Boston – The West End Museum

A black and white photograph of a woman wearing a dress, heels, and a jacket, standing in front of a crane.

Claudia Kelty & Stephen Edgell: Photographers of the West End’s Demolition, Part II

From 1958 to 1960, Claudia Kelty and Stephen Edgell systematically photographed the demolition of the West End neighborhood, street by street. The Edgells continued their involvement in post-demolition West End activities, creating an (unpublished) book on the West End and becoming members of the West End Historical Committee, and later its successor, the West End Historical Association. In March of 2023, their son, Stephen Edgell Jr., donated their extensive collection to The West End Museum, including records, art, ephemera, and, most significantly, the 1,700 photographs that his parents took during the West End Project.

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Art & Literature Immigrant Neighborhood New Boston Urban Renewal

A black and white photograph of a man standing behind a movie camera with destroyed buildings in the background.

Charles Frani: Photographers of the West End’s Demolition, Part I

Charles J. “Frani” Zanfani (1922-2001), born in Boston to Italian immigrant parents, first moved to the West End with his family in the 1950s. Displaced by the West End urban renewal project to the North Slope of Beacon Hill, Frani devoted the 1960s to meticulously photographing the destruction of the neighborhood. His photographic collection, preserved at The West End Museum, offers a poignant view into Urban Renewal and its devastating effects on the community.

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For the Love of Spock Film Screening

A talk on and film screening of For the Love of Spock (2016).

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Jimbo: Exhibit Talk

A talk by WEM’s Curator, Bob Potenza, on the Jimbo exhibit.

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Boston Trivia Night

A Boston history trivia night, held by The West End Museum.

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City Planning History Politics & Law Social & Religious Institutions West Boston Women

lithograph showing the front of a four story brick building, lined with windows and topped with 11 chimneys. The building is surrounded by grass and a few trees.

The Leverett Street Almshouse

For almost twenty-five years, the Leverett Street Almshouse dominated Barton’s Point, a blunt strip of land jutting out from the West End into the Charles River. In this building, designed by Charles Bulfinch, Boston continued to carry out its tradition of housing and caring for its most needy residents.

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