Upham's Corner Market, building in Massachusetts, United States of America
Upham's Corner Market is a historic building complex in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood consisting of three connected red brick structures built between 1919 and 1926. The buildings feature Classical Revival architecture and once contained shops, a cafeteria, and various services all designed to serve shoppers in a single large space.
The site started as a quiet farm area with a cemetery from the 1630s, but became a busy shopping center after Columbia Road was built in 1897. Brothers Cifrino opened a small fruit shop in 1915 and expanded it over two decades into a massive grocery store that served tens of thousands.
Upham's Corner Market served as a gathering place where neighbors met and shopped together. The store reflected the area's Italian immigrant roots and showed how entrepreneurs built community through everyday commerce.
The building sits on Columbia Road in the Dorchester area and is easy to reach by public transit that has served the neighborhood since the late 1800s. Visitors should allow time to walk around and examine the exterior and architectural details, as much of the interior now serves other purposes.
The building once housed a shoe repair service, soda fountain, and cafeteria all within the same complex, making it one of the first places where customers could buy nearly everything in one stop. This concept was so remarkable that some called it the biggest food store in the world.
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