562-570 Washington Street and 8 Kenwood Street Nov. 22, 2018.
Dorchester Illustration no. 2384 Cast Stone
Today’s illustration is a lament for building ornamentation that has been lost to history. Usually we highlight the loss of architectural elements from highly decorated wood-frame houses, but today our image is of a commercial building and the cast-stone ornamentation.
The building permit for 562-570 Washington Street, which is dated Nov. 2, 1926, gives an estimated cost of construction of $12,000. The medallion above the doorway of the bank in the vintage photo carries a date of 1927. The Dorchester Savings Bank must have leased the end unit from the owners. The opening of the Codman Square branch may have been the occasion for the 1932 photograph.
The vintage photograph from March 29, 1932, shows the building early on in its history. The window and door openings and the awning in front of the dress shop created a varied pattern that catches the eye. The cast-stone ornamentation along the cornice is simple but appealing, but even in 1932 the dress shop sign is mounted over some of the ornamentation, hiding the symmetry of the design.
The photo from 2018 shows a very different building. The grates hide the existing openings. The building has been stripped of all ornamentation including the medallion with the date.
Next time you travel along a street of stores, try to notice which buildings still have their distinctive architectural features, because soon they might be gone forever.