Broomstones Curling Club

Wayland, MA, 1968, by The Architects Collaborative (TAC)

Tucked in the woods of Wayland is this unassuming modern cabin-like structure, but hidden inside is the beautiful home of the Broomstones Curling Club. The building was commissioned after both the Wellesley and Weston Country clubs rejected petitions to include a rink in their facilities. The new four sheet rink would be designed by Chip Harkness and Herb Gallagher, architects at the famed Architects Collaborative who were returning to Wayland after their award-winning work on the town’s high school only seven years before.

The building is a modest structure, housing only the sheets and a two story loft space known in curling as their ‘Warm Room’. This space, like much of the building, is coated in wood, giving the structure a very warm, cabin-like feel. The second floor houses a collection of rec room style games and couches while the first floor houses a small bar and a fireplace celebrating the history of the club. These spaces would be used while ’stacking the brooms’ with the opposing team after a match, a curling tradition where opposing teams would get together for drinks and games after a match. I was lucky enough to learn about these traditions because I met with the Ice Technician for the Broomstones Club who allowed me to look around and who explained the building to me. It was a wonderful reminder that architecture is only as successful as how well it serves the people who use it and this club certainly felt well loved.

Sources:

The Architects Collaborative Archive
The Broomstones Curling Club