Framingham is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Every Tuesday I'll highlight something special about the city.
Framingham is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Every Tuesday I'll highlight something special about the city.
A list of all the Blog Posts in this category.
Driving around town, fou may have seen this 'F' painted on some driveways around Framingham, such as this one on Crest Road:
Note: All week long we are covering the impact of the CoronoVirus. It's the biggest story of March, and has a lot of Framingham residents in their homes participating in the Social Distancing.
Today in Massachusetts there are 218 Confirmed cases of the CoronaVirus. There are 1,083 people that are subject to quarantine.
Of the 19 counties in Massachusetts, Middlesex County has the most reported: 89.
In Framingham there are now four reported cases. According to Sam Song, the Framingham Director of Public Health, all reported cases are under self-quarantine
The city of Framingham Board of Health now limits the in-person meetings. This means that City Council members will be conducting remote meetings. As of today, March 17, 2020, the City Hall Building and related Public Buildings are now closed to the public.
You can find the latest information on the status of the CoronaVirus on the Framingham.gov website.
The city will continue to monitor the situation and reevaluate the need to close the public buildings - Trash Pickup and access to the parks are not impacted
On the west side of the Framingham Centre Commons is a large brick building. It is the home of the Framingham Historical Society. It is only open by reservation only.
This was the former site of one of the first private schools in Framingham which started in the spring of 1792.
The school was founded by twenty-two associate and by Rev. David Kellogg - who was the third minister of the Church of Christ in Framingham. They formed the "The Proprietors of The Brick School House in Framingham."
It officially became the Framingham Academy in 1798 when the founding Proprietors asked the Massachusetts Legislature to be incorporated as an Academy school.
One of the Academy by-laws stated that "Children od both sexes shall be admitted upon equal terms."
The Brick building was torn down and a new Stone Schoolhouse was built in 1837 and cost $3,000. (In 2019 it would cost $68,633.41)
The Stone Schoolhouse was only used by the Academy for 15-years before the property was sold to the Town of Framingham.
The town of Framingham used the site for the Town High School until 1915 when it was moved to the building next door.
The Framingham Historical Society has leased the building from the town since 1916.
On the Building is a green metal sign with the following inscription:
On this spot stood the building erected in 1792 by The Proprietors of the Brick School-House in Framingham. Occupied later by the Framingham Academy incorporated in 1799.
In 1837 The Academy built this school-house it home until 1851 when the Framingham Academy and High School was organized and remained here until 1857.
On Waverly Street, Route 135, in Framingham there is a historical marker near the Framingham/Natick town line. This marker was installed in the 1930s to remind people of the history of Framingham.
This is the text on the sign
In 1660 and 1662 a large part of the present town was granted to Thomas Danforth of Cambridge, Deputy Governor of Massachu-setts, President of the District of Maine and Treasurer of Harvard College. Named after Framingham, Suffolk, in 1675.
The Melting Pot is a Fondue restaurant chain that offered heated pots of cheese, chocolate for dipping and cooking. Gues could pick out their own broth or chocolate treats.
Once really nice thing about the Melting Pot is that they offer good gluten-free options - even for dessert! They had delicious gluten-free brownies that could be dipped into various chocolate sauces.
On February 18, 2020, the Melting Pot in Framingham closed its door. This was a surprise move as most people found out about it via social media and local news reporting.
The Massachusetts State Police General Headquarters campus (GHQ) is located just off of Route 9 in Framingham. At the Police Headquarters is a small memorial to the Massachusetts State Troopers who have fallen in the line of duty.
Here's the text on the memorial:
In memory of those state troopers who have completed their last patrol and have gone before us. May they Rest in Peace in the Company of God.
Donated By
Former Mass. State Troopers
1960
Framingham/Natick Golden Triangle is the largest shopping district in New England. The 3-mile+ area is located between the Natick Mall and Shopper's World.
Aerial Photo of the Golden Triangle area - Natick DPW
The Golden Triangle was created in 1951 with the opening of Shopper's World. The Natick Mall opened in 1966.
The Golden Triangle was originally was 3-miles. In 1993, it expanded to include Bjs just north of Shopper's World. In the 2000s it expanded further west to Concord Street, and more north on Speen Street and Old Connecticut Path.
There are eight hotels and two major car dealerships located in the Golden Triangle. TJX and Mathworks headquarters are within the Golden Triangle area.
The Golden Triangle has the fewest number of people within the 1/2 mile radius - yet it has the second-highest median household income. The area has the most employees by area (According to Framingham Study Data)
In 2018 A joint study by Natick and Framingham was done to stop the decline of retail property in the Golden Triangle. The study recommends making the area more open space with a new Greenway to be similar to areas like Assembly Row in Somerville, MA, and Storrs, CT. - Read the Joint Study.
The only major theater in the Framingham/Natick area is the AMC Framingham-16 theater. It's located at 22 Flutie Pass, Framingham Massachusetts.
During the first year of the 2000 opening, it was the top-grossing theater for AMC on the East Coast.
The theater was designed by Robert Luchetti Associates. Other designs they worked on include The Basketball Hall of Fame, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, St. Michaels School and many more.
The premium theater cost more than a regular theater - even if you don't order any food from your seat. In 2003, the premium seats cost $17.50 per person. Today it cost $12.99. (If you order online or via the AMC app there is a $3.79 convenience Fee.)
You can save money by purchasing discounted gift cards at BJs or AAA.
The Dine-In theaters are on the left side of the building, as your driving in. If you are seeing a show in a Dine-In theater you should park on the left side of the building - so that you're not walking that far after the movie gets out.
Most theaters allow people in at least a 1/2 hour before the scheduled showtime.
People that order popcorn in the Dine-In gets a large popcorn tub. Regular concession users will only get popcorn bags.
At the corner of Concord Street and Central Street is a small family-owned coffee shop - Saxonville Mills Coffee. This shop is very popular with locals. It first opened in June of 2018.
You can order ahead via postmates.com
I was in the area recently and decided to pay a visit.
There is limited parking near the entrance as the parking area is also shared by other businesses in the Mill. There is additional parking directly across Concord Street. Note: It is a bit tricky to pull into the driveway when your heading North on Concord Street - watch for the turning traffic!
There's plenty of breakfast sandwiches and pastries. Lots of good selections. I opted for a croissant and a large coffee. They did have fresh hot oatmeal available - which would be great to enjoy on a snowy morning. The Cheese bread (P-o de Queijo) is not Gluten Free, they did have an egg dish that was gluten-free.
The coffee and croissant were very good. The croissant was nice and fresh!
The coffee cream station was next to the door, which is a bit weird if your eating in - you have to walk far away from the counter to get cream and sugar.
They have plenty of seating - I counted chairs for 25 people - with 2 high tables. Free WiFi is available - login information is available at the Coffee Cream station. I had no issues using Verizon's Data while I was enjoying my coffee.
They were very busy on a Saturday morning, which was surprising as a Dunkin Donut chain was right down the street. Most people ordered their drinks and treat to eat in. Service was a bit slow at times - I think it was they were busy with various coffee orders.
Fluff and Fold is a laundry service in Framingham. It's unique because, for a while, they had an active social media account. They currently have a Facebook and Instragram account.
Opened in 2004
Open everyday from 6am to 10:30pm.
They offer self-service and full-service laundry - including dry cleaning.
You can drop off your dry cleaning and they will deliver your clean clothes to your home.
According to Yelp, Fluff and Fold is rated #1 Best wash and fold in Framingham, MA
Fluff and Fold is located on 740 Waverly Street, directly across from Monnick Supply Company.