About 119 - History


Everett Street Bridge, built in the early 1890's. Photo courtesy of S.P.N.E.A. Re-photographed by M. A. Lasek.
119 Braintree Street Realty LLC is a 5-7 story building located in the Allston district of Boston. Built around 1908, the 5-story section reflects the brick and mortar craftsmanship of that era. It is comprised of brick structural walls with massive wood columns and hardwood floors. Many suites in this part of the building contain exposed brick with a style similar to a "New York brownstone loft".


Union Square looking west in distance. Photo courtesy of S.P.N.E.A. Re-photographed by M. A. LASEK.
The 7-story section was built around 1918 and is the first concrete rebar reinforced high-rise building built in Boston. The style is all masonry finish with reinforced concrete walls, columns, and poured-in-place floors. The building structure is strong beyond measure.

The earliest occupier of the property was a tannery operation working in conjunction with the Allston Depot where cattle were slaughtered just down the road. A railroad car would pass right through the first floor at 119 as the tanning operation progressed. The tracks can still be seen in the basement "railroad track" station.


Intersection of Brighton and Harvard Avenues in 1926, looking East. Photo courtesy of William P. Marchione. Re-photographed by M. A. Lasek.
In the early 1920s, the Thompson & Norris Corrugated Box company, from London, England, took possession and continued there until the early 1950s. The building was sold in the early 1960s and various manufacturers occupied the premises.

In 1985 a major effort began to demise each floor into individual suites. The entire top two floors were renovated into top Class A space with beautiful views of downtown Boston. Exterior renovations, parking lot replacement, new iron and brick column fencing, as well as other projects continue to be planned and implemented.


Return to the homepage