October 2014 Newsletter

On Saturday, November 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the Mass. Memories Road Show at UMass Boston travels to The West End Museum. Co-hosted by the Museum, UMass Boston, Vilna Shul, The West End Civic Association and the Boston Public Library–West End Branch, the event will chronicle the photographs and stories of old and new West Enders alike. The event is free and open to the public.

Anyone who currently lives, works or spends time in the neighborhood—or who has ever lived, worked or spent time here—is invited to attend and share their West End memories and experiences from before urban renewal through the present day. This unique project gives everyday people the opportunity to add their personal stories to an enduring cultural archive. The photos and stories will become part of UMass Boston’s online collection at openarchives.umb.edu and shared with the West End Museum and its organizational partners.

“Our mission is to preserve the history and culture of the West End, so this event is a perfect fit,” said Duane Lucia, West End Museum Board President. “We encourage everyone who has a connection to the neighborhood to come to the Museum on November 15th and become part of the rich tapestry of West End history.”

Attendees are asked to bring one to three photographs in their original format. A team of professionals will scan the photos and create digital versions to become part of the archives of The West End Museum and the Mass. Memories Road Show (MMRS) at UMass Boston. Attendees also will have the chance to be videotaped telling the stories behind their photos. In addition, professional archivists onsite will demonstrate how to care for photos.

The MMRS is a statewide digital history project that documents people,….. places and events in Massachusetts history through family and community photographs and stories. The program is produced by the University Archives & Special Collections Department in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston. Since its launch 10 years ago, the project has gathered more than 6,000 photographs and stories from across the state. Its goal is to hold public events in all 351 communities in the state, creating a digital portrait of the Commonwealth, providing access to photographs and stories, and building community knowledge and connections.
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“The Mass. Memories Road Show team at UMass Boston is excited to visit the West End. The history of this vibrant neighborhood is legendary in our city, and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the West End Museum and its partners in preserving the memories of pre-urban renewal days as well as more recent times,” said Carolyn M. Goldstein, UMass Boston Public History and Community Archives Program Manager.

With all of the excitement surrounding our Beatles Celebration and Italian Heritage Month, our newsletter is proud to finally highlight our comprehensive and intriguing new exhibit, Bulfinch: Boston & Beyond, recalling and celebrating how Charles Bulfinch (1763–‐1844) shaped Boston’s enduring style and infrastructure as an architect and as the city’s first urban planner. The exhibit is free and open to the public.The show spans Bulfinch’s lifetime—from his early life in Boston’s West End through an initially fledgling career to the peak of achievement as a celebrated architect, urban planner and public servant.

Bulfinch: Boston & Beyond illustrates the influence of the Revolutionary War on Bulfinch’s childhood and the impact of his “grand tour” of European cities on his work and architectural style. His contributions to government, institutional and private architecture in his native Boston, throughout New England and in Washington D.C. are explored, as well as his impact on land use and development in Boston.
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“Bulfinch needs to be acknowledged as Boston’s first urban planner and for his noble legacy helping to transform the city into…. one of America’s leading urban centers,” said Curator and Museum Board President Duane Lucia. “Basically, Bulfinch put the ‘proper’ in Boston’s landscape, bringing to the city the classical and dignified elements of the major European cities of his time.”

As Chairman of Boston’s Board of Selectmen and Police Superintendent for more than 15 years, Bulfinch tackled urban planning projects and improved the city’s infrastructure and public safety. He transformed the Boston Common from largely a cow pasture into a true city park. He also led the project to fill in the old mill pond and “make land,” giving rise to a West End grid of streets that form a nearly perfect triangle—the Bulfinch Triangle.

Architecturally, Bulfinch was one of the originators of the Federal Style characterized by classical motifs paired with symmetrical and modest designs. His major contributions in Boston include the Massachusetts State House and the remodeling and expansion of Faneuil Hall. President James Monroe appointed Bulfinch to serve as Architect of the Capitol in Washington D.C., and he became the third architect of the United States Capitol Building.