William Chamberlain Strong (1823-1913), a businessman and developer, had a lasting impact on shaping what became the village of Waban. As an alderman and president of the Waban Improvement Society, he advocated for gas lines, street repairs, and wooden sidewalks in the neighborhood. He also helped secure the right-of-way for the train that served Waban. After helping to lay out Windsor Road, he sold house lots in the area. Realizing that the growing village would increase demand for retail establishments, he commissioned Bacon & Hill, an architectural firm whose principals lived in Waban, to design Strong’s Block of retail stores at 1641-1649 Beacon Street. The Dutch-style building was completed in 1897, with retail on the first floor and apartments on the upper floors. It is still in use today.

Strong was a successful horticulturalist. After his marriage to Mary Breck, the daughter of seed merchant Joseph Breck, he took over Breck’s nursery on Nonantum Hill. The Strongs set up their home nearby, purchasing the house of Horace Gray, another horticulturalist who had played a leading role in establishing the Boston Public Garden. On Nonantum Hill, Strong also built a greenhouse for his Nonantum Valley Nurseries. The Brighton Allston Historical Society post on Horticulture and Nonantum Hill tells more about this history. The Kenrick family also ran a nursery in the area. Their former home is now the Durant-Kenrick House and Grounds.

When the Strongs moved to the Waban area in 1875, they purchased 93 acres and the historic farmhouse on the corner of what is now Beacon Street and Windsor Road. This was one of the four original farms that met at what is now the village center. The property extended up Moffat Hill. Here Strong built extensive nurseries, with fruit trees on the southern slope. More level ground was devoted to hardy trees, shrubs, roses, and vines.

Strong served as president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and was a knowledgeable authority on raising fruit trees. He wrote several publications on the subject, among them are The Culture of the Grape (1867), and Fruit Culture and the Laying out and Management of a Country Home (1892).