STOUGHTON – Joseph Mokrisky, chairman of the Board of
Selectmen, stated his case to residents Saturday as to why the town should
purchase the old train station on Wyman
Street.
“This is our last
opportunity to save a piece of history in Stoughton,”
Mokrisky said. “Looking at everything that’s here, to lose it is crazy.”
Mokrisky is one of the
local officials leading a campaign to convince voters to authorize selectmen to
spend $350,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to purchase the 127-year-old
station from the MBTA. Residents will vote on this issue at this month’s
special town meeting.
An additional $350,000 in
Community Preservation Act money is being sought by town officials to
rehabilitate parts of the station’s exterior.
On Saturday, Mokrisky and
other supporters of the project held an open house at the old station to allow
residents to take a look inside the building, which opened in 1888 and was
added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Arched wooden ceilings, an
ornate fireplace and a vintage aesthetic are among the most striking features
inside the building. However, disuse and disrepair have taken hold in some
areas, as evidenced by a layer of dust and grime that covers the floors and the
weathered look of many of the items remaining in the building.
“The building has been
vacant for close to 10 years,” said Forrest Lindwall, a member of the Stoughton
Redevelopment Authority. “In the past, it was an active railroad station. They
basically closed down the whole waiting room years ago and just sold tickets.”
Eventually, the ticket
stand was no longer needed as residents could purchase tickets on the commuter
rail trains that run past the station and the building was closed.
However, Mokrisky said he
believes the building could be reopened with a little work.
“Ninety-nine percent of
the woodwork in here is clean,” Mokrisky said. “When you look at the building,
it’s steel and solid stone. It’s not going anywhere.”
Mokrisky said money for
repairs would be used to seal the building, as some of the wood on the
building’s exterior near the windows has begun to rot, and the mortar between
the stones has been worn away in places.
Mokrisky said he fears the
building will be sold and the new owner will open a business that doesn’t fit
the structure’s historic character. However, some residents want to be assured
the town can find a tenant before they approve to buy the property.
There have been
discussions about opening a combined bookstore/coffee shop in the old train
station or moving the local post office’s retail operations into the building,
Mokrisky said, adding that before the town can make those decisions it must buy
the building.
“It’s a historic building,
and we want to bring it back to a positive use,” he said.
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