Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District Commission hearing audiotapes

The Aberdeen section of Brighton (annexed by Boston in 1873) was developed after 1887, with a high degree of architectural unity. The trolley line along Beacon Street helped Aberdeen develop as a “Romantic Suburb” of free-standing residential buildings. The large, ornate houses built along winding roads that follow the land’s natural contours, were intended for Boston commuters on the newly electrified trolley system.

Apartments and other multi-family dwellings first appeared in Aberdeen around 1909 - between 1910 and 1930 the population of Allston-Brighton doubled, which meant more multi-family buildings to accommodate the growing demand, especially by immigrant families drawn to the bucolic image of the Aberdeen area.

Beginning in 1910, a number of one-story commercial blocks were built on the corners of highly trafficked streets, to attract the attention and patronage of the motoring public. By 1920, a new Classical Revival style garage provided for the growing number of automobiles. The structures indicated a shift in the role of the suburb to a place centered more on the automobile and other forms of transit.

Aberdeen’s architectural styles include the Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Queen Anne, and Shingle styles. The Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District was designated in 2001.