Consider this: In 1870, Webster Street was just a line on a map (and called Euclid Street, then—it would not even be named Webster for another five years), while Park Street was paved, lined with gas lights, and about to build an opera house, which would join its complement of a three-story hotel, general store, public hall, and a well-trafficked train depot. It was “the smartest place in town;” it was “thoroughly modern.