Dear chess friends,
We write to let you know about an exciting development for the Boylston Chess Club. For the first time in our 102 year history, and after actively looking for roughly two years, the BCC has an opportunity to buy a permanent home.
The new site will suit our purposes beautifully. We will comfortably be able to accommodate around 100 boards in two large playing rooms, and the site will have two other spacious areas that could serve as lounges for parents or players waiting for their next game. All areas (most importantly, the playing rooms) will have high ceilings and great lighting. There will also be two smaller rooms that would be perfect for staff offices, dedicated private lessons, or just as a place to concentrate on last-minute prep before a round.
The new site is located at 28 High Street, in Medford. This is in the middle of Medford Square, which is roughly 2.5 miles north of the club's current location. Medford Square is every bit as lively as Davis Square, with at least 12 diverse restaurants located within a quarter mile of the new site, spanning everything from fast casual to sit-down dining, and everything from a classic American diner to Halal or sushi. In between there are nail salons, massage studios, and various other services. There's a CVS a block away to satisfy any miscellaneous needs. The site backs up to the Mystic River, with an idyllic walking path, for those days when you want to just take a walk.
For those that take public transportation, this location is well-served by many bus lines, two of which (94 and 96) stop right outside and go to and from Davis Square. By way of comparison, Google Maps puts the walk from Davis to the current site at 10 minutes, and the bus from Davis Square to the new site at 15 minutes. The site is also 12 minutes by bus from Wellington Station on the orange line, 5 minutes by bus from the West Medford commuter rail stop on the Lowell line, and looking further into the future, roughly a mile from the planned Tufts/Medford stop on the green line extension.
For those who drive, the location is an improvement over 40 Norris. First, there is ample metered parking in lots a block or two away, and on the street. There is also a free lot that is roughly a 5 minute walk from the site that has around 60 spaces. Moreover, the site is right off Route 16, which connects to Route 2 (... which connects to US95), and the site is also right off US93. Whether driving from the North, South, or West, most of the trip can almost entirely stay off slower surface streets.
We are tremendously excited at this opportunity. As many of you know, we are limited by the space we have available at the current club. The recent Laurence Schmitt Memorial was well attended by around 50 players at our current site. But with only 25 boards, this tournament tested the capacity of our facilities. At the future site, a tournament of this size will be positively comfortable! Players will have room to adjust their chairs without bumping into their neighbors, and spectators will not have to play a spontaneous game of Tetris to deal with passers by.
Although the site will be functional from day 1 (and actually in many ways an improvement over the existing space), it will need some work to be perfect. We will need more furniture. We will need more electronics. We will need signage. We will need kitchen equipment. We will need some work on fit and finish to make this proverbial house a home.
We will need you.
We will send a separate email with our fundraising goals shortly, and we hope to arrange a time for you to see the new site, either in person or online. But we wanted to share this fantastic news with you immediately. In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts or if you have any questions.
Thanks,
The Board
