City PlanningImmigrant NeighborhoodPolitics & Law Photograph showing a two story brick building with two garage doors next to a sign stating "Sewer Dept. District 8".

Mass General Hospital and a Controversial West End Land Sale in 1931

In 1931, Mayor James Michael Curley planned to sell 50,000 square feet of city land, on North Grove Street in the West End, to Massachusetts General Hospital. Because this land was used by the Public Works Department for sanitation in the West End, residents – and city councilor John I. Fitzgerald – strongly opposed the sale. Fitzgerald, associated with West End boss Martin Lomasney, successfully advocated for the proceeds of the sale to be allocated for continued sanitation services in the West End.

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ModernNeighborhood LifeReports & AnalysisUrban Renewal Photograph of an elderly man sitting with his dog next to a pile of stone and concrete debris.

Urban Renewal and Social Isolation

Urban renewal projects, like that in the the West End, have long promised to revitalize aging urban areas, create economic opportunities, and improve living conditions for residents. Despite these positive intentions, urban renewal has also resulted in false promises, the physical destruction of neighborhoods, and forced removal of residents. Such negative impacts have resulted in social isolation, lost social connections, and loneliness.

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