Balancing Preservation and Growth in Brighton’s Aberdeen District

At its April 9 hearing, the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District Commission (AACDC) approved the construction of four new townhouses on an empty lot.

For the fullest experience of the beauty and history of Brighton's Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District, take the Green Line's Cleveland Circle C branch. As the train meanders along Beacon Street through Boston and Brookline, notice how one of the city's most important thoroughfares still possesses many of the characteristics envisioned by its designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture. As you rumble down the tree-lined boulevard, apartment blocks give way to rowhouses and then to bucolic suburban housing. Hop off at the end of the line: welcome to the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District.

Walk along Beacon Street and admire the newly restored early 20th-century Classical Revival storefronts and apartment houses. Here, college students, young professionals, and long time residents intermingle among a vibrant mix of local and national businesses.

From there, walk up Sutherland Road to Selkirk Road and you'll catch a glimpse of Brighton's past. This part of the community was once a summer retreat for Bostonians seeking refuge from the city's hot and humid summers before air conditioning. Not long after, it evolved into one of Boston's first streetcar suburbs, where residents lived along leafy, tree-lined streets while commuting downtown for work.

Originally developed in the mid-1880s with winding streets set over rocky terrain, the neighborhood reflects the Romantic suburban ideals promoted by Andrew Jackson Downing. Thanks to the Architectural Conservation District, this legacy continues while accommodating new construction that is sensitive to the historic character that makes the neighborhood so special.

At its April 9 hearing, the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District Commission (AACDC) approved the construction of four new townhouses on an empty lot. Designed by Brookline-based Sousa Design Architects, the structure, while distinctly modern, draws inspiration from the Shingle Style homes that dot the neighborhood. Architectural details include an Arts and Crafts-style front door and awnings, clapboard siding, and a hipped roof with dormers. Sousa Designs is no stranger to navigating projects in historic districts, the firm recently finished designing a project just up the street at 24 Selkirk where a historically sensitive addition was added to an 1880s Shingle style house, transforming a single family property into four condominium units.

Additionally, because the AACDC regulates landscape design, the site's existing mature oak trees will be retained, and a stone retaining wall will be constructed using stone harvested from a Roxbury puddingstone outcropping on the property. The project was approved after several public hearings that included multiple design iterations and community feedback.

One Selkirk is a great example of how contemporary design can be thoughtfully integrated into a historic neighborhood, said Commission chair Sharon Cayley.One of the central challenges of projects like this is ensuring that the defining character of the community is reflected not only in the architecture, but also in the surrounding landscape. Aberdeen is distinguished by its charming single-family homes and apartment buildings nestled within a lush, green setting, so it was essential that the proposal strike a careful balance between the built environment and the natural landscape. We believe the approved design successfully achieves that harmony. Equally important to the success of this project was the thoughtful input and engagement of the public throughout the process.

Local Historic District designations in Boston do not prevent change; they manage it, ensuring that the unique character of the community is maintained while making room for modernization and additional housing. Commissioners on the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District are nominated by neighborhood groups, appointed by the Mayor of Boston, and serve three-year terms.

To learn more about the Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District, click here.

This article was prepared by Nicholas Armata, Senior Preservation Planner.

• Published by: Landmarks Commission