Local News

Brighton neighborhood mourns felling of massive Oak Square tree

Locals place blame on developers for cutting down the urban trees.

February 11, 2022

2 minutes to read

Residents of Brighton’s Oak Square neighborhood are mourning the loss of a giant Washington Street tree, which was recently cut down by a developer, according to residents.

Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents Brighton and Allston, recently shared that a developer removed the enormous and beloved tree from the Oak Square neighborhood.

“It is with great sadness that I learned that this beautiful ‘heritage beech tree’ was felled today by the developer of the Our Lady of Presentation site on Washington Street,” Breadon wrote on Facebook on Feb. 7. “This tree is like a 150-year-old friend to the neighborhood. Gone forever.”

The councilor’s post garnered a strong response from the public, with nearly 40 commenters weighing in on the tree’s departure. One local called the news “devastating” and another remarked that it was their favorite tree in town.

“It really makes me unhappy to see all of the trees being cut in Brighton,” said Renee Shapiro. Another person, Brenda Pizzo, simply said, “Well that’s a damn shame.”

Another commenter, Mimi Adkins, shamed developers for removing local trees.

“Developers are ruining our town,” she wrote. “I had a feeling as soon as I saw the fencing that they would immediately kill the trees. Shame on city planners and governance for allowing such travesties. And the biggest shame goes on developers who only care about profit.”

Commenters discussed rallying at 10 a.m. on Saturday to protest the removal of the tree.

Peter Davos of Davos Construction, said in a statement that his team researched the trees on the property and tried to find a way to keep the beech tree while still building on the site.

“We were unable to find a way. Previous plans for development would not allow that either, despite everyone’s best intentions to do so,” said Davos, a Boston resident.

He pointed out that the two Washington Street properties — previously owned by St. John’s Seminary and the Archdiocese of Boston, at 680 Washington St. and 710 Washington St. — are long-vacant and not a credit to the neighborhood “in their current distressed conditions,” according to the statement.

“Redeveloped creatively, they have the potential to help Boston’s critical housing shortage,” he said. “Our plans will fit in and be in keeping with and a credit to the neighborhood, and I look forward to sitting down with the community to present our plans for both parcels and to hear and consider neighbors’ views.”

Davos said he has maintained good relations with neighbors and abutters on his previous projects, through five administrations at City Hall. He said he looks forward to “conversations on those plans with all who care about the community.”

“Our plans for both sites, which we hope to complete and present soon with our talented design team, will be less dense than any previous concept, retain the historic Church structure, and provide all necessary parking on site,” he said.