Summer 2020 Newsletter

After months of social distance and loss, the past several weeks have been particularly difficult. We have been forced to reflect on the painful history of racism and segregation that led to George Floyd’s death, among many others. We at the Museum mourn the senseless loss of African American lives and ache for the many members of Boston’s minority communities hurt by institutional racism. We support the thousands of peaceful protesters across our city, state, and country, who are fighting for a more equitable future. Black Lives Matter.

In Boston’s old West End, thousands of residents from more than 20 different racial and ethnic backgrounds lived side-by-side in harmony building their lives, homes, families, and friendships. It is one of the main reasons the community became known as “the greatest neighborhood this side of heaven.”

We are proud of the many firsts for African Americans that occurred in the West End — such as Boston’s first African American school and the oldest standing African American Church in the US — and we want to highlight a few key figures in West End history who …

By Sue Minichiello

Being closed under COVID-19 restrictions has been challenging for The West End Museum, as it has for many nonprofit institutions, particularly smaller ones that depend on foot traffic and visitor donations. Even so, the future looks bright for “Boston’s Neighborhood Museum.” It has a number of vital projects in the works and has maintained continuity of leadership, upheld community engagement, and continued to fulfill its mission.

“It’s been an exciting period even though we haven’t been open to the public,” said Duane Lucia, former director and newly-elected board president. “We’ve been working on changes that will ensure a better experience for our visitors down the road and will solidify support that will sustain the Museum for many years to come.”

Lucia has lived in the West End since 1989 and has been on the board of directors since 2011. He has twice been Museum director and served as board president once previously. In 2019, he took on the role of interim director with the goal of increasing the Museum’s endowment, reinvigorating exhibits and programming, and hiring a permanent director. The latter transpired in February of this year, and Lucia subsequently was elected president of the board.

Sebastian Belfanti is the Museum’s new …

By Sue Minichiello

With an eye on the future, Museum Director Sebastian Belfanti began working on a detailed reopening plan in April and received board approval of the plan in early May. Also in April, to help offset revenue losses under the mandated closure, Belfanti proactively launched the West End Museum COVID-19 Relief Fund via GoFundMe, an online fundraising platform.

The Museum has been closed for 18 weeks (as of July 13). That’s more than one-quarter of the current calendar year. With essential capital improvements looming, not to mention normal operating costs and required purchasing of new health and safety supplies, the loss of revenue from visitor donations has created a serious deficit.

Economic realities like unemployment and increased contributions to antiracist causes — which we support — have further reduced our donations. The Museum is taking steps to boost funding in the form of grants and corporate patronage, but your support is also needed, now more than ever.

We ask that you consider making a tax-deductible contribution today to the West End Museum COVID-19 Relief Fund, or Donate or Become a Member on the Museum website. Any amount of support through any of those methods will help sustain …

Even under mandatory closure, the work of the Museum never stopped, including assembling its current Board of Directors. This year, two new members joined the ranks: Andy Matteis and Amanda Valenta. Each of them brings a passion for nonprofits and professional backgrounds that are sure to benefit the Museum as it prepares to reopen and well into its future.

“Andy and Amanda bring skills and experience to the board that will help us address specific needs and meet some of our goals for the future success of the Museum,” said Board President Duane Lucia.

Born in the shadow of Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Andy Matteis’ career path led him to Boston just one year ago. Now settled along the waterfront in the North End, he has learned a lot about the City’s history, including the West End. Professionally, he has extensive experience in investment research. He serves on the boards of several other nonprofits and has a solid ability to assess the health of an organization. Matteis came to know The West End Museum through a friend of Board President Duane Lucia and was intrigued by the organization’s goal of historic preservation with a modern twist. Matteis explained his heartfelt hopes for helping the Museum continue to grow and prosper.

“The Museum, in my mind, needs to find [its] niche [between] appealing to the older people who grew up in the neighborhood [and] …

By Simmons University Communications

The following article, used with permission from Simmons University, details a student project that generated an upcoming exhibit at The West End Museum (as well as one at Simmons and one online). Created in partnership with the Boston City Archives and The West End Museum​, “Learned from Our Neighbors” celebrates the Elizabeth Peabody House (EPH); social worker, Simmons alumna, and EPH Director Eva Whiting White; and life in Boston’s West End. Join us for the online opening of the digital exhibit on July 16. Free tickets here.

In Fall 2019, a group of 11 Simmons undergraduate students began researching the lost West End. Once known as a “multi-ethnic, multi-religious immigrant enclave,” the West End was lost to the wave of urban redevelopment that swept Boston in the 1950s — the mostly working-class residents were evicted in order to clear 40 acres for new construction.

Decades later, those displaced West Enders still identify with their old neighborhood, keeping its memory alive in The West Ender newsletter and the West End Museum. This community lives on in oral histories, family photographs, and …

Officers

President
Duane Lucia
CEO, Gallery East Network
Current West Ender

Vice President
Michael Gropman
Deputy Superintendent, Brookline Police Dept.
Original West Ender Descendant

Secretary (Interim)
Joe McDonald
Foreign Intelligence Officer/Spy, US Central Intelligence Agency (retired)
Original & Current West Ender

Treasurer
Amanda Valenta, CPA
Senior Director, Investments, Liberty Mutual

Members

Lois Ascher
Professor, Humanities Department, Wentworth (retired)

AJ Burrell
Assistant VP, Investments, Equity Residential

See full board list