Demolition of Caruso’s Building Begins Redevelopment of Key Main Street Location
By Patrick DeVivo
Rendering of plans for 681-697 Main Street
After years of sitting shuttered and vacant, 681-697 Main Street, better known as the Caruso’s Pizza block, was razed this fall to make way for new development.
While some residents welcomed the removal of the unsightly structure from such a prominent location in the city, for other long-time Melrose residents, the building also called up memories of children’s birthday parties and soccer and Little League season-ending gatherings at Caruso’s, or countless ordinary weeknights taking the kids for one of Don Miguel Caruso’s signature Za Za pizzas as an easy dinner.
A new four-story building approved for the site, designed by KDI Architects, will offer commercial space on the first two floors, including restaurant space on the ground floor, and 16 studio or one-bedroom apartments on the third and fourth floors. The unusual footprint of the property, described by one of the architects as “shaped like a pork chop,” challenged the architects to come up with a design that would appropriately fit into the surrounding neighborhood.
The building will have no on-site parking, in part because of the shape of the lot and the desire for commercial space (rather than parking) on the first-floor. The culvert that runs under the lot precludes underground parking. The building is immediately adjacent to two municipal parking lots, although due to the location of the building and the small size of the units, developers predict that it may appeal to tenants who do not own cars. The city's Planning Board approved the final plan at its meeting in August.
The culvert beneath the Caruso’s building
Current site work involves demolishing the old building, which was completed last month, and repairing the culvert that runs beneath the property, carrying water from Ell Pond. This repair work is being done by the developer in conjunction with a state grant intended to assist developers with infrastructure challenges such as this one. While the first set of plans for the building, under a previous developer, called for relocating the culvert under Main Street, current plans for repairing the culvert where it is.
“The culvert work is estimated to take about 6-8 weeks,” said Developer Ted Lantzakis. “Construction of the new building should take about 18 months and be completed by the late summer or fall of 2027.”
In addition to running his restaurant, Caruso owned the entire block of buildings. After his passing in 2010, years of on-and-off efforts to resolve ownership of the block followed. The block also housed Pond View Barber Shop (now across the street at the rear of 786 Main), Morgan Jewelers (now 1100 Main Street in Wakefield), a nail salon, and a psychic. Once estate and ownership questions were finally resolved and the other businesses relocated, the project moved steadily forward.
Melrose has always been a city that values the past as it progresses toward a new future. While the old Caruso’s building will now exist only in old photographs and in the memories of countless Melrosians, the developers hope that the replacement will meet the commercial and residential needs of the community for years to come.
