November 17, 2017 HISTORIC BOSTON INC. WELCOMES TRILLIUM BEER TO ROSLINDALE
Winter Garden Comes to Handsomely Renovated Former MBTA Power Substation
Today is an exciting day at HBI, as we announce that Trillium Brewing Company will open a winter seasonal beer garden in the Roslindale Substation, a renovated and restored brick structure at Roslindale Square.The Trillium Winter Beer Garden at the Substation is scheduled to open late this month and will remain open through the winter season. It will be an indoor facility, open five days a week and serving a variety of rotating draft options. The location accommodates open seating, community space, and a limited number of private event opportunities. Boston-based Trillium will be the first occupant of the main floor of the redeveloped property, located at 4228 Washington St., across from Roslindale Square.
The $4.8 million Substation project was conceived and undertaken by Historic Boston Inc., Roslindale Village Main Street, and Peregrine Group, LLC of Rumford, RI. Prellwitz Chilinski Associates of Cambridge was the architect.“Trillium’s arrival shows the value of renewing our historic buildings,” says HBI’s Executive Director, Kathy Kottaridis. “The revitalized Roslindale Substation is the perfect space for a winter beer garden. Here’s hoping it becomes a permanent arrangement.”
The building functioned as part of the Boston Elevated Railway Company’s then revolutionary alternating electric current power system. Designed by architect Robert Peabody of Peabody and Stearns with Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation, the Substation is one of six nearly identical converter substations built in and around Boston at that time. Until the renovation, it had been vacant since the 1970s, and the Substation is the latest addition to an increasingly vibrant and active Roslindale Square, reviving a prominent corner and restoring some of the historic fabric of the neighborhood. The lower level of the Substation is the current home of the Craft Beer Cellar, which opened in January 2017. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Beer aficionados will have the unique opportunity to drink Trillium’s award-winning beer in the Substation’s awe-inspiring space, with its 34 foot ceilings, 18-foot copper clad doors, 250-ton capacity gantry crane, and six two-story windows,” said Alia Hamada Forrest, RVMS’s Executive Director. “Where Trillium goes, its fans follow,” she said. “I’m eager to welcome the newcomers that will discover Roslindale’s existing mix of vibrant restaurants and retail options, and hope that these types of creative partnerships continue to spark across all Boston Main Street districts. We know when you visit — you will want to return.”
Trillium co-owner Esther Tetreault said in a media release: “We had a killer time with the Garden on the Greenway this summer, so we jumped at the chance to bring Trillium to another Boston neighborhood. Our goal has always been to build a strong community and share what we do. The Substation is such a unique and iconic space, in a welcoming neighborhood, making Roslindale a perfect winter home for the Trillium Garden.”
An exact opening date for the Trillium Winter Garden will be announced soon.
