Beneath the bustle of Waltham City Hall and all the business that unfolds there one can find pieces of the community’s history preserved for future generations in the little-known City Hall Museum.
The museum is not marked by banners or fanfare, and the only online mention of its existence is an announcement of its Feb. 16, 2023, opening.
The museum is only open four hours a week, or by appointment through the Mayor’s Office.
Inside, the museum feels less like a curated collection and more like the attic of a city that never quite wanted to throw anything away. Exhibits are filled with donations given by Waltham residents over the years.
These donations were once scattered across different storage spaces. However, Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy, the museum’s creator, consolidated the items and moved them in early 2023 to the City Hall basement after it was renovated following a flood in 2022.
Thus far, every item that had been donated to the city is on display.
“I’m always trying to bring in something new and something old,” McCarthy explained.
The City Council votes on what donations to accept, but the mayor has the final say on what items are displayed in the museum.
There are mannequins draped in vintage dresses once worn by 90-year-old fashion designer Yolanda Cellucci, owner of Yolanda’s, a renowned fashion and bridal boutique on Waverly Oaks Road that closed in 2009. Hanging on the wall are the suits she designed for McCarthy and her mother to wear to the mayor’s first inauguration.
There are relics from the Grover Cronin department store that once filled up an entire Moody Street block. The store’s green velvet Santa Claus chair, where untold numbers of Waltham children sat for their Christmas pictures, is on display.
The museum also has the original red velvet seats and chandelier from the old Embassy Theater, where generations of Waltham residents watched their first movies.
Local artists Donna and Shawn Laswell volunteered their time and resources to recreate historical artifacts, such as Cronin’s Nativity Scene, for the museum.
Paula Landry, the museum’s manager, brings the items’ history to life when guiding visitors through the exhibits.
Landry, whose Waltham ties date back six generations, makes walking through the museum seem like flipping through an old family album. She remembers everything from who owned local shops to those who marched in the parades. An X-ray technician for 30 years at the former Waltham Hospital, Landry was instrumental in curating the hospital exhibit. The exhibit also includes displays of X-rays she took.
Landry said the majority of the museum’s visitors are senior citizens from Waltham. “It’s all the places they grew up and knew,” she said.
Landry reflected on changes in the city, noting that “You used to know everybody, and now you don’t.”
Some longtime residents of the city are upset by how much Waltham has changed, but McCarthy, a Waltham native for 72 years, accepts that change is inevitable: “It was never going to be the Waltham [we] grew up in,” she said.
Authors
Comments (6)
Comments are closed.
It seems odd to put a museum with what are supposed to be historic items in a space that was flooded as recently as 2022. I’m wondering what precautions have been taken to prevent another flood.
Incidentally, people who are interested in this museum might also be interested in the small Waltham Museum. https://walthammuseum.org/ I have no connection except for having visited it.
Probably everyone reading this knows about the Charles River Museum of Industry. If not, here’s their URL: https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/ A bit of a different focus, but if you like old gadgets, such as watches, cars, and bicycles, or the history of industrialization, check it out. They have various events, not all of them like the robot battles scheduled for this Saturday.
Very nice intro to an exhibit I never knew existed. Would have been informative to include which 4 hours the exhibit is open each week.
I clicked on the link to the announcement. At that time, hours were Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 to 1
As a life-long resident of Waltham, Class of ’65, I was not aware of this interesting collection of parts of Waltham history. I appreciate the interesting article which is enhanced by the photographs. Mayor McCarthy pointed out, the same Waltham we knew could not remain forever. Well-loved Moody Street along which young people formerly strolled on a Friday or Saturday night with boys in cars driving up and down was one of the places in which to be. Another place was roller skating at the Wal-Lex roller skating rink and bowling just next door. I am just as pleased with Waltham today as a city where everybody fits.
Ellie Lyman
Correction to my previous post: I need to include Brianna and Anika in my praise and thank you!!!! Thank all of you for this wonderful article!
Thank you, Carol, for bringing a spotlight to the Mayors Museum Room at City Hall! It truly is a hidden time capsule and a gem, thanks to our Mayor, Jeannette McCarthy! Her love of Waltham and its illustrious history is highlighted in this fabulous collection of memories and memorabilia. I am especially grateful for our Mayor giving me and my son, Shawn Laswell, the opportunity to once again contribute our time and talent to her vision and the city. Thank you, Mayor McCarthy, Carol and The Waltham Times for shining a spotlight on The Waltham City Hall Museum Room!