After nearly four years dark, the historic former railroad station beside the Newton Centre Green Line stop (70 Union Street) is set to become a restaurant again. The new restaurant will be another Lockheart, like the southwestern-style taco-and-cocktails spot of that name in Wellesley, according to Newton permit and licensing records.
The 19th-century station last held a restaurant when Jamie’s on Union closed in 2022. It had replaced the long-running Deluxe Station Diner in 2020 under the same ownership. The MBTA sold the building in 2012, and the building changed hands again last year.
A full interior buildout has been underway since early 2024, including a demolition permit that January, a roughly $1.2 million restaurant fit-out that March, and in June 2026, a fire-protection system acceptance test, which is typically one of the last steps before opening. The plans describe 86 indoor seats, a seasonal patio, and restaurant hours running as late as 1AM.
The names behind it
An application for a liquor, common victualler, and entertainment license was filed in April by Union Depot LLC, doing business as Lockheart. The application lists the owners as Anthony Killough (the company’s manager), Mark Hicklin (a partner in the Wellesley Lockheart), Aaron Chamberland, Ruben Garza, and two investment firms. A company that Killough manages (70 Union LLC) bought the station building for about $2 million in September 2025.
One name associated with the project is not on that ownership list. A June 11 Newton fire-safety filing for the building names Derek Brady (founder and owner of Lockheart in Wellesley) as the property owner and emergency contact. Brady owned The Draft Bar and Grille in Allston, which shut down in January 2026 after its liquor license was revoked. He previously worked with Killough as manager of Centre Group, LLC, which ran the Union Street Restaurant in Newton Centre’s Piccadilly Square. By 2020, Brady was the sole manager of the Union Street Restaurant, and it closed in 2023.
As reported in the Swellesley Report, the Wellesley Select Board approved a license for the Wellesley Lockheart in 2021 after a lengthy discussion of concerns about violations of overcrowding and serving underage patrons in other bars associated with Brady. At that hearing, neighbors vouched for Brady’s commitment to the community and Brady characterized the proposed Wellesley Lockheart as very different from the other bars that had issues.
License conditionally approved
On June 16, the Board of License Commissioners voted 3–0 to approve the license, contingent on the applicants filing several outstanding items: a current TIPS alcohol-server certification, proof of insurance, workers’ compensation information, and a certificate of occupancy. The restaurant still needs approval from the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. The applicants’ attorney told the board they expect to open within weeks of that approval.
At the hearing, attorney Carolyn Conway described Lockheart as a family-oriented American bistro with a southwestern flair and an affordable menu, modeled on the Wellesley restaurant. She said the kitchen would serve until at least 10PM each night, and that the 1AM closing was mainly to accommodate occasions like World Cup or late West Coast baseball games. Mark Hicklin, the proposed manager of record and a 50% owner of the Wellesley Lockheart, told the board he had run that restaurant for four years with no violations. The applicants agreed to close the patio by 10PM.
Ed. Note. Fig City News has sought additional comment from Union Depot LLC on Brady’s involvement and will update this article with any response. This article was updated with the results of the licensing hearing.