GentriWatch: The BRA Apologizes For That Whole West End Thing

THE OVERLY REPENTANT tone taken by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in regard to its collaboration with the West End Museum on a new exhibition on urban renewal is nice, if a bit odd. How often does a public entity issue a mea culpa, especially when the deed in question was the leveling of an entire neighborhood? And how often is it issued over wine and cheese?

The BRA held its reception Thursday night for the new exhibition, titled Dewey Defeats Truman/The Housing Act of 1949, which will remain on display through January 2016. Director Brian Golden met with original West Enders, and later delivered the BRA’s first-ever apology for using “slum clearance” to raze the once-vibrant enclave. From his prepared remarks: