Harvard’s Expanding Kingdom
Last week, Harvard fessed up that it’s been trying to expand its kingdom into WBZ territory. (Not exactly a big secret.) The University would like to buy the television and radio station’s nine-acres along Soldiers Field Road to complete its massive campus expansion. (Harvard already owns 250 acres of land in North Allston.) As you may recall, Harvard bought WGBH’s old facilities on Western Avenue a few years back, and WGBH took the pile of money to build fancy new facilities on Guest Street, just on the other side of the Mass Pike, next door to New Balance. Actually, the building is really pretty cool.
So imagine this scenario: what if WBZ relocates next door to WGBH to create a cool new “media complex” in Brighton? There are more than just a few vacant properties in the neighborhood that might work. (Is the shopping center where CompUSA used to be too small?) I can envision that WBZ’s presence in the neighborhood would spur new momentum in this corner of town, raising spirits and maybe even properties values. Suddenly, instead of feeling a little bit down-at-the-heels (let’s be honest) this part of town may suddenly feel like the center of the world (at least the media world). Especially if public transportation were to be improved. Here are a few properties on the market, right now that might benefit by seeing the neighborhood get spiffed up a bit:
139 Parsons Street, #1
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1078
$359,000
72 Saybrook Street, #3
Beds: 2/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 835
$259,000
123 Faneuil Street, #1
Beds: 3/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 1959
$369,900
35 Glencoe Street, #36
Beds: 1/Baths: 1
SQ.FT.: 697
$189,000
MORE OF PAMELA REYNOLDS ON BRIGHTON AND BROOKLINE
