this March. English Talk Times are opportunities for beginning to advanced level non-native English speakers to practice their English skills with a trained instructor and other participants. ODWIN will host four English Talk Time sessions on March 11, March 25, April 8 and April 29. Sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6-7 p.m. at the ODWIN Learning Center, 1943 Dorchester Avenue. Participants will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $20 per session and advance registration is suggested. For more information on English Talk Times visit here or contact Anne Malone at 617-282-5320. | |
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