You Can’t Fight City Hall: The building that Boston loves to hate turns 50The Improper Bostonian City Hall turned 50 this month. That should be unremarkable. Boston, after all, is famous for row houses so old that their original owners rode horse-drawn carriages and cast votes in the election of Abraham Lincoln. But this is City Hall we’re talking about. Since the building’s…
Duane Lucia Returns as West End Museum Executive Director Boston, MA—Local historian, community activist, and arts enthusiast Duane Lucia has been reinstated as executive director of The West End Museum. Lucia served in this role from 2012 into 2015, and briefly as President of the Museum Board of Directors. He later moved to New Jersey…
Historic Neighborhood Photo: The Last TenementNorth End Waterfront This tenement building, referred to as 42 Lowell, is a fascinating part of Boston’s history. It once stood in a row among 30 other brick walk-ups; now, this building is the lone survivor. As our city continues to change, this building has remained, holding strong to its…
Man who worked on demolition crew recalls the razing of Boston’s West EndBoston Globe For the first time ever, the West End Museum is hosting a guest speaker who worked on one of the demolition crews that razed much of the neighborhood in the late 1950s. Tom Hynes, co-chairman and chief executive officer of Colliers…
When Flattening the West End Was Just a Dirty, Dangerous Summer JobBoston Magazine “When Tom Hynes walks around Boston, he can point to buildings he’s brokered deals in. At the Prudential Center, he secured space for the headquarters of high-powered law firm Ropes & Gray. In the Fenway, he sealed the deal on 550,000 square…
Event Revisits West End’s Demolition Through Eyes of Young Construction Worker: Memories & Photographs Deliver Unique, Personal Perspective BOSTON, MA—The destruction of Boston’s West End is perhaps the most notable example of urban renewal gone wrong in American history. It is a mournful tale often studied by academics and relived by surviving residents. Now, for…
Museum Event to Evoke Boston’s Combat Zone: Author Stephanie Schorow Will Share Lively Stories of Infamous District Boston, MA—For many today, Boston’s Combat Zone is the stuff of legends. Barely a trace of the former red-light district remains, which may account for the endless fascination with the topic. The West End Museum aims to help…
October 2018 NewsletterJohn Woolf: Portrait of a Photographic Artist John Woolf has built up years of experience in photography, but every great artist is inspired by someone. In John’s case, it was his older cousin in New York – a photographer and member of a photo club – who sparked his interest in the field.…
New Museum Board Member: Michael GropmanBy Marshall Hook The old West End neighborhood was already gone by the time Michael Gropman was born, but it was a huge part of his father’s and his grandfather’s life. As such, like many things passed through the generations, Michael inherited an appreciation for the neighborhood and its rich…
John Woolf: Profile of a Photographic ArtistBy Jazmyn Nam-Krane John Woolf has built up years of experience in photography, but every great artist is inspired by someone. In John’s case, it was his older cousin in New York – a photographer and member of a photo club – who sparked his interest in the field.…