The stone station beside the Newton Centre Green Line stop has its lights on again in the evenings. It was built for the Boston & Albany railroad and finished in 1890 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. H.H. Richardson drew the schematic designs, and his successor firm, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, carried them out, according to the City of Newton's heritage report. The building at 70 Union Street now houses Lockheart. It opened this fall, a few weeks before the pilot plaza across the Langley Lot closed on October 31.
That timing means this winter, Newton Centre's main gathering place is indoors again, inside a Richardson-designed railroad landmark. The outdoor room the City built in a parking lot is gone.
Four years dark, then a September opening
The station held a restaurant for about a decade before 2022, so the long gap stood out. Here is how the building got from its last tenant to its current one:
- Before 2010: Starbucks occupied the building as a subtenant of the long-term MBTA lessee. A 2010 city report says that arrangement had ended "until recently."
- 2010: The City approved a 90-seat Deluxe Station Diner. A later city order says a restaurant had operated on the site since 2012.
- 2020: Jamie's on Union took over from Deluxe under the same ownership, and Boston Restaurant Talk reported it open that September.
- August 2022: Jamie's on Union served its final meals, as Boston Restaurant Talk reported.
- January 2024 to June 2026: Fig City News followed a long build-out. Demolition started in January 2024, a fit-out of about $1.2 million followed in March 2024, the property sold in September 2025, and the fire system passed its acceptance test in June 2026.
- June 16, 2026: Newton's Board of License Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve Lockheart's liquor, common victualler and entertainment licenses, subject to final paperwork.
- August 18, 2026: Fig City News reported that the restaurant was still waiting for state approval. The applicants' attorney expected it to open "a few weeks hopefully" after that approval came through.
- By September 30, 2026: Wicked Local reported Lockheart open and said the building had "come back to life after four years of vacancy."
From the last meal at Jamie's to Lockheart's opening is just over four years. For most of that time, the station was a dark storefront at the busiest corner of the village.
What the station holds now
Lockheart started in Wellesley in 2022, according to Wicked Local. The Newton restaurant is its second, run by Union Depot LLC. Mark Hicklin, a partner in the Wellesley restaurant, is one of the owners. At its June 16 licensing hearing, the restaurant described itself as a family-oriented American bistro with Southwestern flair. Hicklin described the goal to Wicked Local this way:
"Lockheart is, I'd like to say, a place for everybody. We want people to feel comfortable walking in the door."
Boston Restaurant Talk reported plans for 86 seats inside and nine outside on a seasonal patio. For the cold months, that makes the dining room the main event. The current menu is built around tacos, including chicken tinga, short-rib birria, rib-eye and tuna poke, plus shareable starters, bowls and larger plates. The restaurant takes reservations through OpenTable. In early November its website still listed weekend brunch as "coming soon." Before a late visit, check kitchen and bar hours with the restaurant.
The plaza that held the role in the meantime
During those dark years, Newton Centre's outdoor gathering space was the pilot plaza, about 8,000 square feet, built in the Langley Lot. Last December 4, carolers at the Holiday Shop & Stroll sang there, as the City's plaza page shows. According to Fig City News, the pilot officially ended on October 31.
The plaza took up 24 spaces in the Langley Lot. To offset that, the City moved 16 spaces that had been closed to the public, including 12 employee-only spots, 2 Zipcar spots and a Bluebike station. Employee parking went to Centre Street, the Zipcars to Lyman Street and the Bluebike station to Herrick Road. That freed those 16 spaces for public use, so the lot's net loss was 8 spaces. Josh Morse, the City's Chief Operating Officer, said drivers will get the 24 plaza spaces back once all the pilot elements are removed.
The plaza's future is a separate question. At an October 29 community meeting, Morse said the City had heard "a pretty strong response" in favor of a "centralized gathering space in the heart of Newton Centre." He also said the City is "remaining open-minded to potential locations" within the village. More public meetings are planned, but none has been scheduled. Gloria Gavris, who chairs Spark Newton, gave a wish list for a permanent version: a raised platform for performances, better lighting and easier access to electricity. Others at the meeting asked for a water fountain and bike racks.
With 86 seats inside, the station is the newest place in the village center to sit down with neighbors this winter.
A short walk out from 70 Union Street
The blocks around the station have also changed over the past year, as Fig City News's August dining roundup noted. From Lockheart's door, it's a short walk to all of these:
- Tess, 91 Union Street. A clothing boutique in the storefront that used to hold Sweet Dream, the chocolate and pastry shop that opened in 2024. Its location page lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., so it's an afternoon stop before dinner.
- Tea22, 212 Sumner Street. A tea house serving Thai tea, Thai coffee, bubble teas and slushes. It opened softly in June in the former Pon de Joy space, the mochi donut shop that arrived in February 2023.
- Something Sweet, 1280 Centre Street, Suite 8. Upstairs from Rosenfeld Bagel, with nostalgic and Swedish candies and chocolates. The shop also hosts birthday parties and in-store events.
- Formosa Bun & Dumpling Factory, 740A Beacon Street. It held its grand opening on March 28 and is a short walk up Beacon Street.
Taken together, these make a full winter afternoon within walking distance of the station: a boutique on Union Street, Thai tea on Sumner, candy upstairs on Centre, and dumplings on Beacon.
The December calendar beyond the village
The biggest indoor event of the season is at City Hall. Mayor Laredo's Holiday Mini Golf runs December 4 through 6. It's an 18-hole course through the City Council chambers and the War Memorial auditorium, ending in the mayor's office with light refreshments. Tee times are as follows:
- Friday, December 4: 6 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, December 5: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Sunday, December 6: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Admission is a new, unwrapped gift for a child from newborn to age 10. The gifts go to the Holiday Gift Drive, sponsored by The Village Bank with the City's Department of Health and Human Services. Groups can have up to ten golfers, and live music plays all weekend in the War Memorial auditorium. Players book a tee time online. If you can't play, you can drop a gift in the City Hall rotunda the week of November 23 or at any Village Bank branch in Newton.
Spark Newton's calendar has two more dates. Zamir holds a community sing on Sunday, November 22, with no auditions and no experience needed. On Monday, December 7, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston hosts a holiday program for the community.
I follow how places like the Union Street station fit into daily life in Newton Centre, and how they shape the homes around them. If you're weighing what this fall's changes in the village center mean for your own property, Robin Allen is glad to talk it through. Request a private consultation.
