Community Profile

Roslindale Square undergoes revival, home values rise

By Kathleen Howley, Globe Correspondent, 4/08/2000

Roslindale at a glance Annexed to Boston: 1873 Area: 4.6 square miles Population: 33,000 Taxes: $13.15 residential, $34.21 commercial Government: Boston mayor, city council Services: Boston Edison, Boston Gas, city water and sewer Library: Roslindale branch of the Boston Public Library Public schools: One middle, 6 elementary Public transportation: Commuter rail, MBTA bus routes Cultural/recreational: Arnold Arboretum, George Wright Municipal Golf Course, Fallon Field, Kilmer Park, Roslindale Square

When Peter Ziegelman bought a 120-year-old Victorian near Roslindale Square three years ago, the centuries-old business district was not a good place to shop, he said. There were lots of everything-for-a-dollar stores and plenty of bars, but no place where he could buy groceries or meet friends for coffee. [an error occurred while processing this directive]

"It was very run-down. Lots of empty storefronts. I had no reason to go there," he said.

Today, it's a different story. The square has a fish market, three bakeries - "regular, Italian, and Greek," Ziegelman said - as well as two meat markets and several other businesses.

Most of the stores operate with a small-town ethos, he said.

"I went into the cobbler's the other day, and my shoes weren't ready. I had to come back in a few hours. So, the cobbler said, `Don't pay me.' You probably wouldn't see that in a downtown neighborhood," said Ziegelman.

In fact, he moved to Roslindale from an apartment on Appleton Street in the South End. Originally, he chose Roslindale for its architecture and low real estate prices, said Ziegelman, who sells real estate for Atlantic Properties in the South End.

Now, he sees other reasons to stay in Roslindale.

"I would never go back to the South End. I love the South End, but the people in Roslindale are so much more friendly. And, I don't miss having to take out a loan to park a car. I like the idea of being able to park my car in my driveway, next to my own little lawn and garden," he said.

It's not just the square that is experiencing a revival, Ziegelman said. The homes in his neighborhood are being fixed up as well, he said.

"Two of the houses on my block are having the vinyl siding removed, restoring the original shingles and clapboards. All that gorgeous Victorian detailing that has been covered up for decades by vinyl siding is being uncovered. And, the chain-link fences around the neighborhood are disappearing, too. People are taking them down and putting up old-fashioned wooden fences," Ziegelman said.

One reason for the boom in restoration may be rising real estate values. In the last three years, the value of Ziegelman's house has risen by about $100,000, he said.

Avi Davis, owner of Innovative Moves, a Jamaica Plain real estate firm that two years ago opened an office in Roslindale Square, said home values in Roslindale have risen by almost 26 percent in just the last year.

The average selling price of Roslindale homes in the first quarter of last year was $180,900, compared to $227,800 during the first quarter of this year, he said.

"There have been amazing changes in Roslindale over the last few years," said Davis. In fact, he is so enamored of the "Village," as many people call Roslindale Square, that he has moved his own office to the second-floor of the Innovative Moves storefront.

"Our headquarters is still in Jamaica Plain, but I wanted to be here in the Village. Now it's such a warm and friendly place," said Davis.

In Roslindale, his firm lists a two-family house for $349,000, a single-family for $219,900, and another two-family for $289,000, he said.

Janice Williams, executive director of Roslindale Village Main Street, said a dozen new businesses have opened in the square in the last few years, including an independent supermarket.

The revival was spurred by the Main Street Program, a project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Boston Main Streets program. Both contributed money for storefront improvements and programs to bring people back to the square, she said.

In the 1950s, Roslindale Village was the retail center of southwest Boston, Dedham and Milton. But the 1968 opening of the Dedham Mall drained business from the square, said Williams.

"For a long time, when all the stores moved out to the mall, there was no foot traffic in the Roslindale business district. People would go there to do their banking, but they didn't walk around," Williams said.

Now, the Village is a place to shop and socialize, she said.

"On any day of the week, there is a tremendous amount of foot traffic. People come for shopping and end up just walking around, window shopping, meeting friends," she said.