“It’s a shame to see such a great street with so many empty spots.”
- Mark Stern, dining on Chilean sandwiches around the corner
“I used to give directions saying go to Woolworth’s or Filene’s and then go left or right. Now there’s no Woolworth’s, no Filene’s.”
- Andy Papertsian, owner of Bay State Coin Co. at Bromfield and Province streets
It’s often said that Boston is a city of neighborhoods. Each week, Metro will toss a dart at a map of the Hub, then provide you a snapshot of what we’ve found.
BOSTON. Old meets new meets a heavy dose of emptiness on Bromfield Street, connecting the concrete pit that was Filene’s with the Granary Burying Ground — founded in 1660 — on Tremont Street.
From the sparkling Suffolk University Law School atop the block and adjacent to the tony eatery Silvertone, to the long empty camera shop at the span’s base, Bromfield rests as a study in contrasts.
While some establishments, such as the Bay State Coin Company and the Bromfield Pen Shop, have lasted decades and are singular in what they offer shoppers, several storefronts advertise nothing more than “space for lease.”
A development company with “very little interest in having others move in,” according to one area store owner, stands sentry at those doors.
Although many of the collectible dealers are gone the few shops hawking signed Yastrzemski cards and ‘I Like Ike’ buttons remain at the heart of Bromfield.
So too does the crush of the lunch rush, which sees business casual dominate the fashion front and belies the dormancy of stagnant storefronts. Cafe Marliave is closed for renovation but will open anew soon and retain its claim as the oldest Italian restaurant in Boston. Province Street, which T’s into Bromfield’s core, offers a run of sandwich shops but no longer provides The Littlest Bar, razed to make room — at least a little — for a condominium tower.
One store owner wondered what several hundred condos there and at the old Filene’s site will do to the area. He then shuffled inside and said, “maybe it won’t be a whole lot different.” metro
1 The Red, Green, Orange and Blue lines all have stops within a block or so.
2 Short walks will yield the Boston Common, the Charles River, Boston Harbor and Chinatown. It’s as central as it comes.
3 Variety: One of the few places where you can buy a suitcase, golf club, silver fountain pen and burrito steps from one another.
4 Currently, it’s as noisy as can be, with massive construction projects taking place at both ends of the street.
5 Parking. Good luck.