- 1879 - Benjamin M Fiske, owner of the Fiske House at 1-Billerica Road, also owned a 1/4-acre odd-shaped parcel of land located between the Framinghamm and Lowell railroad right-of-way and Parkhurst's Store at the top of Central Square. Moses C Wilson purchased this parcel from Benjamin Fiske on May 16 (deed 216/43).
- 1882 - Moses Wilson assembled a house from two relocated structures and constructed a new barn on this site. The house was moved from 29 Chelmsford Street to this site, and an ell was relocated from the “noon house” at 39 Chelmsford Street. A noon house was used by parishioners of a church for rest and refreshment in the break between morning and afternoon portions of the service.
- 1890 - Moses C Wilson Jr purchased the 1/4-acre lot with buildings from Moses C Wilson on September 20 (deed 219/6).
- 1905 - Charles A Ordway of Everett purchased this property from Moses Wilson Jr on August 16 (deed 379/477).
- Left to right in the 1905 photo below, a 250 year celebration information tent, the railroad flagman's shack, the Moses Wilson barn and house, two ladies, and Parkhurst's store. The horse droppings in front of the ladies were a common nuisance at the time.
- 1920 - Frederick Russell purchased the property from Jennie G Ordway, widow of Charles Ordway, on May 20 (deed 626/350).
- 1922 - Rothesay P Kidder of Lowell purchased the property from Frederick Russell on April 1 (deed 658/176). In addition to this, he purchased land at 41-Littleton Road and moved the house and barn, seen behind the ladies in the photo above, to the new location to make room for a new brick building. The photos below show the relocated house and barn at 41-Littleton Road as they look today.
- Rothesay, a town fire engineer, built the new brick building on the Central Square site as the Chelmsford Square Garage. An extended bay on the left side was specifically constructed to house the town’s 1921 American LaFrance fire engine seen in the photo below.
- 1923 - In the photo below from left to right, the silent policeman traffic signal, the railroad flagman's shack, A truck decked out for the Fourth of July parade, the Chelmsford Square Garage, and a pair of curb-side Texaco fuel pumps.
- The photo below was taken from the front lawn of the First Parish Unitarian Church and shows the large multi-pane glass panels that covered the left wall of the brick building, allowing plenty of light into the interior. This appears to be rush hour as there are many cars passing through the center, and there are two silent policeman traffic signals standing tall to steer traffic in a safe direction.
- For additional safety, recently appointed constable and police officer Donald Adams is standing next to the nearest traffic signal to direct traffic. On July 19, 1927, Officer Adams was on his motorcycle chasing down a criminal escaping town on a streetcar to Lowell. After stopping the streetcar on Chelmsford Street, Officer Adams entered the streetcar but was fatally shot by the assailant, who was later sent to Bridgewater Hospital for the Insane.
- 1925 - The Chelmsford Square Garage advertised livery, quality auto service, supplies, and acetylene welding. In addition, a hardware department carried tools, cutlery, builder's supplies, glass, pure paints, household hardware, and farm tools.
- 1930 - Auto mechanic Charles H Wilder worked along side Allan Kidder in the garage, and Fred E Carll was a clerk with Rothesay Kidder in the hardware store. They also sold electrical refrigeration equipment and were local distributors for the Frigidaire Company.
- 1940 - Rothesay Kidder died in June, and the photo below was taken two months later on August 11.
- There is an Esso curbside fuel pump on the left, and a new-looking Kidder's Garage tow truck on the street. The Chelmsford Garage repair shop was operated by Allan Kidder standing on the left, and Kidder's Hardware and Paints store had been operated by his father Rothesay Kidder, age 61. Allan Kidder later became District 1 Fire Chief, then Forest Warden, and finally Fire Chief.
- 1944 - Raymond T and Ruth J Osborn, purchased the Chelmsford Garage property from Cora M Kidder, Esther L Kidder, and Allan Kidder as heirs of Rothesay Kidder on August 15 (deed 1010/593).
- The town's lease on the extended bay fire engine garage was terminated as of September 30.
- Raymond Osborn, who owned a Dodge and Plymouth dealership on Littleton Road in prior years, opened a Studebaker dealership at 59-Central Square.
- 1957 - Ruth Osborn died on March 12 at age 58.
- Raymond opened Osborn Realty in 59-Central Square with former Studebaker dealer Vincent Borrows on board, Russell W Wyman and Grover C Milam as salesmen, and Helen K Moulton as the bookkeeper.
- 1970 - Raymond moved Osborn Realty to 6 Chelmsford Street and subdivided 59-Central Square for multiple businesses.
- 1971 - Joe LaCreta opened Big Joe's sandwich shop in February, displaying the signature "Big Joe" logo on the anouncement flyer and on the shop. Along with the announcement he wrote: "To the people of Chelmsford, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every person in Chelmsford who was instrumental in giving me an opportunity to open my Sandwich Shop. I will do everything in my power to be an asset to Chelmsford. Thank you, Big Joe."
- An extensive article about Joe's background was published on April 7 by the Chelmsford Sentinel.
"Joe LaCreta Myth, Legend or Reality?"
"by Ann Marie Kierce CHELMSFORD - There is no myth about Joe LaCreta and he has not lived long enough to be a legend, though he well may be some day. Joe is a very real person whose accomplishments in life are a result of his motto 'Work hard for something and it is yours.'
"Joe started working toward his goal 11 years ago when a friend came to him upset with the long hours he had to spend operating a restaurant he had opened six months previously. This friend asked Joe to buy him out. Joe had just finished four years as a marine in the Korean War and this seemed like a suitable place to begin his business career.
"Until this time Joe had not found himself. He had attended the Wilmington Schools, joined the marines and upon discharge, became a police officer. While serving in the Police Dept days, Joe went to Portia School of Law evenings. Law is a good background for many fields but it was not the profession he felt he would like to pursue. Joe had been keeping his eyes open for just such an investment as his friend now offered ...
"Joe found the previous owner knew what he was saying when he spoke about long hours. Joe himself, was now working 18 to 20 hours a day. Today he feels that in his 11 years of owning businesses he has worked an equivalent of 30 years in work hours.
"Being from a large Italian family, Joe called upon all the secret of cooking that his mother and father had taught him and as a result, this first sandwich shop in Wilmington led to ten more such shops. The latest shop is located in Central Square, Chelmsford, and holds Joe's trademark, "Big Joe." ...
"It is not all work and no play. Joe plays six different instruments and at one time had his own band. Guests at the LaCreta's home are the only ones who share this ability of Joe 's for he does not play professionally any more.
"If you do not speak English, chances are Joe may still be able to converse with you, for in addition to English, he also speaks Italian, French, Spanish and Arabic.
"Joe has drive, ambition and a goal. What is most important, he has loved ones that makes meeting this goal a must. Joe LaCreta has so many things he wants to do. He feels if he works hard, he will succeed.
- 1973 - Raymond and Virginia M Osborn purchased 59-Central Square from Raymond, as heir to Ruth, on June 6 (deed 2069/110).
- 1976 - Big Joe's Sandwich Shop (with John T Smith as manager), Chelmsford Coin Exchange, Janet's Dance Studio, and Osborn Realty (with Ray Osborn and Eddie Finn) were operating in the building this year.
- 1977 - Raymond Osborn and attorney Howard J Hall of Westford each purchased a half interest in 59-Central Square from Raymond and Virginia Osborn on January 17 (deed 2230/537).
- George Kalogeropoulos, who had been operating the Cobbler Hut in the Central House, moved over to 59-Central Square now co-owned by Raymond Osborn and Howard Hall.
- 1978 - Howard Hall purchased a 23 x 180 ft strip of land located between the railroad tracks and 59-Central Square from the Penn Central Corporation of Pennsylvania on November 14 (deed 2369/742).
- The scratchy negative below right shows the 23 x 180 ft strip and is also the best known photo of railroad flagman Philip Donahoe. Philip was a popular figure in town, according to accounts, and shared all the latest news and gossip with passers-by.
- 1979 - George Kalogeropoulos purchased Raymond Osborn’s half interest in 59-Central Square on October 11 (deed 2389/417).
- 1980 - George Kalogeropoulos purchased the 23 x 180 ft strip adjacent to 59-Central Square from Howard Hall on March 21 (deed 2413/186).
- George Kalogeropoulos and family legally shortened their last name to Kalos on June 10 (decree 4801/173).
- 1981 - Howard Hall purchased the railroad freight house on 0.46 acres of land, located on the other side of Littleton Road, from the Penn Central Corporation of Pennsylvania on April 23 (deed 2478/473).
- George Kalos purchas a half interest in the railroad freight house from Howard Hall on May 19 (deed 2478/477).
- The railroad between Lowell and Chelmsford Center was officially abandoned when Conrail took over from Penn Central in 1976. The state of Massachusetts kept the remainder of the Chelmsford trackage open several years until there was no more commercial traffic, and it was officially abandoned in 1982. Penn Central was the owner of record for the right-of-way and had the task of liquidating assets. As seen in the photo at right, taken by David Kruschwitz and shared on Facebook by David Haney, the freight house was in shabby condition in summer 1977.
- 1982 - Howard Hall and George Kalos, as trustees of the Centre Mall Realty Trust, purchased 59-Central Square (Lot 1), the 23 x 180 ft parking strip (Lot 2), and the railroad freight house (Lot 3) from Howard Hall and George Kalos on August 20 (deed 2552/570).
- 1987 - Early Monday morning Dec. 21, 1987, the Centre Mall was gutted by fire and eight businesses were lost. The health inspector condemned the building and the building inspector recommended that it be torn down, but Mr Kalos was determined to rebuild it better than it was and maintain the historical feeling of his corner of Central Square.
"Chelmsford fire causes $200,000 loss
By PATRICK COOK Sun Staff
"CHELMSFORD Eight businesses in the town center were destroyed today by a stubborn fire that caused an estimated $200,000 damage. The two-alarm blaze took firefighters more than an hour to bring under control. It destroyed most of a "mini-mall" in the town center.
"Fire officials say they haven't pinpointed the fire's origin but say it was 'not suspicious.' The state fire marshal's office is also probing the cause. No injuries were reported. Fire officials who set the damage estimate at more than $200,000 said the building will have to be razed.
"'This was a tough one,' said Fire Capt James Spinney. 'There was heavy smoke coming out of everywhere when we got there, through the bricks, the roof, the windows, the walls. Gaining access to the fire was a real task,' he said. 'When we got in there, We could hear it burning overhead, but we couldn't see it because of the thick smoke.' He said the fire was roaring uncontrolled through a common attic shared by the businesses ...
Capt Spinney said the building's fire alarm system was not tied in to the fire department's alarm center. The central fire station is about a block away from the fire scene. Spinney said the law office of Dennis McHugh, located in a separate building about 10 feet from the fire, was not endangered."
"Heavy damage in Central Square mini-mall fire
"CMFD-An early morning fire on Monday at 61-Central Square resulted in heavy damage to the seven shops in the building, according to Captain James Spinney of the Chelmsford Fire Department.
"The first alarm came in at 12:19 a.m., Captain Spinney said, and a second alarm followed quickly at about 12:22. The fire was under control at 1:25 a.m. No injuries were reported.
"The shops sustained heavy fire, water, and smoke damage Captain Spinney said. Cause of the blaze is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal's office. The building is the former Osborn garage, also known as Kidder's Garage, and is owned by George Kalos and Howard Hall. Loss has been set at $200,000.
"The fire was discovered by police Officer Scott Ubele patrolling the area. Eight small businesses were destroyed: Angela's Sandwich Shop, the Cobbler Hut, J.E. Tax Accountants, H&H Painting, Bond Security, Center Realty, Rose Beauty Salon and Easy Housekeeping Shop."
"Centre Mall rising from the ashes"
"By MICHAEL O'CONNELL Sun Staff
"CHELMSFORD - As he watched his seven-store Centre Mall building go up in flames, George Kalos prepared for the worst.
"'I really thought, at first, it's over, it's going to be a parking lot,' the Chelmsford contractor said.
"But then he got to thinking: The December 1987 fire didn't level the 75-year-old Chelmsford Center building altogether. Insurance would cover about two-thirds of the costs to rebuild the building as it was.
"Why not rebuild the ramshackle facility to look a little better than it used to?
"One year later, the Centre Mall's reconstruction is well under way. 'It's a big relief now,' Kalos said, looking proudly at his partially restored building from across busy Central Square. 'Now we've got something new, something much better.' The building owner said he is shooting to complete renovations and open the building for tenants by early to mid-February.
"Kalos, who shortened his name years ago from Kalogeropoulas, is starting over financially with the Centre Mall building. His family had just finished paying off the building's mortgage when the fire hit. Insurance covered $230,000. He figured the fire did about $320,000 worth of damage. He said he expects to spend about $450,000 on general rehab and various improvements.
"Kalos is making improvements to the building's interior and exterior. Inside, he is putting in new heating systems, firewalls, insulation and central air conditioning. He also has redesigned the interior, replacing the long hallway with more store space and adding exterior doors to each store unit. Outside, he has taken down a piece of clapboard manse to expose a brick surface underneath bearing the building's birthdate, "1922." He has added to the red brick columns matching brick bases and new white clapboard surrounding new thermal pane windows.
"New tenants - When the building reopens, Kalos will start with new tenants. Six tenants - The Rose hair salon, Easy Housekeeping vacuum sales and repair, Janet's Dance Studio, the J A Tax accountant, and Kalos' Center Realty and Cobbler Hut businesses have moved to new locations. Kalos is negotiating with the seventh tenant, the Angela's restaurant, about returning to Chelmsford Center.
"Kalos will bring his combination Center Realty / K Construction office back to the mall. Other tenants, he said, could include a video store, a carpeting store and any other retail uses that might be interested.
"Kalos himself has done other building work through his K Construction business. Most of it has been in single-family housing in southern New Hampshire, Methuen and Westford. He also has rebuilt the old depot freight building across Central Square where he moved the Cobbler Hut after the fire."
- 1989 - The reconstructed building was open for business again by February 23 with separate entrances for businesses on the Town Hall side as seen below, and an interior corridor removed to make more space for those businesses.
" By Rick Lombardi, Staff Writer - Customers of West Coast Video are probably accustomed to picking out the video store by the flashing lights strung around the windows of the Center Mall building. But back on July 1, those lights went out for good — another victory for the Historic District Commission.
"The HDC asked Middlesex Superior Court to rule on the appropriateness of the video store lights In an historic district. Middlesex Superior Court Judge Paul Chernoff Issued a ruling in June that said the Historic District Commission has Jurisdiction over what type of lights the video store can install. Chernoff said the lights are 'exterior architectural features,' within the meaning of state law giving jurisdiction to historical commissions ..."
- 2010 - Haward Hall resigned as Trustee of the Centre Mall Realty Trust on August 6 (resignation 24165/176).
- George Kalos was certified as sole Trustee of the Centre Mall Realty Trust on August 10 (certificate 24165/179).
- 2011 - Michael R Brown and Charles D Micol, Trustees of the Central Square Trust, purchased the 0.46 acre railroad freight house property from the Centre Mall Realty Trust, on August 1 (deed 25144/150).
- This 2020 image shows the Brickhouse Center Sports Grill in the former freight house.
- 2017 - K Ventures LLC of Chelmsford purchased 59-Central Square (Parcel 1) and the 23 x 180 ft parking strip (Parcel 2) from George Kalos, sole original Trustee of the Centre Mall Realty Trust, on March 8 (deed 30963/151).
- 2019 - Michael Brown and Charles Micol, Trustees of the Center Mall Trust purchased the above Parcels 1 and 2 from K Ventures LLC on January 16 (deed 32714/173).
- 2023 - According to the Center Village Business Listing on the town website, suites are addressed at 61-Central Square and numbered clockwise starting at the front right. The front suites seen below were: #1 Infinity Nails & Spa, #2 Amanda Trahan Photography.
- The side suites seen below in 2023 were: #3 Deluxe Hair Studios, #4 King Chiropractic Massage, #5 Shake-O-Holic, #6 Yoong Tong II Thai Restaurant, #7 Graze Chelmsford.
- All photos labeled (colorized) are black and white images edited by Fred Merriam
- Book, Arcadia Publishing, "Images of America, Chelmsford Revisited" by Fred Merriam
- Book, Courier Printing, "History of Chelmsford 1910-1970" by Eleanor Parkhurst and Fred Merriam
- Cemetery Records, Town of Chelmsford
- Deeds, Middlesex North Registry, as listed
- Directories, Chelmsford Historical Society website, Media-Directories page
- GIS Mapping, Town of Chelmsford website
- Google Earth Pro, as listed
- Listing, Center Village Businesses, Town of Chelmsford website
- Newspaper, Chelmsford Independent, as credited
- Newspaper, Chelmsford Newsweekly, as credited
- Newspaper, Chelmsford Sentinel, as credited
- Newspaper, The Lowell Sun, as credited
- Photo collection, Chelmsford Fire Department
- Photo collection, Chelmsford Historical Society
- Photo collection, David Brow, Dunstable
- Photo collection, Eric Johnson, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Fred Merriam, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, David Haney, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Linda Prescott, Chelmsford
- Photo collection, Westford Historical Society
- State Inventory #243, Chelmsford Historical Commission