by Judy Lehrer Jacobs, Friends of the Blue Hills

The boarded up barn in front of the Blue Hills headquarters is not an eyesore to long-time FBH member, Alex Whiteside. To Alex, the barn on Hillside Street, called the Broderick Stables, has a rich 100-year history and potentially a vibrant future.

Alex is the chair of the Milton Planning Board and is looking to spearhead an effort to work with the Department of Conservation and Recreation to look for opportunities to restore this historic building. From Alex’s point of view, “we can all continue to look at it as an eyesore, or we can join together and try to improve it.”

Alex explains, “the barn was used for state police horses until a few years ago [and] was once an attractive, dark brown, wooden, shingled structure. Since the horses have departed, although a new roof has been added, there has been some obvious and significant structural deterioration in the structure, particularly that part enclosing the courtyard facing Hillside Street.” Alex points out that “in Milton we have lost the Paddocks and Horse Play stables, and there’s a real opportunity to transform the barn from eyesore to a much-enjoyed stable that would add to the experience of the park.
While costs are always an issue, Alex insists that the barn was “once was a very attractive building and can be again if we work together.”

If you’d like to learn more about the barn and efforts to restore it, please contact us at info@FriendsoftheBlueHills.org.