Topic: Yankees & Brahmins
Early settlers of New England, Boston Brahmins, wealthy persons not officially in the Brahmin class, others typically identified as Yankees
Asher Benjamin designed the Old West Church (1806) and Charles Street Meetinghouse (1807) in the West End, based upon the Federal style of architecture most commonly associated with Charles Bulfinch and many New England homes and churches. The Old West Church has survived multiple waves of redevelopment in the West End due to its historical significance.
The Hotel Waterston, built in 1874 through a remodeling and expansion of the Charles Bulfinch House on 8 Bulfinch Place in the West End, maintained Bulfinch’s facade while adding additional stories. The Waterston had many prominent guests, including Walt Whitman, during the late nineteenth century, and the hotel stayed in business until it was demolished by urban renewal in 1961.
Abbott Lowell Cummings, once the leading expert on early New England architecture, spoke out and took action in response to the indiscriminate clearance of the West End during the urban renewal period.
A digital reframing of “Ropewalks of the West End and Beyond”, an 2012 exhibit designed and written by Duane Lucia and Tom Burgess.
The Early Settlers of the West End (1630 – 1645): Robert Fairbanks, Public House Keeper
Joseph Lee, Jr. founded the “Community Boat Club” in 1937 so that West End youth could sail out from the Charles River Esplanade. Community Boating, Inc. was officially incorporated in 1946, and remains the oldest continuously operated public boating organization in the United States.
Thomas Clarke The Early Settlers of the West End (1630 – 1645): Thomas Clarke, Speaker of the House of Massachusetts Bay Colony Thomas Clarke owned vast amounts of land and businesses across Boston. He was very much involved in the local government throughout his life and commanded the Suffolk Regiment in 1651. Later, he would go…
