Framingham Railroad Station

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H. H. Richardson designed nine stations for the Boston & Albany Railroad line. The Framingham Railroad Station is one of the largest of these stations. The building is a long, one-story rectangular structure in Richardson's typical Romanesque style.

The building was completed in 1885 and served as the Framingham station for many years. In the 1990s, a new MBTA station was built nearby while the old station had become home to a few different restuarants. After being deserted for a few years recently, the station is now open again as the Old Station Steakhouse resturant.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Location
417 Waverly Street
Framingham, MA 01702

Discussion

Richard Nickel Jr. Jun 09, 2008
There are dark sandstone lions on the fireplaces on the inner sandstone wards of the Richardson Complex in Buffalo.
Ethan Jun 09, 2008
Interesting. I'd say it's just a coincidence and that those lions are a common motif, but I found this carved face on a Richardson building in Cambridge, Mass which looks an awful lot like the carved face in the 16th photo of the Great Western Staircase gallery.

I wonder if Richardson had an influence on that kind of detail, or maybe he just worked with the same stone carvers? I don't know.
Jeff Aug 01, 2008
A new restaurant just opened up in this building. It's called The Old Station Steak House but it's just a buffet:\

http://www.thisisframingham.com/old-station-steak-house
R.H.L.M. Ramsay Sep 07, 2008
A couple years ago one of the original Richardson office architectural drawings for this station showed up on Ebay! I was very fortunate to be the high bidder and enjoy looking at it almost every day.

The drawing is ink and pencil on heavy cream, high rag-content paper, with a gauze backing that gave it extra strength. Though there is no title block (not uncommon during the 19th century) it is clearly labelled as sheet "9" and even has some light pencil sketches in the gables that (one wonders) might have been doodled by the great HHR himself.
Ethan Sep 07, 2008
@ Jeff: Thanks for the info. I actually went to eat there not too long ago. While not a steak house, it's still a decent restaurant. I took some pictures of the inside and will try to post them soon.

@ RHLM: Wow! I'm jealous of your possession. I would never have thought to check Ebay for such things. I'll have to do so from now on. Any chance you could share a scan or photo of the drawing with us somehow?
Bill May 21, 2009
I worked in this building for almost a year when it opened as a restaurant in 1985. Lew Horton, who owned a gun & outfitter shop across the street, bought the building from the Town of Framingham and converted it into a fine dining establishment. Mr. Horton kept the interior of the main hall wide open and true to the aesthetics of the railroad station from the 19th century. The "flying arches" are magnificent and my late sister, an architect herself, loved studying Richardson buildings. I hope the people that own it now (It's been several different places since then. The parking is horrible) have stayed true to the intent of the original reworking that Mr. Horton intended.