Coolidge Corner is a neighborhood of Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline, Massachusetts

Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...

, centered around the intersection of Beacon Street

Beacon Street

Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...

 and Harvard Street. The neighborhood takes its name from the Coolidge brothers' general store that opened in 1857 at that intersection on the location of today's S.S. Pierce building and that was for many years the only commercial business in north Brookline.

Character

Coolidge Corner developed as a transit-oriented streetcar suburb

Streetcar suburb

A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...

, and retains a pedestrian-friendly, walkable feel. Many popular coffee shops, pharmacies, small independent boutiques, an independent bookstore

Independent bookstore

An independent bookstore is a retail bookstore which is independently owned.-Literary and countercultural history:Author events at independent bookstores sometimes take the role of literary salons. The bookstores themselves, "have historically supported and cultivated the work of independent...

, and ethnic restaurants are located there, as well as a few retail chain stores.

The neighborhood has a significant Jewish population, and there are large synagogues located on both Beacon and Harvard Streets. The northern portion of Harvard Street, near the border with the Boston neighborhood of Allston

Allston

-People:* Aaron Allston , an American novelist* Johanna Allston , an Australian orienteer* Robert Francis Withers Allston , a Governor of South Carolina...

, is characterized by a cluster of Jewish-oriented shops and various other stores and eateries.

A family-friendly neighborhood, Coolidge Corner is also home to an elementary school, Devotion

Edward Devotion School

The Edward Devotion Elementary School, affectionately known as "Devo," is a public elementary school located at 345 Harvard Street, Brookline, Massachusetts, USA. The school was founded in 1894 on land bequeathed to the town by Edward Devotion , and is probably named for his eponymous grandfather ...

.

Sites

Near Coolidge Corner, at 83 Beals Street, is the birthplace of President John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site

John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, located in Brookline, Massachusetts' Coolidge Corner neighborhood, is a historical site that commemorates the life of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963...

. It is a National Historic Site

National Historic Sites (United States)

National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...

 operated by the National Park Service

National Park Service

The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...

.

Coolidge Corner is also home of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, a restored Art Deco

Art Deco

Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 movie palace that has been showing movies since 1933. It is a not-for-profit arts institution, featuring first run arthouse films, including independent films, international cinema, and documentaries. It is one of the last remaining original big screen movie houses in the country. The main theatre has a recessed theatrical stage, and seats 700 with classic elegance and cinematic style.

The S.S. Pierce Building, constructed in 1897, and originally an S.S. Pierce

S.S. Pierce

Samuel Stillman Pierce was a grocer in Boston, Massachusetts, who established the S.S. Pierce company in 1831.-Biography:Samuel Stillman Pierce was born in Cedar Grove, Dorchester, in 1807. In 1836, he married Ellen Maria Wallis. They had 8 children. The family lived in the South End and...

 grocery store, is a historically significant Tudor-style building. It has accommodated a number of businesses over the years (currently it houses a Walgreens

Walgreens

Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...

 and a Radio Shack

Radio shack

Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...

, in addition to several offices on the second floor), and is recognizable by its large clock tower, visible from nearly all points in Coolidge Corner.

Coolidge Corner contains several restaurants, including a creperie, a falafel joint, and several Asian food restaurants. Coolidge Corner is also home to "Irving's Toy and Card Shop," a popular store run by the 98 year old Ethel Weiss, who founded "Irving's" along with her husband in 1939.

Coolidge Corner also hosts a popular weekly farmer's market on Thursdays from June through October.

Transit

Coolidge Corner is served by the Coolidge Corner

Coolidge Corner (MBTA station)

Coolidge Corner station is a stop on the "C" branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line, located in the Coolidge Corner neighborhood of Brookline at the intersection of Beacon Street and Harvard Street....

 station of the MBTA's Green Line "C" Branch, which runs along Beacon Street. The 66 MBTA bus route runs through Coolidge Corner along Harvard Street on its way from Dudley

Dudley Square

Dudley Square is the primary commercial center of the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located at the intersection of Dudley Street and Washington Street...

 to Harvard Square

Harvard Square

Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It is the historic center of Cambridge...

.