Construction / destruction at The Garden Room / Cabot Farms in Powderhouse Circle?

[ron_newman]

Last week, Ian Judge walked by the long-abandoned function hall on Broadway in Powderhouse Circle, and took these four photos, touching off a long Facebook discussion thread. (The thread is public, and I'm posting this here with Ian's permission.)

Both the "Garden Room" and "Cabot Farms" signs have been taken down, the awnings are gone, and some construction seems to be going on inside. The "Cabot Farms" sign is now lying in the back yard; I don't know what happened to the "Garden Room" sign.

According to Doug Orleans, who lives there, the city ordered the property owner to remove the signs and awnings, claiming that they were eyesores.

If anyone knows more about the property owner's plans, please comment here!

(Earlier DSLJ posts about this place: September 2007 | June 2009 )




Photo by Ian Judge

Comments

[dougo.livejournal.com]

I will clarify that I was only going by recollections of something I think I read somewhere on the internet. I don't have any actual evidence of the city ordering them to be taken down.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

There is this, from Dec 2011: http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=14&ID=1340

10. Order By Ald. Gewirtz
That the Director of SPCD (ISD) provide this Board
with information on the status of the Cabot Farm
building on Broadway, at the Powderhouse Rotary.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

And this, from July 2009: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/agendas/07-09-2009.pdf

16. Order By Ald. Gewirtz, That the Director of SPCD provide this
Board another update on the Cabot Farms building and
removing the rusted awning from the public sidewalk.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

And this from Jun 2013: http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=30&ID=4232&MeetingID=1671

COMPLETE TEXT:
That the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development
(ISD) provide this Board with an analysis of the Cabot Farms building on Broadway, at the
Powderhouse Rotary, and a list of strategies the city can employ to urge improvement of the
property.
SPONSORED BY: Ward Six Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz

[ron_newman]

When you posted in Ian's thread, I thought you meant that the landlord had told you this directly.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorry again for not being clearer.

[dougo.livejournal.com]

Ha, some Googling turned up this article about the "On Broadway" club from 1988 (page 11):

http://dl.tufts.edu/file_assets/tufts:UP029.009.013.00010