Walpole Station Business Center
What's the history on the building, anyway? I snuck a few behind-the-scenes looks and it's a really cool old place.
well, since you asked...
The original factory that lived there in the late 1800's has long since been gone. But right around 1910, The Kendall Company built the small 2-story wood frame building that still faces West Street (75 West). The Kendall Company made gauze and bandages from cotton. (I believe they also held several patents for stretchable bandages and certain feminine hygiene products that were made at this location. At one point, Walpole was the Kendall HQ.).
The location straddling the Neponset River and directly adjacent to the train tracks was ideal for them. Bales of cotton were brought in by rail and off-loaded into the rearmost building which, then processed, cleaned, processed again, and turned into saleable product. (Also, an interesting note, you all were standing on top of the Neponset River during the meet-up. The river was culverted some time in the early 1900s when the factory was expanded, and remains that way today. The property manages the on-site manually operated damn with the assistance of the EPA.)
At one time there were over 20 structures on that site, including water tanks, solvent tanks, silos, barns, and several others. The current site is about 7 acres, but was once closer to 20 acres, and extended across the train tracks to the north where the existing MBTA train stop sits, and to the east where the MBTA manages about 200 commuter parking spaces.
In the 1980s, the Kendall Company bandage division was bought by Tyco Healthcare. Tyco merged operations with other similar brands in the late 1990s. Then the Covidien brand was spun from Tyco Healthcare as Tyco worldwide was broken into its strategic business units. Kendall stayed in operation until roughly 1995 when the last of the management and marketing staff were relocated.
Since the early 1990s the buildings have been pared down, the site has been cleaned up SIGNIFICANTLY, and it's home to over 15 tenants, Mortgage Master being the largest one.
The site also houses over 250 commuter parking spaces which are full nearly every work day.
Last year, my firm, along with three other local real estate firms, together acquired the 9 remaining Kendall buildings and parking. Since last May we have redone the common area finishes, updated some of the mechanical and electrical equipment, and rebranded the entire campus "Walpole Station Business Center." With my focus on sustainability, I am assisting the team in assessing building improvements that will reduce the building's, and its occupants', carbon footprint.
We are hoping the campus will remain a center of commerce and innovation for the town of Walpole for many, many years to come.
