Months after flood, West End Museum’s reopening is within sightBoston Globe The West End Museum, which pays tribute to a vanished Boston neighborhood, has been closed since January, when a burst pipe flooded the space. But the phone still rings. Sebastian Belfanti, the museum’s director, said he gets a call about once every two weeks from…
Boston Becomes Experiential Learning Lab In Northeastern Humanities InstituteNortheastern What was Boston’s role in the slave trade? If you took a tour of the city, how would you know? The answer might surprise you: A single plaque at the end of the Long Wharf memorializes Boston’s place in the Middle Passage. The understated memorial is a testament…
All You Need To Know About MGH DevelopmentsBoston Preservation Alliance Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is beginning the process of demolishing three historic buildings in Boston’s West End neighborhood to accommodate an expansion of their hospital campus. This project was approved by the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) on October 14, 2021. The Alliance first engaged with…
The Top Jewish Sites in Greater BostonJewish Boston Did you know that Boston is home to the fourth-largest Jewish community in the United States? However, according to the authors of “111 Places in Boston That You Must Not Miss,” Boston’s Jewish history started relatively late. Heather Kapplow and Kim Windyka said it wasn’t until the…
MGH Holds Virtual Community Forum Ahead of Cambridge Street Campus ExpansionBeacon Hill Times Mass General held a Community Forum meeting virtually on Tuesday, June 21, for the various stakeholders involved in the hospital’s planned expansion of its Cambridge Street campus. Nick Haney, public coordination and initiatives director for MGH, said the idea behind the ongoing…
Summer 2022 NewsletterA Message from the Director Hello Friends of The WEM, As many of you are already aware, the past few months have been quite challenging for the WEM. I want to thank you all for the support that you have given since the flooding in January. We’ll continue to let you know as…
Rebuilt WEM to Feature Immersive Spaces: ‘Plan to rebuild is coming together’By Yasmeen Freightman The team at The West End Museum is laying the groundwork for a major rebuild following January’s flood that devastated Boston’s only neighborhood museum. It’s been a productive year so far, especially for fundraising, but construction delays mean that the Museum…
More Change is Coming to The West End: An Update on the MGH ExpansionBy Leigh Blander After years of planning and community hearings, three historic West End buildings are scheduled to come down this summer as part of the Massachusetts General Hospital expansion. Several artifacts from those buildings will be moving to The West End…
New Board Officers Look to Future with The WEM Museum’s RestorationBy Yasmeen Freightman Newly-elected officers to The West End Museum Board of Directors say restoration of Boston’s only neighborhood museum is top of mind for everyone. A flood, caused by burst pipes in the building at 150 Staniford St. this winter, badly damaged the space…
New Life, New Vision for The West End’s Historic Vilna ShulBy Leigh Blander Stepping into the old Vilna Shul on Beacon Hill is like stepping back in time. You’re transported to the turn of the 20th century when new immigrants, especially Jews from Eastern Europe, flooded Boston’s West End looking for a new life. In…