From Biscuits to Blinds: The History of 465 Medford St.

In the 1890s the United States Baking Company built a bakery at 465 Medford Street. The brick building occupied a site where there was once a wharf jutting out into the Mystic River. There was originally a wooden addition to the west side of the bakery. The building itself apparently was originally two stories and a third story was added later.

According to Boston Landmarks Commission, Warren Mansur, originally from Houlton, Maine and an active member of Charlestown’s Abraham Lincoln Post 11, G.A.R., was the first manager of United States Bakery.

In addition to the Hodges-Mansur Bakery at Sullivan Square, which Mansur owned with a partner, U.S. Baking Company also bought the Cracker Bakery owned by Charles Goodrich, which operated on the site of the Armory on Bunker Hill Street.

To fulfill its intention to rival the New York Biscuit Company for New England business, U.S. Baking bought these small bakeries and built the brick bakery on Medford Street.

In 1898 the New York Biscuit Company and the U.S. Baking Company merged into the National Biscuit Company (NABISCO).

By 1912, Brockway Smith had occupied the NABISCO building, and rebuilt it into a warehouse. The property’s side tracks and waterfront created an ideal location for the well-known manufacturers of "doors, sash and blinds, windows and door frames."

In 1924, Brockway Smith built an additional five-story steel and concrete building. The corporation moved most of its offices and consolidated most of its plant in Charlestown.

On the ground floor of the new building were galvanizing facilities; woodworking space filled the second and third floors. Most likely fourth and fifth floors were used for offices.

By 1940, mergers changed the company’s name to Brockway-Smith-Haigh-Lovell Company.

In 1969, the company left its Charlestown plant and relocated to Andover, Mass. It also changed its name back to that of the original partnership, Brockway-Smith Company.

In the 1980s both buildings at 465 Medford were rehabbed and ultimately rented out to various tenants. The entire complex is owned by Flatley Company.

• Where is it?
  465 Medford Street

• When was it built?
  1890 and 1924

• Who built it?
  The U.S.Baking Company built the brick bakery and Brockway-Smith built the five-story steel and concrete warehouse.

• What was it built for and who was the first occupant?
  The brick building was built as a bakery for the U.S. Baking Company. The 1924 steel and concrete building was built by Brockway Smith.

• Why was it built?
  The brick bakery was built to consolidate several smaller bakeries under the auspices of U.S. Baking Company. The steel and concrete five-story building was intended for additional factory and warehouse space for Brockway-Smith.

• How was it built?
  The 1890 brick building might have originally had two stories, with the third added later. The 1924 5-story, steel frame and concrete was built as warehouse and factory.

• What are the future plans for the structure?
  The complex is occupied by several businesses as tenants.

Information for this article was compiled through various resources, including Boston Landmarks Commission and First Maine Bugle by Edward Parsons Tobie. Web-sites consulted include http://www.brosco.com/about-us/history/part2.aspx, http://bowdoinconstruction.com/465_medford.htm. Thanks to http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/charlestown/postcards/all.html for the photo of what the bakery used to look like on the Mystic River.