Ciij lights up Brighton's life, it gives it hope 3 I Community Newspaper Company • www.allstonbrightontab.com FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2005 Vol. 10, No. 18 40 Pages 3 Sections 75¢ NYET,NYET,NYET APARTMENTS Signs A-B rieal estate marketI finally cooling I By Jonathan Schwab CORRESPONOENT "Now it seems like eal estate agents and bro­ the buyer's market kers in Allston-Brighton R have different views on has finally revived." the state of the economy, region­ ally and nationally. Mattljiew Bless Danyl Collings, a broker for Marquis Real Estate General in the real estate business, he has Motors Acceptance Corp., said seen tremendqus change in terms that, as a whole, Boston is a of what the ddllar can buy. buyer 's market because interest rates are climbing. pqcesup Collings, who has lately been Back in _ tJie early 1990s, selling mostly condominiums, Collins said, "You could have said the economy has improved bought probably a street for what significantly since the end of you could have now [for a 2004. house]." "Prices have to come down if Collins, who has been the interest rates come up," he said. manager of ~arquis Real Estate "I think the economy is doing GMAC for six years, added the pretty well." PHOTO BY ZNIA TZANEV market favor~ buyers rather than Retired Gen. Alexander Yoronov, standing In Sldlaw Road Park, Is part of a group of Russian World War II vets pushing for a World War Comparing numbers in 2005 to semrs now, and agreed with II memorlal somewhere In Chestnut Hill. The city already rejected their Idea of one In the park. 2004, Collings said that Marquis Collings that 'we've had a won­ Real Estate GMAC sales transac­ derful 2005." tion numbers have risen 25 per­ Some sellers are even offering Russians: discriniination behind memorial cold cent from last year, and the num­ to pay closin~ costs or help fund ber of condos sold has almost other service$, so their property doubled from last year's figure. will be more appealing. By Audltl Guha ty of greater Boston. Is it political, social, and ''ho die.d in Boston." "Although there is a slight STAFF WRITER reli£1011 '>We don't k'Tlow." After era.I rejeeti •s from the city, Matthew Bless, a broker at slowdown in the market, our Vanguard R~ty, the top-selling lt's been an uphill battle ior stx. year._, ano ' mner, ~acn u u1 u... .!-- '-1. > a: ' S V\'. • " !J.,,_, . t­ higher numCJCrs L.i, bl: [attrib· local veterans who have designs ready Invalid' and Veteran· of World War II, who ropolitan District Commission in 2003, contlo sales otl1ce 10 the aiea, uted] to the fact that our compa­ said Vanguartl has been doing a wonder why they cannot build a World War also li \es m the area, first ad' ocated for the whi h asked them to wait as the Depart­ ny has been arounrt for 80 years, lot of . ales ..:1.>Und Brighi n (' 1 II memorial in Brighton. memorial. ment of Conservation and Recreation was so we have a lot of repeat busi­ ter und Oak Square. ''We don't see any reason to resist this re­ "ll was my idea, and all my 356 mem­ being formed. ness and are a popular company But Bless described the cur­ quest," said Brighton architect Anatol Zuk­ bers of the as! ociation support it," be said With the new department looking to cre­ since we are still a family-owned rent market as quiet an~ erman, who was hired in 2000 to design the in 2002, trying to get it built in Shubow ate a maintenance plan for the Chestnut business now affiliated with live than usulll, a situcr memorial. ''We think it's definitely a dis­ Park. "l \\ould love to have a memorial for Hill Reservoir, local Russian veterans are GMAC," he said. trib1.ttes to the di crimination against the Russian communi- the \eterans who fought in the World War MEMORIAL, page 12 Collings' manager, Dan Collins, said that, in his 26 years REAL Ef I Plans for Islamic center in Allston draw lots 6~~· :~~ By Audltl Guha velopm ;alt proposals, the Chestnut Hill lamic Center at the American Legion temples, and I believe that my family lions . "We also want STAFFWRJTER Avenue taskforce got more than it bar- building. should have a cultural center that will d the lfl~un;d live in peace, Muslim developers proposing an Is- gained hll" in a three-hour meeting that It recent!) sold for $1 million to de- teach them [our culture] and to respect a .co~mty e PortUnity to lamic Center at the American Legion had senoments runrung high - not all veloper Anwar Faisal of Alpha Man- all religions and keep them away t we didn t lfave th li<il~on like you. building at 186 Chestnut Hill Ave. drew of them 110 itive. agernent Corp. of Allston. vice. People from [all over the n ';>tofess and, sef\ eo~ re ~ntrarY to our a surprising number of objections from Bosto1\ Universit) profe or and 'The best thing about America is who are of Islamic faith w· "We don t v. ".\t things ge 13 neighbors at the John J. Carroll commu- lcmgtim Allston re ident Abder Mo- there are so many different people and part of the communi CENTER, pa nity room, packed with 50 people and a h "a.~ed eloquent on the values wonderful cultures living together," center wj)l.lld s~uu~p~po:~rt~fo:r~q:u:e:s--;~--;~~-------1 Christmas tree. that I • m propagates, v.ith a quote Mohamed said. "I've been here 25 to ev body.'~ Meeting Monday to discuss two de- from tl1 Koran, in his bid for a local I - years and I see a lot of churches and spe:ec Sit, boy Teaching self-respect Job trrzining progranz helps those in 11eed get back on their feet Second in a 'S abouz Pine Street Inn an r:s programs. By ~vld L Hanis Naomi Watts • <f W?f' For the pa't 20 yea: • W~ n~ ll Lomax s~g led \\Pith drinkin? goes ape and drugs. Homeles wasn t too far behinll ~SEEPAGE 15 "I found myself gomg from friend to fri nJ." he said His probkms seemed t~ l lou.d s· >tOTO" ~GOA::'°" STAFF PHOTO BY KATE FlOCK dreamS of vne day operung his Wendell Lomax Is gettlnC • t eef the penguin, who was 8 own bed-al1d-breakfast. MCOl'ld chance, thankS t o • and Todd Palnuk watch Roas It all can1e to a bead thb past the Pine Street Inn. l: School students Keah HarriSOO trorothe New England Aquarium. eonnunltY Notes 27 June, whl ·n Lomax g~ the a temporary place t ' ~\'C, Loffi;3X v=. courage to c·nter a ober program enrolled in Pine Strect job tram- Crime 7 at the Pinc Street Inn, New En - mg program. land's lar~est homeless _shelter. GIFTS OF HOPE, page 13 4 Then, along with counseling and Call For a Free o.tlnatloM Market AnalysisI UbfmYNotel 23 The M\EL .Fi nest 24 m People ClllROPR.\CTIC · Swiss Watch Repair Shawmut~21 Properties. Polltlcal Notebook 26 Authorized ~lo A ~ 1 134 Tremont Street• Brighton IE Sports BEST OF BOSTO Yo11r Neiglibor1rood Realtor® 5 0 \~ Auto '1} ALPHA OHS.GA ' ork Injuries DI AMONDS SINCE ttTI Tel. 617·787-2121 .,{muial.~ Ufitdt I.!~~ www. C2 I shuwmut.com Natickt.lal~ Cambri~e ' t., Brighton &l1l1glOO ~'al 781·272~5 556 PrudenUi C.. Bo61D11 617 (617 ) 787-8700 H<vvard Square carntrdge 617..._t221 -- ----- 2 Page 2 Allston-Brighton TAB Friday, December 9, 2:..::.oo.:..::S~---------------____;'---------------------www.__. all_sto_n_bn.....: .gh:::.._to_n_tab_._co_m Allston-Brighton History By Wiiiiam Marchione BRIGHTON ALLSTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY One of the most historic locations in A-B The Winship Elementary School at 54 Dighton St., • just south of Brighton Center, occupies one of the most hlstortc locations In Allston-Brighton. On this parcel of land, from 1816 unt.11 the late 1830s, the first regular state fair In Massachusetts was held, • the Brighton Fair and Cattle Show, conducted under the auspices of the Massachusetts Society WINSHIP SCHOOL, BRIGHTON, MASS. for Promoting Agriculture. Every October, thousands of tanners and livestock raisers gathered at this location to celebrate the state's flourishing agricultural and livestock-raising economy and to recognize the most accomplished practitioners of those occupations with a variety of ribbons and cash prizes. In 1818, a Greek Revival style exhibition bullctlng, Agricultural Hall~ was erected on the site. After the discontinuance of the Brighton Fair and Cattle Shows, Agricultural Hall was removed to Brl&hton Center, where It stll stands at the southeast comer of~ Street and Chestnut Hiii Avenue. The Winship Elementary School has occupied two structures at the Dighton Street location. The first of these, a wooden building with a dlstkM:tlve tower, w• constructed In the 1860s, but It soon proved Inadequate to the needs of a growing comrncnty. It was replaced In 1899 by the cunent, much larger and more Imposing Renaissance Revival style structure, designed by the architectural firm of Whtbnan Be Hodd. We see It here In a postcard --··~ ' view dating from about 1910. Note the unpaved • i street, the horse-drawn vehicle to the left, and the students gathered just outside the doorway. By the 1920s, the schooH!Ce population of Brighton having again grown beyond the capacity of the building, a flat-roofed third story was added and • the bulldlng's handsome gables were taken down, giving the structure Its cunent somewhat truncated appearance.