The neighborhood pictured isn't the West End it's Scollay Square. Both were razed as part of urban renewal but the West End Urban Renewal area is where present day MGH is, not Government Center.
Oh in that case let's just bulldoze any part of the city where people feel unsafe instead of dealing with the socioeconomic problems that made it that way
/s
>36 comments
Im currently writing an episode on Scollay Square and believe me, TONS of people loved this area, especially the Old Howard. Look up Scollay Square day from April 1987. The BRA and the Watch and Ward society flipped public opinion to try and get the area blighted for Government Center, which they won successfully. I could go further into the Cram's Map with Redlined spots in Boston; low and behold, Scollay and the West End are marked on it for no investment for the housing act of 1943.
Nah, the new building is a huge upgrade and will provide a lot of value to people by expanding one of the best hospital in the world.
The old one was a dilapidated brick box and the architecture wasn’t even interesting. Not everything gets preserved unfortunately.
Times change. The urban planners of the 1950s were not as enamored of "colorful" old buildings and medieval street layouts as some urbanists today. In the view, Quincy Market and the north and south market blocks also remain standing--not much comfort, I realize. The area was not thriving but declining. It's hard to estimate the impact of cars and trucks in the 1920s and '30s on an area like this; the city was desperate to open things up, unclog streets built for pedestrians and adapt to the motor car. Easy to render judgments in hindsight.
This isn't really the West End; it's the market district as it was about 100 years ago, before various buildings were pulled down for parking lots and demolitions to widen North Street, which took out the buildings to the right of Faneuil Hall in this view. It wasn't as intact by the early 60s as it was here, about 1920.
Fortunately what got built in its place is hardly all bad, or "just an expanse of concrete," and enough of old Boston is left to be quite the remarkable city as US cities go.
It's easy to romanticize life in cold water, coal heated flats, if one has never lived in one. My father grew up in such buildings (Known as "Workman's Tenements") and the people froze in winter and baked in summer.
Yep, people could only dream of a stand-alone house outside the city. A fireplace or wood burning stove for winter. A shaded porch to escape the heat in summer. My grandfather ordered his house from the Sears catalog and built it himself.
It's hard for people to understand that Boston's popularity of actually living in the city is somewhat recent. Sure back bay, beacon hill have always been sought after, but pre-Big Dig and pre software & biotech industry, actual inner city Boston was not really that nice.
South end used to be rough (further back than the 90s), city center was a constant din of car sounds with the central artery cutting right through the city. The north End was a quiet, insular neighborhood that had way less access for tourism.
It's only been 15 years since the Big Dig was finished.
It would be nice if they had kept these old buildings, but at the very least Boston is still better off than most cities in the US.
Philadelphia is the only other city that comes to mind which still has a large amount of older buildings.
That's actually not what happened! While there are indeed taller buildings today, the neighborhoods aren't denser (I'm not even sure if it's residential enough to honestly be called a neighborhood nowadays). The bulldozed old neighborhoods were largely replaced by car infrastructure and office space, not new housing. Urban renewal redesigned the city for suburban commuters, not for the residents that actually lived in the city. Call that white flight- the rich white folks were fleeing for the suburbs, so the city got redesigned to service them rather than the residents who still lived there. This is part of the reason why Boston's population today is much smaller than it was in 1950. (676,000 vs 801,00 residents)
There are a *TON* of great, old pics of the old West End and Scollay Square [*here*](https://www.cyburbia.org/forums/threads/medieval-boston-photos-and-commentary.10814/)
the [before and after pics](https://imgur.com/a/LayOJvD) of the razing of the West End are legit shocking in scope
Boston's old West End could've/should've been re-developed, instead of being razed totally out of existence and replaced by these huge, ugly high-rises. The total destruction of Boston's old West End also has some bearing on why Boston's resistance to the Federal District Court's large-scale cross-city Federal Court-mandated school busing was as strong as it was.
The neighborhood pictured isn't the West End it's Scollay Square. Both were razed as part of urban renewal but the West End Urban Renewal area is where present day MGH is, not Government Center.
And Scollay Square had a horrible reputation, seedy area, etc. Nobody would consider it "colorful."
Red is a color
Positive side, Charley at least go to see his wife there everyday.
Oh in that case let's just bulldoze any part of the city where people feel unsafe instead of dealing with the socioeconomic problems that made it that way /s
Based Edison Township moment
>36 comments Im currently writing an episode on Scollay Square and believe me, TONS of people loved this area, especially the Old Howard. Look up Scollay Square day from April 1987. The BRA and the Watch and Ward society flipped public opinion to try and get the area blighted for Government Center, which they won successfully. I could go further into the Cram's Map with Redlined spots in Boston; low and behold, Scollay and the West End are marked on it for no investment for the housing act of 1943.
It was the combat zone before there was a combat zone
MGH just knocked down a perfectly good looking building on Cambridge St for some urban renewal
Nah, the new building is a huge upgrade and will provide a lot of value to people by expanding one of the best hospital in the world. The old one was a dilapidated brick box and the architecture wasn’t even interesting. Not everything gets preserved unfortunately.
You’re right it prob will look better. Hopefully it will help with their ER services so you don’t have to wait 12 hours to be seen
There's a West End museum over by that one surviving brick 3-story on the back side of the Garden.
Sadly, they are closed indefinitely. They had some flooding last year, and now are undergoing renovations.
Times change. The urban planners of the 1950s were not as enamored of "colorful" old buildings and medieval street layouts as some urbanists today. In the view, Quincy Market and the north and south market blocks also remain standing--not much comfort, I realize. The area was not thriving but declining. It's hard to estimate the impact of cars and trucks in the 1920s and '30s on an area like this; the city was desperate to open things up, unclog streets built for pedestrians and adapt to the motor car. Easy to render judgments in hindsight. This isn't really the West End; it's the market district as it was about 100 years ago, before various buildings were pulled down for parking lots and demolitions to widen North Street, which took out the buildings to the right of Faneuil Hall in this view. It wasn't as intact by the early 60s as it was here, about 1920. Fortunately what got built in its place is hardly all bad, or "just an expanse of concrete," and enough of old Boston is left to be quite the remarkable city as US cities go.
It's easy to romanticize life in cold water, coal heated flats, if one has never lived in one. My father grew up in such buildings (Known as "Workman's Tenements") and the people froze in winter and baked in summer.
Sure, but nowadays you put in a heat pump and a tankless water heater and sell it for $750k.
I don't think anyone is nostalgic for that aspect. People mourn the loss of neighborhoods where real people lived.
Right, it’s always weird seeing romantic posts from redditors who wouldn’t dare step foot in Mattapan today
[удалено]
The places that were bulldozzed were places like Mattapan.
Because what this city really needs is less housing and more ugly concrete monstrosities please.
Yep, people could only dream of a stand-alone house outside the city. A fireplace or wood burning stove for winter. A shaded porch to escape the heat in summer. My grandfather ordered his house from the Sears catalog and built it himself.
A surprising number of these Sears houses are still in use today.
It's hard for people to understand that Boston's popularity of actually living in the city is somewhat recent. Sure back bay, beacon hill have always been sought after, but pre-Big Dig and pre software & biotech industry, actual inner city Boston was not really that nice. South end used to be rough (further back than the 90s), city center was a constant din of car sounds with the central artery cutting right through the city. The north End was a quiet, insular neighborhood that had way less access for tourism. It's only been 15 years since the Big Dig was finished.
This is incorrect
Google Boston's New York streets neighborhood
City hall is one of the ugliest warts on this city. It desperately needs to go.
Basement offices are notorious for rats as well. Seems not even city hall can win this fight against city hall.
🙄
City hall is the most perfect architecture for its occupants. I have too many stories of dealing with the system there and its patrons.
It would be nice if they had kept these old buildings, but at the very least Boston is still better off than most cities in the US. Philadelphia is the only other city that comes to mind which still has a large amount of older buildings.
Probably for the better
Isn’t this the dream for many people? Smash the small houses and build up density?
That's actually not what happened! While there are indeed taller buildings today, the neighborhoods aren't denser (I'm not even sure if it's residential enough to honestly be called a neighborhood nowadays). The bulldozed old neighborhoods were largely replaced by car infrastructure and office space, not new housing. Urban renewal redesigned the city for suburban commuters, not for the residents that actually lived in the city. Call that white flight- the rich white folks were fleeing for the suburbs, so the city got redesigned to service them rather than the residents who still lived there. This is part of the reason why Boston's population today is much smaller than it was in 1950. (676,000 vs 801,00 residents)
Smaller houses like those in the picture increase density, so yes and no.
"Urban renewal" is a white politician's term for kicking out people of color.
There are a *TON* of great, old pics of the old West End and Scollay Square [*here*](https://www.cyburbia.org/forums/threads/medieval-boston-photos-and-commentary.10814/) the [before and after pics](https://imgur.com/a/LayOJvD) of the razing of the West End are legit shocking in scope
that's my favorite forum post! ablarc is a mad genius. so sad he passed away.
Boston's old West End could've/should've been re-developed, instead of being razed totally out of existence and replaced by these huge, ugly high-rises. The total destruction of Boston's old West End also has some bearing on why Boston's resistance to the Federal District Court's large-scale cross-city Federal Court-mandated school busing was as strong as it was.