A coffee cup hints at how much time has passed since the Arlington Heights bus depot’s last occupancy.
Sitting at the edge of the checkout counter, the disposable takeout cup has faded from vibrant red to pink thanks to years of sunlight that has streamed in from the building’s tall, rectangular windows.
Soon this cup will find its resting spot in the trash.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is seeking bids for a retail lease of the depot at 1389 Mass. Ave. The MBTA has suggested a minimum annual lease fee of $24,000 for the 800-square-foot space. (Bids were due on April 25.)
On 3 bus routes
The building is on three bus routes, with the Route 77 now running every 15 minutes, making it an attractive spot for a business.
The simple utilitarian building, which houses a lounge and restrooms for bus drivers, doesn’t have any historical significance. The site has been called the turnaround and bus barn over the years, locals say, because of how the area was used in the past.
It was built around 1955 – no one seems quite sure of the exact date – and has long served as a place to buy food, drinks and find shelter from the weather. A small lunch counter was the main event under the original tenants.
“They served hot dogs, burgers, sodas and ice cream. Root beer float,” one person wrote on Facebook in response to a post asking for memories of 1389 Mass. Ave. “I miss it.”
Not much more is known about the original tenant, including when the business shut down
The depot’s recorded history picks back up again in September 2008, when over two dozen students from Dearborn Academy designed and painted Arlington’s first mural there. Under the direction of artist Tova Speter, the mural celebrated the town’s past and present, with images of Paul Revere’s ride, Old Schwamb Mill, the Minuteman Bike Path and Spy Pond.
The mural met its demise less than five years later. Thanks to miscommunications and a failure to recognize its importance, the mural was destroyed during renovations for The Right Stop, a convenience store that was moving in.
Right Stop, mural
A contractor created holes in the back entrance for four windows and a door. The Right Stop’s owner, Kevin E. Foreman, who is blind, told YourArlington in 2013 that he couldn’t see the mural and no one brought it to his attention.
Foreman said his shop was the first to open under a state program aimed at aiding disabled people. Foreman, who lost 90 percent of his sight after a building accident over two decades ago, made his store accessible by featuring equipment that digitally translated product codes into audible words.
Eventually, The Right Stop closed, too.
The retail side of the building has since remained untouched. Mismatched curtains of different patterns and shades conceal the movements of MBTA bus drivers as they use the bathroom and break room.
Call for artists
Last fall, the MBTA put out a call for artists to revitalize the building with a mural, but the project was paused after lead was discovered in paint peeling off the roof.
Now the community is eager to see a new business move in.
“From the town’s point of view, anything would be great,” said Katie Luczai, Arlington’s economic development coordinator. “We’d really just like to see some TLC be put back into that space, since it’s been a while and it’s not looking the best.”
Some Arlington residents had more specific ideas.
A store of things for left-handed people, a dog training center, an ice cream parlor and a rotation of food trucks are a few suggestions made by residents in Facebook posts.
Despite the enthusiasm for a new business there, the cost of renovating the space could prove challenging. Luczai said she believes that construction and rehabilitation will take more than the $50,000 allowance that the MBTA is offering.
“It would be a huge challenge for a very local, small business,” Luczai said. “That’s why you see a lot of them being filled by Dunkin’ and CVS, because they have capital resources.”
The MBTA plans to select the winning bidder within 30 days after April 25. Once the lease is executed, the MBTA expects renovations to take up to six months.
This story, published April 25, 2025, is part of a partnership between YourArlington and the Boston University Department of Journalism.