Thirteen Villages & One Goal... Waban

Waban takes its name from the famous Algonquin chief, one of the first Native Americans converted to Christianity by the Reverend John Eliot in 1646.  It is a lovely village of mostly single-family homes, many in the Tudor Revival style, with a few two-family houses, and a discrete area of low-density apartments along Wyman Street.  The village is bordered by the Charles River and Route 9 to the South, Route 16 to the West, with less visible boundaries to the North and East.

Beacon Street passes through Waban's village center, with the village green on one side and the historic (c. 1896) Strong's Block of shops (see photo above) on the other side.

The village center is particularly charming because of three other handsome community structures.  One is the Waban Library Center, a former branch library surplused by the City, but saved for community use through the efforts of the Waban Improvement Society (WIS), a long-established village association.  Another is Waban Hall (c. 1890), which housed shops, a school, and WIS meetings in years past, but which is known to most in Newton today as the home of the most comfortable Starbucks in Newton, a shoe repair shop, and an ice cream store.  It's said that at least one novel has been written in Waban Starbucks.

Waban Hall then. Photo, Historic Newton.

Waban Library Center

Waban Hall now. Photo, Candidmoura.com

Windsor Club

Wabanites are devoted to their shops, the Waban Kitchen restaurant and, of course, Barry's Deli.  The village center is also home to two lovely churches, the Angier School, and many historic and beautiful houses.

The third community building of note is the Windsor Club, a tennis, swimming, bowling and social club founded in 1916. The Club is open for membership only to those who reside in the area covered by the Waban zip code, but used for many neighborhood functions as well. 

Barry's Deli

Waban is known for large Tudor-style homes, but is also a highly desirable village for young families looking for smaller, more affordable houses. 

The house lots go from 41,000 square feet with stately old trees to 6,000 square feet on charming streets with ample space between sidewalks and houses.

Waban was once a heavily forested area which developed as an agricultural village.  Waban was famous for its orchards, farms and nurseries.  It has two ponds (one an overgrown kettle pond), one golf course, with its famous "Death Hill" sledding slope, and four playgrounds. 

In recent years, coyotes, turkeys and rabbits have replaced foxes and pheasants, but hawks still circle, perch and look for prey. Waban is crossed by the Cochituate Aqueduct trail allowing one to walk or bike from Wellesley to Cold Spring Park. Another place to walk in Waban that could be lovely is along the Charles River near Quinobequin Road. However, the path is poorly maintained, and next to the road, rather than along the river in many places.

Inadequate Path by Charles River, Quinobequin Road. Photo, NVA.

Density and Over-Development Issues in Waban:
-       the sale and demolition of St. Phillip Neri church and how the assertion of 1.5% 40B safe harbor prevented a massive
​         40B development from being built on the site
-       the assertion of 1.5% 40B safe harbor and how that saved the historic Staples-Crafts House from 40B redevelopment
-       the demolition and re-construction of Angier School 
-       the expansion of Zervas School
-       the demolition of typical New England houses to be replaced over-sized McMansions
-       commuters overflowing the T parking lot and crowding residential streets, plus the possible loss of the T parking lot