Historic Boston Inc. welcomes Trillium Beer to Roslindale Substation

Roslindale, MA Historic Boston Inc., a partner in the redevelopment of the historic Roslindale Substation, a former electrical power facility for the MBTA transit system, welcomed Trillium Brewing Company’s winter seasonal beer garden in the renovated and restored brick structure at Roslindale Sq.

The $4.8 million Substation project was conceived and undertaken by Historic Boston Inc., Roslindale Village Main St., and Peregrine Group, LLC. Prellwitz Chilinski Associates was the architect.

The Trillium Winter Beer Garden at the Substation will remain open through the winter season. It will be an indoor facility, open five days a week and serving a variety of rotating draft options. The location accommodates open seating, community space, and a limited number of private event opportunities.

Boston-based Trillium will be the first occupant of the main floor of the redeveloped property, located at 4228 Washington St., across from Roslindale Sq.

“Trillium’s arrival shows the value of renewing our historic buildings,” said Kathy Kottaridis, executive director of Historic Boston Inc. “The revitalized Roslindale Substation is the perfect space for a winter beer garden. Here’s hoping it becomes a permanent arrangement.”

The building functioned as part of the Boston Elevated Railway Co.’s then revolutionary alternating electric current power system. Designed by architect Robert Peabody of Peabody and Stearns with Stone and Webster Engineering Corp., the Substation is one of six nearly identical converter substations built in and around Boston at that time.

Until the renovation, it had been vacant since the 1970s, and the Substation is the latest addition to an increasingly vibrant and active Roslindale Square, reviving a prominent corner and restoring some of the historic fabric of the neighborhood. The lower level of the Substation is the current home of the Craft Beer Cellar, which opened in January 2017. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“Beer aficionados will have the unique opportunity to drink Trillium’s award-winning beer in the Substation’s awe-inspiring space, with its 34 foot ceilings, 18-foot copper clad doors, 250-ton capacity gantry crane, and six two-story windows,” said Alia Hamada Forrest, RVMS’s executive director.

“Where Trillium goes, its fans follow,” she said. “I’m eager to welcome the newcomers that will discover Roslindale’s existing mix of vibrant restaurants and retail options, and hope that these types of creative partnerships continue to spark across all Boston Main Street districts. We know when you visit --- you will want to return.”

 Trillium co-owner Esther Tetreault said in a media release: “We had a killer time with the Garden on the Greenway this summer, so we jumped at the chance to bring Trillium to another Boston neighborhood. Our goal has always been to build a strong community and share what we do. The Substation is such a unique and iconic space, in a welcoming neighborhood, making Roslindale a perfect winter home for the Trillium Garden.”