Auburndale Station: a dream that can become a reality

Auburndale Station:
a dream that can become a reality

The letter below is an open appeal to the Auburndale Community by Citizens for Auburndale Station. To learn more about the history of Auburndale Station, please visit our web site (http://www.okeah.com/railroad).

Just imagine that on the north side of Auburn Street, somewhere across from the library and the new fountain, there were a modest but attractive train station. It would have an Auburndale Station sign on it, in large old-fashioned lettering, and would provide access to the trains directly from Auburn Street.

Similar stations in other towns such as Wellesley have proven to both enhance the local area and to improve the local economy. There are many reasons why we can expect the same to happen with Auburndale Station:

As the spiritual successor to the original Auburndale Station (1881-1962), whose history is a rightful source of pride for our village, the station will enhance the historic nature of Auburndale and increase its property values.

The Auburn Street entrance will make the Auburndale commuter rail station handicap-accessible – which it currently is not. Furthermore, there will be less potential liability with rail access from Auburn Street than with the current access via the steep long stairs.

The convenient Auburn Street access will allow those commuters who have some time to spare before or after the commute to make use of the cafes, stores and the library on Auburn Street – enhancing the commuting experience and improving the local economy.

The walking distance for those who approach the station from Melrose Street would be greatly diminished, without a noticeable increase in walking distance for other constituents – increasing the number of commuters.

The new station will provide an anchor on the south side of Auburn Street, to complement the structures on the other side and the new fountain the middle – bringing a sense of aesthetic wholeness to the area.

With the theater, the library, the cafés, the stores, the post office, and now the fountain, this part of Auburndale has great potential – which can be brought out by the new Auburndale Station. Though it is impractical to expect a replica of the original Auburndale Station, the original design principles enunciated by the architect, H.H. Richardson, and the landscaper, F.L. Olmsted, remain as current as ever:

"The architect held that rural way-stations... should avoid ostentation; that their design should primarily represent their purpose, which was that of shelters, made comfortable and pleasant for passengers waiting for their trains... These stations have a quiet picturesqueness, an ever-satisfying restfulness"

"Wherever possible, the station [grounds are] laid out with pleasantly modulated surfaces of turf, ornamented with diversified shrubbery disposed in masses and clumps to give the most pleasing impressions. Paths and driveways... provide convenient approaches. The shrubbery is selected with a view to agreeable effects... all through the [year]. Such shrubberies are, moreover, of great service in permanently screening the unsightly objects that often abound in the neighborhood of a railway."

- "The Railway Beautiful", Sylvester Baxter, The Century Magazine, Apr. 1908

Let us restore the spirit of pride to our village while honoring its illustrous history. It is in the interest of the Auburndale community to make it happen!

Citizens for Auburndale Station
Newton, Massachusetts
March, 2002