Mar 01, 2025
Recent news about the potential for the DeVasto Block building at 456 Main Street to be placed on the market, has prompted non-profit Zullo Gallery supporters to find a way to secure the gallery space as a permanent home.
The DeVasto Block, with a jewelry shop, barber and pizza shop on the first floor, and the Zullo Gallery above, is in the Town Center Historic District. The building is separately owned from Brother’s Marketplace (formerly Lord’s Department Store).
While town assessor records indicate the DeVasto Block was built around 1900, other records lead one to believe the building is much older.
In a 2011 Medfield Patch article by Town Historian Richard DeSorgher, he notes that during stagecoach days, the land where the DeVasto Building now stands was used as a stable for the former Clark Tavern.
“This was the place for the changing of horses, with a fresh team attached to the stage coming from and going to Boston,” DeSorgher writes. He further explains the stable was later moved to make way for commercial use.
Building relocated from North Street
What appears to be a little-known fact among residents, including some Medfield history buffs, is that the current DeVasto Block building was originally located at 55-57 North Street, opposite today’s post office. The entire building was moved to its Main Street sometime in the 1800s.
In its original location, the building once housed a tailor, which was later used as a woman’s clothing shop, according to DeSorgher. He further explains that it was bought by Thomas L. Barney, who led the building relocation. Barney was a Medfield businessman well known for moving a variety of structures around town.
At one point in 1883, the Medfield primary school took up space on the first floor of the Main Street building due to overcrowded conditions at the old Centre School on Pleasant Street.
Among the longest owners and residents of the building was the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Moses Ellis Post 117, which bought it in 1890. It was there that G.A.R would operate for decades to forge a sense of community among Civil War veterans, help them find jobs, and foster political unity and civic engagement.
The original G.A.R headquarters was comprised of two main halls, according to the American Legion Beckwith Post 110 website. The first-floor hall was used for G.A.R banquets and dinners, while the upper hall was used for meetings.
New uses arise as times change
Around 1928, Frank and Mary DeVasto took ownership of the building, and held onto it for 18 years, according to deed records.
In 1946, Alfredo and Julia Zullo purchased the building from the DeVasto family.
DeSorgher writes, “Over the years, the building was used for a variety of businesses including The First National Store, Fayo’s pizza/sub shop, real estate offices, Periwinkle’s Aquarium.”
In 1988, Medfield arts supporters approached the Zullo family about renting the second floor of the DeVasto Block building. It had been vacant for a time, and the Zullos did not have a use for it, so the family agreed to rent the space to Zullo Gallery founders for just $200 a month.
With co-founder Bill Pope leading the effort, and with Medfield Council of the Arts behind it, the Zullo Gallery Center for the Arts Charitable Trust was established as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization with the mission of advancing arts and culture in the area. Art exhibits, art classes and live music were among the chief offerings. And as a way to establish deeper community roots, the Zullo also provided a gathering space for the community.
In 2000, the DeVasto Block building changed hands from the Julia Zullo estate to the Ciampa family. Even so, the reasonable rents for the non-profit Zullo Gallery continued, allowing the Zullo Gallery to carry on its non-profit mission.
In 2015, two years after Lord’s Department Store closed and changed ownership, the Ciampa family sold the adjacent DeVasto Block building to Rectrix LLC, owned by a Medfield family.
Aiming for a permanent downtown home
Today, after 37 years of pursuing its mission, the Zullo Gallery Center for the Arts is considered a treasured cultural institution in the heart of downtown Medfield – a historic location where the gallery hopes to secure its permanent future to benefit future generations. Time will tell if the dream is achieved.
(In addition to her recent role on Medfield Historical Society board, Chris McCue Potts has served on the Zullo Gallery board of advisors for about 15 years.)