Walking Tour Surveys Boston's West End, Old & New

Boston, MA—People interested in the history of Boston often ask, “What was the old West End like? How did it look: the streets, the people, the buildings?” On Saturday, May 21 from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., a presentation and walking tour—The West End Then & Now—aims to answer such questions. The tour will begin at The West End Museum with a short presentation followed by a walk through today’s West End up to the North Slope of Beacon Hill. Registration is required here.

The term ‘urban renewal’ has become synonymous with Boston’s West End. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, more than 50-acres of tenement housing was demolished under so-called “slum clearance” to make way for luxury high-rise buildings. More than 10,000 low-to-middle income residents were displaced from the neighborhood they called home and the community they loved.

​Some key architectural buildings were left intact, as was the north slope of Beacon Hill, which for hundreds of years, was known as West Boston and later, the West End.

This walking tour will focus on some notable remaining buildings north of Cambridge Street and their significance to the people of the West End over the last 200 years. Duane Lucia, curator of the West End Museum, will lead the tour.

About the West End Museum:
The West End Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of the West End  neighborhood. The Museum’s permanent exhibit, “The Last Tenement,” highlights the immigrant history of the neighborhood through its decimation under Urban Renewal in 1959; two additional galleries feature rotating exhibits. The Museum is located  near North Station at 150 Staniford St. Suite 7. Hours: Tuesday – Friday 12:00pm – 5:00pm; Saturday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Admission is free.