Wellesley Hills' Two Washington Street Reopenings Kept Their Old Bones and Added Longer Hours

"You just don't see architectural details like this in your normal daily life anymore," interior designer Richard Eustice of Atlantic House, Ltd. said while walking through the restored Wellesley Hills Branch Library. "Libraries are one of the few places this kind of detail still exists."

He was describing a room that reopened on October 6. Three days later, on October 9, Maugus Cafe holds its grand reopening a short walk up Washington Street. The library was closed for four months, and Maugus has been in a soft opening since summer. Both came back under new stewardship or with new money, and both kept the features regulars recognize. What changes most for the neighborhood is the hours. Over the coming months, this part of Wellesley Hills will be open later than it has been in a long time.

Under the Carpet at 210 Washington Street

The Hills Branch closed on June 4, 2026 for an interior renovation meant to refresh the space while keeping its historic character. It reopened after four months. The Georgian Revival building at 210 Washington Street has been a library without interruption since March 20, 1928, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Massachusetts Historical Commission names Hampton Shirer as its architect.

The restoration mostly brought back what was already there:

• The plaster friezes. At some point over the decades they had been painted pink. They are now back to their original white, so the relief work stands out against the walls again.
• The reading tables. The main room's original tables are still in place, set on a new carpet with a tile pattern in Arts and Crafts colors.
• The floor beneath the floor. The library's original 16-by-16 cork tiles from 1928 are still there, directly under the new carpet.
• The light. The new overhead fixtures are hand-cast in bronze and alabaster by a Milwaukee firm that specializes in period fixtures. Eustice called them "not just mass-manufactured stuff."

Even the one purely new decorative piece copies something old. In August, the library trustees approved $3,450 in State Aid for a trompe l'oeil medallion over an outdated ceiling vent. It is painted to match the plaster frieze around the top of the room.

The Children's Room has the most visible change. It has new hardwood floors, with a large braided rug for story time on the way, and a storybook mural across the wall by Jason Sawtelle of BlackBeak Studios. Sawtelle also painted the 2018 murals at the Fells Branch. "The goal was to create a more welcoming environment for study and reading while preserving the building's history," said Wellesley Free Library Director Jamie Jurgensen.

The Third Time the Hills Branch Has Been Built on Gifts

This approach fits the building's history, because the Hills Branch has been rescued before. According to a 1928 Wellesley Townsman report, Isaac Sprague donated the land, the Wellesley Hills Women's Club furnished the Children's Room, and taxpayers appropriated $50,000 for the project. Sprague is also the namesake of Sprague Elementary and Sprague Clocktower Park.

In 2005, severe budget constraints closed the branch. Library supporters across town raised private donations, and it reopened in 2008.

This year followed the same pattern. The branch now runs mostly on taxpayer dollars plus private support, but the refresh needed more. Nancy Lee provided the seed money and major funding. A permanent plaque now credits her, next to a grandfather clock she gave the branch. Keith Higgins, the Wellesley Free Library Foundation, and many private donors also contributed significantly. The total project cost has not been published.

The building turns 100 in March 2028. Visitors who know about the 1928 cork tiles under the carpet will know they are standing on the floor from opening day.

Maugus Kept the Stools

Up the street at 300 Washington Street, across from Clock Tower Park, Maugus Cafe went further with its redesign but held on to its best-known pieces. The Wellesley Townsman dates the restaurant to 1937 and reported that the Papakonstantinou family owned it from 1982. That makes this its 89th year. A Select Board packet records the sale at the end of October 2025. The new owner is Kostas Saranteas. "We heard through family connections on the Maugus restaurant opportunity and jumped on it right away," he told the Swellesley Report.

Most of the work listed in the town application was infrastructure: a second unisex bathroom, better accessibility at the front door, a new grease trap, more multi-bay sinks, new flooring, and utility upgrades. Seating capacity was to stay the same. The October announcement calls the dining room and service area completely redesigned, with brand-new furnishings. Even so, the July visit from the Swellesley Report found the red carpet gone, while the counter stools and booths stayed. The back seating area still handles large groups. A new counter with stools now faces Washington Street, and umbrella-shaded tables sit outside.

The menu works the same way. The breakfast and lunch classics are still there, now with a Mediterranean slant. The Spanakopita Style Omelette, with spinach, feta and a phyllo crumble, is one of six omelettes. At lunch there is a Souvlaki Bowl with a lemon-herb chicken skewer, jasmine rice, Greek salad, tzatziki and pita. Coffee comes from Atomic Coffee Roasters, made on a new espresso machine. The Swellesley Report summed up the dining room in one line: "different, but familiar."

What Actually Changed Is the Hours

Both renovations held on to what regulars know, so the bigger change on this block is when you can use it.

Before this month, Maugus closed at 5 p.m. every day. It opened at 7 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30 a.m. on weekends. This week the Select Board approved amendments to its common victualler and all-alcohol licenses. The cafe can now operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. The license allows those hours, but the cafe hasn't started dinner yet. Maugus describes dinner on select days and some after-5 p.m. events as plans for the coming months.

The Hills Branch went back to its regular hours on October 7. The Hills Branch page lists those hours, which run until 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Until now, most of this stretch closed by late afternoon. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings the library's reading room is now open until 8. Once Maugus starts dinner, the counter that has been serving breakfast since the 1930s will be open past 5 for the first time.

Friday, October 9, on One Stretch of Washington Street

Friday brings several openings to the same few blocks:

1. 10 a.m., Maugus Cafe. The grand reopening starts with free coffee and 50% off a specially curated menu. The cafe postponed the celebration from its summer soft opening until school was back in session.
2. 10 a.m., Wellesley Hills Congregational Church. The pumpkin patch opens at 207 Washington St. for its 23rd year. It runs daily through October 31.
3. Until 5 p.m., the Hills Branch. The Children's Room mural, the white friezes and the bronze-and-alabaster lights are all open to see. The Swellesley Report noted that chairs for the round reading tables were still on the way at reopening.

If you miss Friday, Tuesday is the next late night at the library. The reading room is open until 8, with the original 1928 tables under the new lights.

Here at The Lara and Chelsea Collaborative, we know the Wellesley Hills stretch of Washington Street as well as the homes around it, including which details last through a renovation and why they matter to people who live nearby. If you own a home in the Hills and are thinking about how to present it, Request a Private Consultation, and we'll talk about the neighborhood that comes with your address.