October 2022 Newsletter

Hello Friends of The WEM,

As always seems to be the case, it’s been a hectic few months at The WEM. The difference this time, thankfully, is that most things have been positive.

First, and most importantly, Bob Potenza (see the article below) and I are both now full-time employees. This marks a massive shift for the Museum, which transitioned from all-volunteer to hiring its first contract employee – me – in 2020. The shift represents a new degree of stability for the Museum. I am already seeing my own work improve through conversations and cooperation with Bob, and I’m really excited to see how he is able to further elevate the Museum’s ability to meet its mission. He’s certainly been an invaluable partner thus far.

Secondly, I am looking forward to a tentative reopening in the spring (see the article below). This is construction — so there could be more delays — but feeling somewhat confident about a reopening date at all is a huge step forward. In the meantime, I expect to have a talk in November, which will be a nice return to normal operations, and the Museum’s new website is getting very close to completion. There are less than a dozen outstanding issues to address, which is extremely exciting.

Lastly, The West End Museum is ending the year on strong financial footing. Obviously, we still need your support (you can donate here) but it’s a far cry from 2015 when we often struggled to meet basic expenses. When I started, the annual budget was basically zero. Today, we’re looking at goals that far exceed anything I could have imagined when I started here. We are aiming to see The WEM budget exceed $1 million in the next decade, and financial security is already apparent by the fact that runs for office supplies don’t make me nervous anymore. We are investing in our collections’ infrastructure and in acquisitions; we are dreaming bigger than ever before; and we have established the relationships, partnerships and a member base (thanks if you are one, if not, you can join here) that will lead the Museum, not just through reopening, but far beyond.

I look forward to bringing you more exciting news about The WEM in the months to come.

Best wishes,
Sebastian Belfanti
Museum Director, The WEM

By Matt Ellis

Flooding and water damage are never a good thing, but in the case of the West End Museum, the flood that occurred inside the building at 150 Staniford Street last February has created great opportunity to look carefully at how it utilizes its floorplan.

“One of our goals is to maximize flexibility in the space,” said Executive Director Sebastian Belfanti, noting that the Museum had begun instituting plans for a makeover before the pipes burst and water found its way into the ground-floor space. “So, we have reconfigured our architectural plans – that originally included permanent walls – to fit our needs and allow us to utilize movable walls for our future exhibitions.”

Repairs to the Museum’s exterior walls and ceiling were the responsibility of the building itself and Belfanti says most of that work, including new flooring, is well underway. “Inside, it’s obvious work has been done. Anyone peeking inside from the street can see that,” he said.

But in the process of evaluating damage from the February flood, Belfanti discovered additional problems that had to be addressed as part of the overall repairs. For years, water had been leaking in from the building’s façade to the Museum’s east-facing wall, causing significant damage. “The most complicated part of this whole thing has been the exterior wall, which has been leaking for decades. Once we opened the walls, we were able to evaluate ongoing issues that had to be addressed before walls could be closed again,” Belfanti said.

With work ongoing, Belfanti believes the Museum will be ready to reopen in the spring of 2023. Between now and then, work crews will move the Museum’s main entrance on Lomasney Way closer to Staniford Street.

“Visitors will immediately recognize a new layout inside the museum, including new window displays,” which Belfanti said will add to the visitor experience and allow the Museum to reimagine how it tells the story of one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods.

By Leigh Blander

Boston’s former West End House, one of the last remaining treasures of the old West End and a gathering spot for thousands of immigrant families, was demolished on Oct. 1, to make room for a new building for the Massachusetts General Hospital.

“It is genuinely sad,” said The West End Museum Dir. Sebastian Belfanti, who watched the demolition. “It is the end of an era.”

A vacant tenement on North Anderson Street was also flattened in September as part of the project. It has been more than 50 years since urban renewal altered the neighborhood forever.

The Winchell School, another vestige of a bygone era that sits next to the West End House on Blossom Street, is set to come down around Thanksgiving. The West End Museum has been working closely with MGH to preserve historic artifacts from the buildings, including slate blackboards, banisters, bookcases and some flooring.

Opened in 1906, the West End House offered clubs, classes, sports teams and more to families in the neighborhood. Standing four floors high, the building had a two-story basketball gym on the top floors. In 1962, as the neighborhood was being redrawn, the organization’s leadership sold the building to MGH and moved to a new building in Allston.

Joe Greenberg, who was born in 1944, lived in the old West End until he was 13 and his family was forced to leave. He spent countless hours of his childhood at the West End House, playing basketball, boxing, and taking classes……

By Leigh Blander

On most days, you can find Bob Potenza digging through boxes of artifacts—relics of the old West End neighborhood nearly erased by Boston’s infamous urban renewal project of the 1950s and 60s.

“We have trophies from the West End House, shoe shine boxes, even masonry and plumbing from old West End buildings,” said Potenza, who was recently hired as The West End Museum’s full-time Archivist and Curator. He started at the Museum as a volunteer in July 2021.

Potenza served his country as a US Army aviation officer in the first Gulf War. He later worked at UPS and IKEA. He and family lived in Sweden for several years where he helped IKEA design and receive new technology.

The Archives

The WEM’s archives are stored in a 20 x 30-foot room one floor above the Museum on Staniford Street. Luckily, most of the historic items survived the January flood that has closed The WEM as it undergoes extensive repairs….

By Leigh Blander

As we approach Thanksgiving, we want to hear from former and current West Enders: What are you most thankful for about your time in the neighborhood?

Maybe it’s basketball games at the old West End House or favorite teachers at the Winchell School. Perhaps it’s holiday celebrations or a special person you met here who changed your life.

Please click HERE to tell us what you’re thankful for about the West End, and send us a photo if you have one. We’ll collect the messages and share them on our website, social media and in our next newsletter. Thank you!