NRR chamber celebrates history at Revere site

A view of the Paul Revere Heritage Site on the evening of the chamber anniversary event. (Candace Paris photo)

The Paul Revere Heritage Site hosted its first ever event recently — a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Neponset River Regional Chamber. The site has been under development since finally receiving approval in 2015 after a lengthy rezoning effort.

The chamber event was held on Thursday evening, September 19. Some construction delays meant that it was held in a tent instead of in the new restaurant, as originally planned, but a celebratory mood prevailed, with a clear sky and setting sun highlighting the historic copper rolling mill and draft horse barn. Thick grass covers the slopes now and young trees dot the landscape, creating a pastoral atmosphere and erasing the site’s previous industrial wasteland look.

Arriving chamber members and friends were greeted by the festive sounds of the Canton High School Jazz Band. Students at Blue Hills Regional Technical School had also contributed to the evening by designing and constructing the exhibit of poster boards summarizing the chamber’s 125 years, including highlights of American history. Thomas O’Rourke, president and CEO of the chamber, said, “We really wanted to involve the community.”

The event featured drinks, hors d’oeuvres catered by Northern Spy, the new restaurant that will be opening on site, and a short program. After being introduced by O’Rourke, Chamber Chair Alisia St. Florian made some short remarks, thanking the event sponsors, organizers, and board members. Victor Del Vecchio, retired attorney, former longtime Canton selectman, and chair of the Paul Revere Heritage Commission, then sketched the history of the site, explaining that the barn is slated to become a museum with a focus on entrepreneurship.

The chamber originated as the Norwood Business Association and has gone through several name changes since. It serves businesses of all sizes in the Neponset River watershed: Canton, Dedham, Foxboro, Medfield, Milton, Norfolk, Norwood, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood, and surrounding towns. Among other activities, it offers networking, volunteering opportunities, and member-to-member discounts.

O’Rourke said the approximately 150 attendees were mostly members, including “a lot of people who were involved years ago — folks that we haven’t seen in a long time came to celebrate with us.” He said people were “overwhelmingly positive” about the venue and were “really impressed.” He praised the town of Canton as an “excellent partner” and also commented on the very positive feedback on the food (“a little different from what is typical”) and the high school musicians. “They were terrific,” he said.

David Beller, partner and co-owner of Northern Spy, explained that the restaurant’s name is taken both from the heirloom apple but is also a play on Paul Revere, a spy from the North (End). He said that the restaurant will definitely be open by New Year’s and that “building restaurants takes time, and building in a historical building takes longer.”

Del Vecchio commented that attracting the chamber event is recognition of what Canton has achieved. “I am just delighted with the progress,” he said. “It’s not hard to remember where we were 10 years ago when it was a contaminated industrial wasteland.”

Del Vecchio added, “We’ve been fortunate to have had so many volunteers whose hard work and creativity have helped with projects like exhibit space and grant writing.”

He also said that the commission still needs help to achieve its remaining priorities of completing the mill renovation for the restaurant, designing and implementing the plan for the second floor of the mill exhibit space, (Preview Room), and designing the museum. Del Vecchio said that the commission is currently discussing the longer-term formation of a quasi public-private, nonprofit organization. He encouraged anyone interested in helping with these projects to reach out to the Board of Selectmen.

For more information about the Neponset River Regional Chamber, go to www.nrrchamber.com.

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Posted by Candace Paris on Sep 27 2019. Filed under Canton History, News. Both comments and pings are currently closed.