Roslindale Substation

About This Project

Roslindale Substation, 1911, Roslindale, MA

When built in 1911, the Roslindale Substation 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. The Substation converted alternating current (AC) transmitted from a new South Boston Power Station via underground cables into direct current (DC) for use by local trolley cars. The Roslindale Substation continued operating until the 1970s but was then vacant and unused for nearly 40 years.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority tentatively designated HBI and Roslindale Village Main Street to develop the Roslindale Substation in 2011. When the adjacent Higgins Funeral parcels became available for purchase in 2012, the two non-profit organizations purchased the land, consolidated it with the substation and partnered with Peregrine Group, LLC to redevelop the Substation. The Substation is now a craft beer garden on the main level and a co-working space on the lower level, surrounded by 43 new units of housing.