BOSTON – Joined by Boston elected officials, the Architectural Heritage Foundation (AHF), the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) officially broke ground on the redevelopment of the historic Charles River Speedway at Western Avenue and Soldiers Field Road on October 24th.
The ceremony celebrated the construction of a reimagined Speedway that will deliver new commercial and cultural space, as well as economic vitality to the Allston-Brighton community.
The Speedway project will provide a revitalized destination to eat, drink, shop and gather in the historic Charles River Speedway Headquarters Administration Buildings in Brighton, with Notch Brewing’s second brewery and taproom serving as its anchor retail tenant. The project will create a vibrant, dynamic marketplace and year-round public space for local Brighton neighbors and the broader Boston community, and serve as a destination for Massachusetts visitors.
“We are incredibly excited to deliver this project to the community,” said Sean McDonnell of the Architectural Heritage Foundation. “It’s been a long process to get to where we are today, and we are confident that The Speedway will be a welcoming and inviting gathering space for the neighborhood, connecting the community to the Charles River and its many recreational amenities.”
Upon completion, the Speedway will deliver 17,000 square feet of mixed-use space including a restaurant, event space, small shops and maker space, medium-sized shops, office space for non-profits and a corner café.
The Charles River Speedway was once a mile-long racetrack along the Charles River, and was one of the city’s most popular gathering areas after its opening in 1899. The buildings that supported the racetrack and were once the headquarters for the Charles River Reservation are the focus of The Speedway project.
AHF is proud to have partnered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through the Department of Conservation & Recreation’s (DCR) Historic Curatorship Program to make The Speedway project possible. Under this unique program, DCR works with private-sector curators to rehabilitate, manage and maintain historic properties in return for a long-term lease. The Speedway has been a part of the Curatorship Program since 2012.
