Era – The West End Museum

A black and white photograph of a middle-aged man in a coat and hat, standing against a brick wall.

The Legend of Abraham ‘Al’ Tabachnik: A Voice That Echoed Through the West End’s Streets

Abraham “Al” Tabachnik (sometimes spelled Tabachnick, Tabatchnik, or Tabarchnik) was a Russian immigrant, known both for his eccentricities and powerful voice. From the early 1920s to the early 1960s, he roamed the West End’s streets, filling them with music. Recollections of Tabachnik, found throughout West End oral histories and the West Ender Newsletter, illustrate the impact of the West End’s tight-knit community on him, and his impact on the community.

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An early 20th-century poster, labelled: "Hendricks Club. Boston's Famous Democratic Organization." Beneath the title are photographs of Martin Lomasney, the club (a brick building), and a group of men.

Martin Lomasney & John Ignatius Fitzgerald: A West End Political Relationship

After Martin Lomasney (1859-1933), the legendary “Mahatma of Boston,” made John Ignatius Fitzgerald (1882-1966) a precinct captain at age 18, Fitzgerald became Lomasney’s right-hand man. Their political relationship provides a window into the inner workings of early-twentieth-century ward politics in the West End.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life

A sepia-toned view of Boston around 1910, showing a pharmacy and other businesses. The street is lined with people.

A Stroll Down Spring Street

Below is a memory letter from the Museum’s archives, originally submitted to the West Ender Newsletter in 1986 by an anonymous author. In it, we follow the narrator as they walk down the West End’s Spring Street (c. 1930s-1950s), recalling the smells, sites, and sounds of the bustling corridor.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life Social & Religious Institutions Women

A black and white photograph of a woman standing in front of a house, holding an old camera.

Helen Osborne & James Jackson Storrow: West End Benefactors

Helen Osborne Storrow (1864-1944) and James Jackson Storrow (1864-1926) were influential Bostonian philanthropists. Much of their work had a lasting impact on the West End, especially through their support of the West End House, Charles River Basin development, and Saturday Evening Girls’ club.

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City Planning Modern New Boston Reports & Analysis Urban Renewal

A black and white photograph of two high-rise apartments being built. In front of them is an advertisement for a new apartment complex labelled: "Charles River Park."

Affordable Housing in the West End: Initial Plans and Current Realities

The story of urban renewal in the West End is a complex one, marked by both ambitious plans and challenging realities when it comes to affordable housing. Over the past seventy years, the West End has served as a cautionary tale, full of broken promises and ongoing struggles for income-restricted housing. More recent efforts, such as the affordable housing initiative that is part of the redevelopment of the West End branch of the Boston Public Library, look to address this past.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life

A sepia-toned photograph of a city street corner. People mill about in turn of the century clothing, and there is a pharmacy on the left.

My Grandfather: Memories of Daily Life in the West End

Below is a memory letter from the Museum’s archives, originally submitted by Joseph LoPiccolo to the West Ender Newsletter in 1988. In it, we follow Joseph and his grandfather (an Italian immigrant) through their daily lives in Boston’s West End, prior to its demolition.

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Immigrant Neighborhood Immigration Neighborhood Life Social & Religious Institutions Women

A black and white photograph of a group of young girls, wearing white frocks and carrying plates.

The Frances E. Willard Settlement House

Founded in 1894, the Frances E. Willard Settlement House was located on the West End’s Chambers Street for nearly five decades. The Settlement House aimed to serve the neighborhood’s immigrant population and factory workers by offering social services, community clubs, and housing to young women and children.

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City Planning Immigrant Neighborhood Neighborhood Life New Boston

A photograph of a housing complex, with big isolated buildings.

Rid of the Grid: The Destructive Legacy of Superblocks in Urban Renewal

In the 20th century, the superblock concept emerged from modernist planning principles as an alternative to the traditional grid. These superblocks, while theoretically promising a more ordered and healthy urban environment, proved destructive when implemented through America’s urban renewal programs, including in Boston’s West End.

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The Legend of Abraham ‘Al’ Tabachnik: A Voice That Echoed Through the West End’s Streets

A Stroll Down Spring Street

Affordable Housing in the West End: Initial Plans and Current Realities

My Grandfather: Memories of Daily Life in the West End

Rid of the Grid: The Destructive Legacy of Superblocks in Urban Renewal

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