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work that city: south endprevious|next
The South End was historically a neighborhood that got cut off of Boston maps and left out of guide books. However, in recent years, gentrification has made the South End an increasingly "hip" tourist and local destination. Futher from downtown and more residential than many Boston neighborhoods, the South End has been home to relatively larger low-income and minority populations, which probably also kept them out of the tourist circuit. However, as is the pattern with gentrifying neighborhoods, low-rents attracted the down-shifting hipster crowd, making the South End the 'place to be' --particularly for "GUPpies" (Gay Urban Professionals). The South End is loosely defined as the area south of Mass Pike, between Huntington St and Fitzgerald Expressway, and north of Mass Ave. The major thoroughfares through the area are Columbus, Tremont, and Washington St. During the first part of the 19th century, the South End was a popular residential area for wealthy Bostonians. However, shortly thereafter, increasing commercial development and causing many wealthy families to move into the newly created Back Bay. Rooming houses for immigrants began to spring up, greatly changing the character of the neighborhood. By 1900, 85% of the old homes were rooming houses, and the area had acquired a reputation for being dangerous and dirty (much like the reputation Roxbury carries in the mainstream media today). The South End was one of 10 areas (including Scollay Sq) designated for redevelopment by Mayor Hynes in the 1950s. These redevelopment plans called for the relocation of the large populations of low income Puerto Rican and black tenants who lived in the neighborhood's many rooming houses. However, several groups of tenants successfully challenged the city's efforts. Parcel 19: In 1968, after several years of struggle, the mainly Puerto Rican residents of Parcel 19 gained control over the redevelopment process of their neighborhood, and villa victoria ('victory town') was born. Led by activist Jorge Hernandez, the residents demanded control over the planning of the housing development. They hired an architect to visit Puerto Rico so that he could model the Villa after a typical village, complete with town plaza (la placita, stop here to see old men playing checkers and young kids playing kickball), broad curving streets, small yard plots, and front steps (where residents hang out in the evenings). Today, over 3,000 people live in 884 units of low and middle income housing; most are still Puerto Rican although increasing numbers of black and Asian folks have moved in recently. Community involvement and activism remains strong - the original tenants' organization, called IBA (Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion or Puerto Rican Tenants in Action - a new FUP site!) runs programs for youth, technology education, and the flourishing of Latino cultural arts. Just recently, they oversaw the installation of wireless service in the Villa and helped to make computers accessible to all residents; a branch of the Bunker Hill Community College has also just opened up. However, despite efforts by community leaders, youth, and youth workers, the community is threatened by violence, most often between young people living here and in the Castle Square project on Tremont St. Cool fact: If you're hot and thirsty on WTC, stop at one of the many apartments selling limbes - these cups of frozen fruit juice are only $.25 each (or if you want to splurge, buy the $.50 coconut). Also, if you're around in the summer, the Betances festival in early July is awesome - come check out the yummy food, merengue bands, and greasepole competition. Tent City: A group of tenants living on what is now the site of the Tent City apartment complex set up camp (hence the name tent city) on the site and refused to move until the city gave into their demands - which they, in large part, did. This tenant group was led by the legendary Mel King, who still lives, organizes, and fundraises in the South End, and loves to chat with young activists about the good ole days. You can meet him, and the local teens he works with, at the South End Technology Center on Columbus Ave. An interesting topic of conversation that Tent City provokes is the composition of mixed income housing developments. Tent City is now 25% low income, 50% moderate income, and 25% market rate. How does this change the community dynamics relative to the Villa, which has no market rate housing? Recently the area has been marked by gentrification, as low-rents and property values have brought in urban white-collar professionals who are look for homes and a "community." Unfortunately, as more white-collared professionals moved in (many of the gay), the rents in the area rose, so that the people and families living there beforehand could no longer afford to live in their own neighborhoods. In some of the trendier parts of the South End, especially near Tremont Street, new condos (one bedroom) can go for as much as $500,000 (not exactly accessible to most working-class families). Currently, there are $2 billion worth of construction projects planned or in process in this small neighborhood. This influx of money has led some residents to believe that the city is once again actively trying to change the character of the South End. For example, the Cathedral Homes housing development is now at less than 50% occupancy, as the landlords (subcontracted by the city) refuse to admit new residents to replace those who have moved or been evicted. Rumor has it that the city is planning a giant hotel complex for this spot. Still, the South End today is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Boston. In 1985 it was 46% black, 34% white, 11% asian, and 10% Hispanic. Though the influx of GUPpies may have blanched the South End in certain neighborhoods, it is still more mixed than, say, South Boston or Beacon Hill. Median income until perhaps quite recently (the last 2 years or so) tends to mirror Boston's average because of the urban professionals mixing with lower income populations. The South End is home to a large portion of Boston's gay white male population, and is home to the South End Press which puts out Bay Windows, a publication that addresses concerns of Boston's gay community, and other social action publications. The character of the neighborhood changes from block to block, as you can clearly see on your walk from Tremont St. through Villa Victoria and over to Washington Ave. Washington St features both a thriving dollar store and several dog bakeries and spas. Tremont sports both the 'Dominican store' (Aguadilla Market), popular with children in the Villa, and a Starbucks whose clientele is largely gay men. Tensions between the different populations that call the South End home come out most clearly in disputes over the use of the many parks and community gardens (check out the one on the corner of Washington and Rutland streets, also on the corner of Berkelee and Tremont) in the neighborhood. Families complain bitterly about the 'waste' left in the parks by the many dogs (often owned by gay men) that share this limited green space with the neighborhood's children. Also, some of the yuppies who have recently moved to the South End complain about the gardens being used (often by the latino, black, and Asian tenants of the various housing developments) to grow vegetables for food - they would prefer flowers, which in their opinion are prettier. The area should not be confused with South Boston ("Southie," famous for its role in busing boycotts in the 70s) where sexuality conflicts have also arisen, most notably over the St. Patrick's Day parades, which many "old-school" paraders have felt should exclude gay rights groups from marching. Sites in the South End
-Boston Center for the Arts: Erected in 1884. The cyclorama has held a boxing rink and skating rink, in addition to dances and arts events. BCA is not only committed to the arts, but to community involvement. One of its programs is a theater arts program for teens in Boston. Where Clarendon meets Montgomery and Tremont. -Haley House: At 23 Dartmouth, a block north of Tremont, Haley house is an old FUP site recenly reappeared on the roster. It's a soup kitchen run by Catholic workers (and a surprising number of Harvard grads!), and the organization also publicshes What's Up, which is a granola-y magazine sold by homeless people (vendors keep 75% of the profit from their sales) that addresses political and activism issues in general, both national and local, as well as poetry and art. -Washington Street: Washington St was named after some guy in 1789 after he had visited the city To make Boston different than other towns, they made a law that whenever a street crossed Washingotn in would have to change names (e.g., Court St to State St., Boylston to Essex, Summer to Winter). Two exceptions were Mass Ave and Columbus, because they were even more important. A late exception was the street named after Melnea Cass, a Roxbury civil rights activist who began her work in the women's suffrage movement and was included in 1976 by good old Mayor Kevin White as one of 7 great Bostonians. -Silver Line: Washington St also illustrates the power of the transportation system within a city. When the new orange line was developed, public transit was shifted from Washington a few blocks, with the promise that a T branch would replace the old service. More than a decade later, the Silver Line (a bus the MBTA would like you to think is a subway) provides access to some parts of Washington St., particularly in Lower Roxbury. However, despite the large areas of Roxbury and Dorchester which remain inaccessible by T, the city has decided to extend Silver Line service to Logan Airport. -"Cheaper in the Back Bay?"(The Boston Globe) -The South End -South End Historical Society -Eight Streets Neighborhood Association -Boston Center for the Arts -South End Photos! previous|next |
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