It Happens Here: Brookline's Larz Anderson Car Museum is a trip back in time
BROOKLINE - There's a place in Brookline where you can go back in time and see first-hand some of the very first American automobiles.
The Larz Anderson Car Museum is said to be the oldest car collection in the country. It's nestled right in the middle of Larz Anderson Park, inside the Anderson's old carriage house garage.
"The first time I walked in here, I just felt it's like a time capsule," trustee Natalie Harrington told WBZ-TV.
She brought us on a tour of the rare collection intentionally left here by local couple Larz and Isabel Anderson for the world to see.
"I think they we're really thinking about wanting to have a legacy, wanting to have other people able to enjoy what they had," Harrington said.
And what they had was unlike anyone else of their time.
Isabel was the richest woman in America after inheriting millions in 1881. She and her husband Larz lived in Brookline and cars were their passion. The couple collected a total of 32 over the years and some they had specially built.
"So you can see from here it has a toilet, it also has a sink, it has a heating apparatus. It has a communication device that they could speak to the chauffeur up front," Harrington said, describing one of the unique cars. "It even has a bed that folds down from the bench."
From that first of its kind RV to a car that really couldn't go far from its' primitive charger, because there were no public charging stations back then.
Isabel's favorite was the 1908 Bailey Electric, according to Harrington. "It was Isabel's favorite because it's electric, so it was possible for her to drive on her own," she told WBZ.
But if you want speed, head upstairs to modern day Italy. The rotating exhibit is modern and beautiful. But if you want the real heart, its hidden down in the basement.
"This collection is unique in the world largely because it's unrestored and because it's a single owner collection, so none of these cars have ever belonged to anyone else. They're in their original home, completely untouched, so we're really lucky to have it right here in Brookline," Harrington said.
In the summer, the museum holds several car shows and outdoor events.
For more information, visit their website.
