This Is Framingham

Happy Holidays!
I hope everyone has a great holiday season (next 11 days).  Although I’ve asked before, I’m putting another shout out to anyone who might have any pictures of the old Shoppers World. I’m excited about co-authoring a book about the original Shoppers World that is just in the beginning stages.  Specifically, we’re looking for photos from the 1970’s and 80’s.  For some reason most of the archives at the Framingham History Center that we’re working with are from the 1950’s and 60’s and then skips to just about three weeks before it was torn down.  Why the era of the 70’s and 80’s are missing, I don’t know but we’d like to document that era of awesomeness as well.  So in this season of giving, we’d appreciate it if you dig deep into your basements and pull out those old photo albums to see if there are any photos of our dear SW.  If you have anything you’d like to submit, we will of course give you full credit for your contribution. You can email me here at michelle@thisisframingham.com
Thanks and a Happy-Merry to all!

Another non-’ham post but I couldn’t resist sharing these images of the old Natick Mall.  I always considered Shoppers World and Natick Mall to be retail and community sisters. Many times kids (like me) had trekked through the woods (before Flutie Pass) to get from one to another.  As much time as I spent at Shopper’s World growing up, I have just as many fond memories of the old Natick Mall.
Even though it was smaller than the monstrosity that is it now, I feel like it was more “grand”. It probably had something to do with the ample sunlight, large potted plants, hanging lights and the ever-changing choreography of the main water fountain by Sears (don’t forget the delightful little rock waterfall by Filene’s)  I hope some of these photos bring back some nice memories for some of you as well.

I was in a 5 and dime in Taunton yesterday and came across some old Dennison products.
I got this for my friend Jim who is a kind of Dennison “connoisseur”.


Something like yard sale tags don’t seem like anything much, but to Jim and I (and I’m sure many other people) it’s a reminder of how happening Framingham used to be.  The Dennison Manufacturing Company produced really great paper products and especially excelled with Halloween party supplies.
I have a few in my own collection:

If you want to see some really impressive examples you can check out Jim’s talk at the Framingham History Center on Oct. 30th at 2:00pm.  There’s an admission fee of $5 (free for FHC members) and you can click here for more info.
If you’re not around or don’t want to pay $5, I think it’s worth googling “Dennison Halloween” and checking out some of awesomeness they made.
I’m sure it’s not for everyone, but some of the designs are fantastic and it’s amazing how recognizable some of these images are that I’ve seen hanging in house windows and tacked to schoolroom bullentin boards for so many years and never realized these decorative images were created right here in Framingham.
I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

The Framingham 14 will be playing the original Back to the Future film to celebrate the 25the 25th Anniversary.  Show times are only once on October 23rd and 25th only.  I think it’s a great idea and thought it would be nice if they do that with more older movies.  Anyway, if you’re looking to go back in time next Saturday (or the following Monday) you can check out the AMC website for the extremely limited showings of the film and buy tickets.

I know they moved to Natick years ago but Joan and Ed’s Deli was an important part of the old Shoper’s World.  I worked there when it was at SW and remember when I was late for work running up the ramp and bringing home pickles for my mom at the end of the night.
Anyway, they had the best knishes around and their food will be missed!
Here’s the MWDN article posted today about the closing: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x669149831/Joan-Eds-Deli-to-close-forever-after-Fathers-Day

I was away for a week so I hope to get some more frequent posting on here this week.   I thought this was neat find.  My friend found this photo in her dad’s collection dated 1936 of the Hindenburg flying over Framingham, near the school that is now the Danforth Museum.
 

There is an office building next door to our house that I don’t usually think much of.  It’s big and has a parking lot all around it.  For the most part it’s ugly, but harmless, on occasion the people coming out of the parking lot take a left instead of a right and go down our one-way street in the wrong direction (which is dangerous considering it’s only one of two streets for ambulances to use that are leaving the hospital) but that’s another post.  There are two entrances: the front, facing Myrtle St. and the back, facing Thurber (and Marian High School). 
I walk by the back of this building all the time and just assumed it had always been a place just to store the trash cans and for the tenant that lives above the offices to park.

I didn’t know if this building was built as an office or what but one day a very nice reader whose grandparents lived in this building wrote to me and sent me a photo of her grandmother standing outside and I was amazed by how different it looked.  It has a much more pleasant appearance as a home before converting it into a big white block of office space surrounded by a moat of pavement.

It made me realise what a crime renovation can be.  I would love to live next door the building in the second photo. 
I know people buy properties and have to make them rentable and they can do whatever they want, but I’m so curious as to what a lot of places downtown would look like if they hadn’t fallen victim to vinyl siding and the landlords cared a little more about maintaining the character of a building.
Thank you Judith for the photo!

*I’m noticing from the comments that I might offend people by my mention of vinyl siding.  but I just wanted to point out that it’s common when the siding is installed over wood, that decorative woodwork is often just sawed right off.  And I agree vinyl siding has come a long way but unfortunately, sometimes the end results take away from the building’s original style.  So it’s more than just the siding itself, but the ornamental details used in older architecture that end up getting destroyed because of that process. These are just a couple pictures I took on my walk this morning:

These buildings are across the street from my house:

I don’t know how, but from what the person who sent me this photo, the building in the background of this photo is one of the two buildings above: