Coolidge, I've Got You Cornered

So it seems that Brookline is celebrating its 300th birthday — again — next weekend (November 13). And at least according to the Brookline Tab, this must be the actual birthday weekend — not the one on September 19 when the first celebration took place.

As a warm-up to the festivities, this week's issue of the Tab includes all kinds of cool Brookline historical info, including a great list of the "300 Things You Never Knew About Brookline" and a special magazine-style insert with comparisons of past and present, and a timeline of important dates.

Call me stupid if you will, but one of the things I've always wondered about Brookline is which specific corner is "Coolidge Corner." I mean, the whole area around there is referred to as Coolidge Corner, but there has to be one particular corner that has that name, right? Is it the one where Best Cellars is? Where the Bank of America is? Walgreens? CVS? (That's assuming the corner is at the corner of Beacon and Harvard streets.) Sure, there are some older buildings in that intersection, but given the passing of time and construction and all, it's possible that one of the newer buildings could have been erected on the site of the actual Coolidge Corner.

According to the Tab, on their list of the 300 things, number 182 is "Coolidge Corner began as the Coolidge and Brother general store at the corner of Beacon and Harvard Streets." Well, that doesn't really provide anything new, but it does confirm the intersection (not that I really thought the corner was at Babcock and Harvard streets).

The Coolidge Corner Theater's web site discusses the Corner's history, but doesn't specifically say where the Coolidge Corner is. In fact, by saying "the S.S. Pierce Building (1898), went up near 'Coolidge's Corner,'" it implies that "Coolidge's Corner" wasn't actually on the corner!

I think I found the answer on the official Brookline 300 web site, which says: "In 1898, the famous S.S. Pierce Building was constructed at 'Coolidge’s Corner.'" Which means, I guess, that what I assumed all along is true: the corner of the Harvard and Beacon intersection where the S.S. Pierce Building is, where Walgreens is — that is the true Coolidge Corner. Mystery solved. (I think.)

Anyway, to see the full calendar of events for the second Brookline 300th birthday bash — featuring a performance by Entrain, one of my favorite bands — check out Brookline300.org.