The James S. Green building, located at Broadway and Second
Street, was constructed by a man who looked beyond the critiques and
skeptics of his day. At the time the building was erected, Chelsea
was still a village with most of the business of the town being done
between Winnisimmet Street and the Ferry. James Green had foresight
and it was his building that spearheaded the development of Chelsea
Square.
James S. Green was born in 1826, in what is today Revere. His
ancestors were among the first settlers of the Rumney Marsh region of
Chelsea. At a very young age, Mr. Green, following in his father’s
footsteps, went to sea. After three shipwrecks at sea, James Green
changed his mind about being a seaman. In 1849, Mr. Green joined the
gold rush to California. He had reasonable success in the gold fields.
James Green returned to Chelsea and became proprietor of a livery
stable on Williams Street. Being very successful in the livery
business, Mr. Green, in 1853, obtained a permit to construct a livery
stable in Chelsea Square. The site chosen was considered rather
remote for business. Despite criticism and ridicule, James Green,
built his stable, the largest for miles around, on the remote corner
of Broadway and Second Street.
After many years of success, the stable was remodeled into a large
business block in 1869. The building being three stories high,
measuring 62 X 120 feet in width and length was the largest building
in Chelsea. Stores were created on the ground floor with offices and
resident apartments on the two upper floors. Mr. Green occupied one
apartment in the front of the building.
A room was acquired and set up in Green’s block by the board of
trustees of the Library. The room was opened to the public, January
1870, as the first free library in the City of Chelsea. The public
library remained at the Green Block until 1874, when it was moved to
larger quarters. Several organizations and churches originated or
held their first meeting in the hall of the Green building. In 1890,
James Green sold the building to George B. Guild.
Two disastrous fires in the 1950’s destroyed the building. The
first fire eliminated the attic and the third floor. The second fire
on December 6, 1957, completed the destruction of the building. The
building was beyond repair and had to be torn down.