Bigelow Block

The Bigelow Block is the most outstanding survivor of Medford's nineteenth-century commercial district, much of which was altered or replaced in the early twentieth century as the city became a streetcar suburb for Boston. Edward T. Bigelow lived in Medford and worked in Boston when he constructed this prominently sited building with businesses on the ground floor and residences above. John R. Hall took maximum advantage of the site by creating a dramatic curved facade that faced this major intersection, accentuated with a three-tiered oriel window capped with a conical roof and finial, all fabricated with copper sheathing. The rows of multiple chimneys, originally linked by cast-iron cresting, enhance the building's bold silhouette.