Cityscapes of Boston: An American City Through Time 0395700655

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ROBERT CAMPBELL fé&PETER VANDERWARKER “Awonderful dialogthathelpsexplain notonlyhowone particular cityhasevolved overtimebuthowcitiesingeneral

develop, decay, grow up,spread out,revive, andchange.” —Architectural Record

Cityscapes ofBoston AnAmericanCityThroughTime

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TextbyRobertCampbell Photographs byPeterVanderwarker

Ry APeterDavisonBook HoughtonMifflinCompany Boston NewYork

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Copyright©1992byRobertCampbellandPeterVanderwarker

Allrightsreserved Forinformationaboutpermissiontoreproduceselections fromthisbook,writeto Permissions, HoughtonMifflinCompany, 215ParkAvenueSouth,NewYork,NewYork10003. Libraryof CongressCataloging-in-PublicationData

Campbell,Robert,date.

Cityscapes ofBoston : anAmerican citythrough time/ textby RobertCampbell;photographs byPeterVanderwarker. p. cm. “APeterDavisonbook.” Includesbibliographical references andindex. ISBN 0-395-58119-2ISBN 0-395-70065-5 (pbk.] 1.Architecture —Massachusetts —Boston. 2.Boston(Mass.)— Buildings, structures,etc. I.Vanderwarker, Peter. II.Title. NA735.B7C36 1992 91-43513 711'.4'0974461 —dc20 CIP Printedin theUnitedStatesofAmerica KPT109 87654321

Themaponpagesxii—xiii waspreparedbyJacquesChazaud. BookdesignbyLarryWebster

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the 1860s 71

A GoodCornerThen, A

GAINWESEETHECITY4stextinthe olderviewofthecornerofWashington and Schoolstreets,anintersectionthat’sbeennear thenervecenterofBostonforthreehundred years.Theflat-fronted buildingswiththeirverticalrowsofwindowslooklikebookcases, and theirwell-proportioned signs,likeshelflabelsin abookstore,givesthemacuriouscaptionedcharacter—almostasifthebuildingswerea cartoon chorus,withspeakingparts,inthetheaterofthe city.

Theolderviewistheworkofthenotedearly photographer JosiahJohnsonHawes.Likemost oldviewsofcities,it ismisleading. Hawes’s glass platesneededlongexposuretimes,sohetended toworkintheearlymorningwhenfewmoving creatures—suchashorsesorpeople—were aroundtoblurthephotograph. Thispractice lendsthecityscenesofHawesandotherearly 38

photographers anatmosphere ofeeriecalm,an atmosphere thatmaymakeusassumeoldBoston wasmoreserenethanit reallywas. Inthenewphoto,allischanged.Youcan nowseetheOldSouthMeetingHousebecause thebuildingsat thecornerofSchoolStreetwere carvedbackinasweepingcurveinthe 1960sfora plannedstreetrealignmentthatneveroccurred. OldSouth’scongregation usedthisbuildingonly untilabout1870,whenit movedtoa churchin thefashionable newBackBaycalled,withimpeccablelogic,NewOldSouth.Infuture,perhaps, thislogicalcongregation willagainrelocate,to someplacelikeAndoverorMarblehead, and rechristenitselfNewOldSouthNorth. TotheleftoftheMeetingHouseistheOld Southofficebuilding,agemof1904inbuffbrick andterracottabyarchitectArthurBowditch, whodesignedtherichlyfrostedBerkleeCollege

a GoodCornerNow ofMusiconBoylstonStreet.Behindit risethe towersofthenewBoston,thetallestbeingthe Shawmutat One FederalStreet,whosebeetle-

browedtop-floorwindowsannounce,forthosein theknow,thepresencebehindthemoftheHarvardClub. TotherightoftheMeetingHouseisabitof thefacadeoftheBostonFiveCentsSavingsBank, curvingtomatchthatfictitiousrealignmentof SchoolStreet.TheFiveisdesignedin aTinkertoy styleoutofpiecesofconcretethatappeartobe pluggedintooneanother.Tinkertoyarchitecture enjoyedabriefvoguein the 1960s,whenit was supposedtobetellingusthatbuildingswould soonbeassembled, likecars,outofstandard interchangeable parts.ThedesignerswereKallmann,McKinnell&Wood,perhapsBoston’s leadingarchitectsofthepresentera,authorsof BostonCityHall,theHynesConventionCenter, andBackBayStation.

Today’s intersectionisunmistakablymodern initsfragmentation. Comparedtotheold,it is brokenupanddispersed, withabrupt,angular, dissonantjuxtapositions. It lackstheolder scene’sfeelingofanenclosed,serene,horizontal, cobblestone-carpeted, book-paneled outdoor drawingroom.Yetthemodernjostlingofbig buildingsandsmall,ofoldandnew,enjoysits ownkindofurbanvitality.It accuratelyexpresses themorepluralisticsocietyofourowntime.

In a citytheremustberegularityandfantasy, relationshipsandoppositions, andcasual,unexpectedelementsthat varythescene:greatorder in thedetails,confusion,uproar,andtumultin thewhole.—AbbéLaugier(eighteenthcentury] 32

BostonFailsto Makea Firewith OneLog 2

circa 1860

ess OFWALTER MUIRWHITEHILL, the latedirectoroftheBostonAthenaeumand authorofBoston:A Topographical History— probablythebestbookeverwrittenonthe architectureandphysicalformofBoston—may recognizetheolderphotograph. InWhitehill’s bookit appearscroppedintoarectangle;hereit looksasit didwhenit wasmadebyJosiahHawes around186o. Hawes’ssubjectis ColonnadeRow,a lineof nineteenhousesdesignedbyCharlesBulfinch andbuiltin 1810.ColonnadeRowfilledTremont StreetfromWestStreetto Mason.Hawesshot it

withawide-angle lensthatwassmallerthanhis eight-by-ten-inch format,creatinga circular imagewithindarkborders.Thenewphotograph

40

imitatesHawes’stechniqueandhisthirty-second exposure. Whitehill,whodiedin 1978,wrote:“This rowforseveraldecadesremainedoneofthemost agreeable placestoliveinBoston,forfromits windowsoccupantslookedoutacrosstheCommontodistantwater,hillsandthesunsetsofa westernsky.” ColonnadeRow,now longgone,was an

exampleoftheFederalstyleofarchitecture, althoughit hada moreEuropeanlookthansome Federalbuildingsandcouldeasily,infact,bemistakenforanAdam-style squareinDublin. Whitehillisrightin suggesting thatthisstrip alongTremontStreetoughttobeoneofthebest buildingsitesinBoston.Yetit neveragain,after

ad

tT

ds.

ColonnadeRow,helda collectionofbuildings equaltoitspotential.Theworstofthemtodayis thetall,blank-sided buildingfarthestawayinthe new photograph,the ungainlyand offensiveTre-

mont-on-the-Common apartmentblock.Someof theotherbuildingsarebetter,especiallytheturnof-the-century onesnearestus,butmanyaren’t, andtheretailstoresatthesidewalkarelargely boardedup. Wearewitnessingagenericproblem.Singlesidedstreetslikethis,overlooking parkland, workbeautifullyforresidentialuses.Onethinks ofFifthAvenueorCentralParkWestinNew York,orBoston’s BeaconStreetonanothersideof theCommon,orthegreatterracesofJohnNash alongRegent’s ParkinLondon.Butshopping

streetsaredifferent.Iftheyarenottwo-sided, theyusuallywon’tgenerateenoughactivityto survive—justasyoucan’tgeneratea successful firewithonlyonelog.Thatisthereasonthese buildings,allofwhichcontaincommercial uses onatleastthegroundfloor,failsomiserablyat beingtherowoftall,strong,prosperous presences thatoughttobelookingoutoverBostonCommonandthePublicGarden.

Whenwebuild,wemustthinkofourselvesas buildingapieceofthewholeworld.Weshould ask:Whatwouldtheworldbecomeifit wereall donelikethis:—LeonKrier

AI

An UrbanParlor THENAME REMAINS toremindus thatChurchGreen,at theintersectionof SummerandBedfordstreets,nearSouthStation, wasoncethesiteofagracefulchurch.Another designbytheprolificCharlesBulfinch,theNew SouthChurchstoodherefrom1818until 1868.

Prison—itself aBulfinchbuilding—performed thefinishworkonthestone.Oftenconsidered Bulfinch’s bestchurch,NewSouthnevertheless survivedonlyfiftyyearsbeforebeingdemolished fora store. NewSouthwoulddoubtlesshavesuccumbedin anycasetotheGreatBostonFireof 1872.Itwasin 1873,rightafterthefire,thatthe presentoccupantofthesitewaserected.This five-storypile,shownin thenewphoto,is oneof

andwasbuiltofgranitefromChelmsford that wasbargeddowntheMiddlesexCanalto Charles-

stylemercantilebuildingsofthenineteenthcentury.Itis stillknownastheChurchGreen

()x=

New Southwas an octagonin its floorplan

town,wheretheprisoners atCharlestown

the handsomestofthe sturdyBostonGranite

Building, although thereisnochurchherenow, 1860

42

andnogreen.Thenamelingersin theair,likean inexplicable echofromaforgottenpast. TheoriginalChurchGreenmusthavebeen oneofthebestofearlyBoston’s outdoorrooms. Wecanguesssofromtheoldphoto,inwhichthe churchstandslikeafireplaceat theendofaparlor,andthefacadesofthehousesoneitherside

functionlike the paneledwalls ofthe room.The Renaissancearchitect LeonBattistaAlbertisaid

it best:“Thecityislikealargehouseandthe house,inturn,likeacity.” BehindChurchGreennowrisestheoffice buildingat 99SummerStreet,a modestlow

tower,alsomade ofgranite,that fits comfortably

intoitsVictoriansurroundings. Memorable for itsbrightredroof,it wasdesignedbythefirmof Goody,ClancyandAssociates andopenedin 1987.Likeotherbuildingsofthepost-modern style,it isconcernedtosayboththatweareconnectedtothepastandthatwemustgrowforward fromit.

Ifyoulivelongenough,youwillseeallyour buildingsdestroyed.Afterall,it is onlytheIDEA thatreallycounts.—LouisSullivan

43

late 1880s

Village GreenandHighSpine OMECITIES AREHIGHLY VISIBLE tothemselves.VainSanFrancisco isagoodexample, alwaysadmiringitselffromeveryhillandisland. Boston,bycontrast,isa citythattoanastonishingdegreeishiddenfromitself.Highways, rivers,andarmsoftheseasliceit intodiscrete sections. Eventrees can conceal;San Francisco’s

lackofthemhelpsopenit uptoself-awareness. Neighborhoods inBostonsitedcheekbyjowl mayyet remainbarelyawareofeachother’sexistence. Anexampleisthelittlevillagegreenthat surroundstheFirstChurchofRoxbury. So bybarriersbothphyssharplyisolatedisRoxbury, that it comesasa shockto icalandsociological, realizethat the distancefromFirstChurchtothe

44

PrudentialTowerisaboutthesameasthe eight blocksfromArlingtonStreetto Massachusetts_ Avenuein theBackBay.FewresidentsoftheBack Bayhaveevervisited,orevenheardof,thislovely place. FirstChurchfeelsmorelikea traditional NewEnglandcountrychurchthananyotherin thecity.Crispandaustereinform,purewhitein color,it standswithprideandpresenceatopa knolloverlooking JohnEliotSquare.Itisnowthe oldestwoodenchurchinBoston,yetit isthefifth now to haveoccupiedthis site.Themembership, Unitarian,wasoriginallya Congregationalist groupthatgatheredaroundtheReverendEliotin 1632.Thepresentbuildingdatesfrom1804.WilliamBlaneywasitsarchitect,andPaulRevere castthe bellthathangsinitstower.

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Tobin

FirstChurchhaschangedlittleina century butitssurroundings havechangedverymuch. Onceaquiet,middle-class streetcarsuburb, incorporated intoBostononlyin 1868,Roxbury became,duringthetwentiethcentury,aportof entryfirstforIrish,thenJews,thenblacks.Today it istroubledbypovertyanddepopulation. Thespacioushousesat theleftofthechurch inthe1880saregone.Intheirsteadisvacantland thatfailstoprovidethechurch’s ovalgreenwith thefirmedgeitneedstopreserve itsphysicalshape anditssenseofbeingthecenterofacommunity. OnthehorizonarethetowersofBoston’s HighSpine.TheconceptoftheHighSpine, inventedbytheBostonSocietyofArchitectsin thelate1950s,provedtobeoneofthemostseminalurban-design ideasinBoston’s history.The notionwasthatina cityofsomanyhistoric neighborhoods, thebestplacefornewhigh-rise

growthwasaraggedcorridorofunderusedland thatextendedoutwardfromdowntownbetween theBackBayandtheSouthEnd.Alwaysusedfor transportation, thecorridornowcontainsthe Amtrakline,theOrangeLinesubway,andthe Massachusetts Turnpike. TheHighSpinetoday,asthenewphoto shows,isalongdorsalfinofskyscrapers that snakesthroughBostonalongthiscorridor,served bythetransitlinesbeneathit. Thespinehas givenBostonanoverallshapeanddefinitionit lacked.Becauseofit, thecityisnolongerquiteso invisibletoitself,andplaceslikeFirstChurchare atlastinvisualcontactwithotherpartsoftown.

Yearethelightoftheworld.Acitythatisseton

ahillcannotbehid.—Matthew

45

AMysterious BlankPanel bs

reducedtothreestories—decapitated toreduce thetaxassessment,asweremanyothersinthis oldwarehouseneighborhood duringtheeconomicdepression ofthe 1930sand4os.The

L«

missingupperstoriesarereplacedbya brashbill-

ABARGRAPHonabusiness report,this

board.Intheforeground istheHaymarket, Boston’s open-airweekendproducemarket. ThesiteisonHanoverStreetat acornerof

downtownBostonbuildinghasmarkedthe upsanddownsofeconomicsbygainingorlosing

height.

theoldBlackstone Block. ThechicBostonian

Theolderphotoshowsthebuildingat a proudfivestories.Thetopfloorisobviouslyan

Hotelof1982,justvisibleatleftbeneaththeCus-

tom HouseTower,remindsus that prosperity comesandgoes.It’snowgoneagain,as the

addition.No doubtit wasaddedto gainrentable spaceduringa time ofeconomicprosperity—

“OfficeSpace$11”signattests.Butourbuilding, likeAliceinWonderland, mayagaingrowtaller, withanaddedfloorortwolikethosethat sprouted,duringtheprosperous 1980s,atopmany

probablytheGildedAgeofthe 1860sor70s,judgingbytheslope-sided mansardarchitecture. But 1933wasnot a prosperousyear,so it’s not surprisingthat we seea “Floorsto Let”signat the third floor.The newphotohelpsus guessthat

olddowntownbuildings.

Thepastleavesmysteriousmarksona city,

thesefloorsneverwerelet.It showsourbuilding

1933

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strangerubricsthatonlyaninitiatecandecode. Findingandsolvingthemisoneofthejoysof urbanliving.Youcanmakeoutonesuchmarkin theoldphoto.Itisthesmallblanksquareonthe second-floor endwall,aboveandtotheleftofthe PickwickAlesign. In this square,until 1933,was set a carved

woodpanelknownasthe“Painter’s Arms”of ThomasChild.Thepanelisbelievedtohave beenmadeinEnglandbefore1700andbroughtto BostonbyChildabout1701,whenhesetupa paintshoponthiscorner.Thewoodpanelwas Child’slicensetopractice,grantedbythePainters’GuildofEngland.Itnowresidesinthe collectionoftheBostonianSocietyintheOld StateHouse. Inanalleybehindthebuildingisamore famousartifactofChild’s.Thisistheso-called BostonStone,originallythestonewithwhichthe

oa

da

paintergroundhispigments.AfterChild’sdeath thestonewasfoundbyatavernkeeper,who inscribedonit thedate1737andthewords“BostonStone.”Hesetit intoawall,whereit remains,inimitationoftheLondonStone,from whichdistancestoothertownsweremeasured. WhenChilddiedin 1706,hewaseulogized bythecelebratedColonialdiaristJudgeSamuel Sewallinanearlyexampleofblackhumor: ThismorningTomChild,thePainter,died. TomChildhadoftenpaintedDeath, ButnevertotheLife,before: Doingit now,he’soutofBreath; Hepaints it once,andpaintsno more.

Themoreyouknow,themorebeautifulevery-

thing becomes.—GeorgeSantayana

47

AHalfwayHouseforSuburbanites Beres’s GRANDEST CORRIDOR isreally anindoorstreet,linedwithshoppingstalls onbothsides.Doriccolumnsseparatethestalls, transforming thebuildingintoa ceremonial arcade,almostlikethenaveofa church.The

buildingis onethat fewBostonianswill failto recognize.Since1976,whenit reopened,Quincy

Markethasbeenamongthemostvisitedplaces onearth. QuincyMarketbegan150yearsearlier,in 1826,asanexpansionofBoston’s wholesaleproducemarket,untilthenhousedinthebasement ofnearbyFaneuilHall.Itwaspopularlydubbed QuincyMarketinhonorofBoston’s greatest mayor,JosiahQuincy,whobuiltit onfilledland overtheformertowndockandpiers.ThearchitectwasAlexanderParris,a protégéofBulfinch.

circa1890

48

Parrischosethe architecturalstyleknownas

GreekRevival,whichwasthendisplacing Federalasthemode.Heplaceda Greektemplefront, likethoseoftheParthenoninAthens,at each endofhisbuilding. Twoblocksofwarehouses werebuilttoserve the new market alongits north and south sides.

Inthe 1970sallthreebuildingswererestoredby thecityandthenconverted, byJamesRouse(as

developer) andBenjamin Thompson (asarchi-

tect),intoFaneuilHallMarketplace. Noone predictedthemarket’sastonishingsuccess.Bostonbanksrefusedtofinanceit untilthemayor, KevinWhite,muscledthemintojoiningNew Yorkbanksina consortiumtospreadthesupposedrisk.FaneuilHallMarketplace wasthefirst ofthe“festivalmarketplaces” thatRousehas sinceclonedalloverthecountry.

Thephotosshowthatalthoughthemarket

has kept its physicalform,it has lost somepungency.Insteadofpurveyingrawmeat to

wholesalers, it nowretailssnackstoconsumers. Somecallit apackagedrepresentation ofwhatit oncewas.Butto sayso is to ignorethe market’s true mission,which isn’tso much sellingfoodas it is sellingBoston.

Acity,bydefinition,isaplacewherethe mosthappensin theleastarea.It iscongestedand unpredictable. FaneuilHallMarketplace succeedsbecauseit offersa celluloidversionofthat genuinekindofurbanity.Carefullystagemanaged,it possessesthecity’sdensevitality,but lacksitsdirt,traffic,mess,uncertainty,confusion,anddanger—and, therefore,theexcitement ofreality.A generationofAmericanswhogrew upin thesuburbshaveemployedtheMarket-

placeasahalfwayhouse,a cautiouswayof reintroducing themselvesto citylife.Inthatrole it has provedinvaluable.

IthasalsoprovedinvaluabletoBoston,

attracting hordesofout-of-towners andout-ofstatersto spendtheirmoneyin anorgyoftourismthathasbecomeoneofthecity’slargest industries.

Inshort,TheseBostoniansenrichthemselvesby theruineofStrangers;andlikeravenousBirdsof Prey,strivewhoshallfastenhis Tallonsfirst upon’em.—JohnDunton(1686)

49

the1920s

FS

Poe J ied

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| T’SASIFCITYPLANNERS haddiscovered a deadlygasthateliminatesonlyvehicles. Sweptcleanofthemessoftrucksandwagons, thesceneshowninthenewphotohasgainedin spaciousness andeasebutlostinvitalityand interest.A worldofworkhasmetamorphosed intooneofleisureandconsumption. Bothviewsshowusoneofthemarvelous chunksofBostoncityscape.Wearelookingdown a shortsectionofCommercial Street,withthe elegantCustomHouseTowerrisingat thefar end.Theseethingnestofdeliveryvehiclesinthe oldphotoisservingthemanybusinesses— mostlywoolenandtextilecompanies, produce andcoffeewholesalers —thatoncefilledCommercialStreet.Todaythebusytrucksarereplaced bystrollingshoppers,whoseemtoofewto occupythescene.Asaresult,althoughtheroom5O

ee

A Landmarkon

—Topofa Landmar

:

© PHOTO BY a. oy Ne

likeurbanspaceremainsdelightful,it suffers fromanemptiness,likethatinthepaintingsof GiorgioDeChirico. Inbothphotosthecolumned,Greek-templed endofQuincyMarketpokesintothestreetfrom theright.Everything ontheleftin themodern photoisnew.Theformerbeefygranitewarehouses(designed inthe 1840sbyGridleyJ.F. Bryant,architectofCharlesStreetJailandOld CityHall)havebeentorndown,someintheearly 19508fortheCentralArteryandsomein the 19708fortheMarketplace. Intheirplaceisan odd-looking butserviceable extensionoftheMarketplace,knownasMarketplace Center. TheCustomHouseTowercrownsbothpictures,asit crownedBostonforsomanyyears. ThefirstBostonskyscraper, it isa strangebut marvelousconcoction,abigtowerstuckawk-

wardlyontopofa littletemple.Thetemple,with itsrowofcolumnsbeneathalowpointedgable, datesfrom1847andwasdesignedasaU.S.CustomHousebythenotedarchitectAmmiB. Young.Theequallyhandsometowerwasadded byPeabodyandStearnsin 1915toprovidemore officespace.BecausetheCustomHousewasa federalbuilding,it couldignorethecityheight limit. ThetowerlooksalotlikethefamousCampanile,orbelltower,in thePiazzaSanMarcoin Venice.Whya Renaissance belltowerwasthe rightshapeto containa stackofgovernment officeswasn’tthekindofquestionthattroubled architectsin thatera.TheVeniceCampanilewas inthenews,asit happens,beingslowlyrebuilt aftera celebratedcollapsein 1902.

TodaytheCustomHouseTowerisaBoston

icon. Somepeopleuse it to argueagainstthe con-

ceptofhistoricpreservation. Theyclaimthatin today’spreservation-conscious world,theideaof buildinga towerontopofanarchitecturallandmarkwouldberegardedasludicrous.Theyare,of course,right.Justsuchproposalshaverecently beenquashed,withhorror,in thecasesofGrand CentralTerminalandtheNewYorkHistorical Society.

Societyis apartnershipofthedead,theliving

and the unborn.—EdmundBurke

51

circa I880

TheCaseofthe Wandering Cupola

A

SACITY GROWS andchanges, itsparts

sometimesmigratefromoneplaceto another.Eventually, fortheurbandetective,the citybecomesa kindofvastpuzzleofdisplaced pieces.Thepleasuresofdetectioncanbeunexpected.It is a shock,forexample,tovisita tavern inOrlando,Florida,andrecognizethechandeliers thatoncegraceda distinguished Bostonbank. Fewmembersofthe CalvaryUnitedMethod-

ist ChurchinArlington,Massachusetts, are awarethattheirchurch’sclockandcupolaonce toppedtheBoylstonMarketatBoylstonand Washington streetsin downtownBoston. 52

Youcanseethecupolain theforeground of theolderphotograph. BoylstonMarketlooksvery muchlikeFaneuilHall,whichisnotsurprising sincebothweredesignedbythegreatarchitect CharlesBulfinch.LikeFaneuilHall,Boylston Marketcomprisedmarketstallsontheground floorandabighallabove. Thehallwasusedat firstbytheHandel& HaydnSocietyandlaterasa school,church,and gymnasium. Whenthebuildingwasdemolished in 1887,thecupolaandits clockbegana strange migrationthroughprecinctsoftheprofaneand thesacred:removedfirsttoabreweryin Charlestownandlaterto theArlingtonchurch. FartherbackalongBoylstonStreet,at No.48, youcanseeanotherclocktower,toppingtheBostonYoungMen’sChristianUnion,whichopened in 1875.TheYMCUwasfoundedbyHarvardstudentsasareligiousdiscussiongroup,andits buildingwasdesignedin theGothicstyleby

NathanielJ.Bradlee.Thetowercamedownin 1912,buttherestoftheYMCUremains.AnofficialBostonlandmark,it’sthelittlebuildingwith thewhitewallandangledchimneyontheright inthenewphoto. Alandmark,too,is thebigstructurewith rowsofarchedwindowsthatoccupiestheold BoylstonMarketsite.ThisisthehandsomesandstoneBoylstonBuilding,designedbyCarlFehmer in 1887in amixofRomanesque andRenaissance stylesasanoffice-warehouse. Afteryearsof vacancy,exceptforapizzaparlorandaporno peepshow, it reopenedin 1988astheChinaTrade Center.

Architectsarecannibalsiftheyarenotparrots. —SirHughCasson 53

AStonein a StreamofChange Prox

disappeared, itsformerquartersoccupiedbyan

THE1960Sthroughthe 1980s,

art andperformancespace.The spaceis named

LaGrangewasBoston’sStreetofShame.This

GoodTimes,bothfromnostalgiaandfrom afrugaldesiretorecycletheoldsign(GoodTimesis visiblejustbehindthemanwearinga coat). AcrossLaGrange atNo.12,justto theleftofthe

one-blockthoroughfare, whichrunsfromWashingtonStreetin theCombatZoneuptoTremont, waslineddayandnightwithprostituteswho operatedoutofitsbarsandstripclubs,servinga paradeofslow-moving cars. ThephotosshowLaGrange beforethatera began,andagainasit is comingto anend.

fourmen, a gay-orientednew eatery,the Down-

townCafe,recentlyopened,thenclosed,then reopenedaroundthecorner.LaGrange isteeter-

LaGrange todayispartofsomething thecitycalls

ing,butitmaybeonthewayback.

theMidtownCulturalDistrict,anareathat,it is

Thefiguresin thenewphotoareactivein the

fondlyhoped,willsomedaythrobwithgalleries

revivalofLaGrange.Fromleft to right, they are AndreLaPalme,poet and waiter at the Down-

and theaters.

townCafe;NickFlynn,whooperatesGood Times;DanielHolmes,owneroftheDowntown

AlreadythemostnotoriousoftheCombat Zonebars,GoodTimeCharlie’sat No.25,has circa 1933

met

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Cafe;andMarkLynch,associatedirectorofthe BostonTheaterDistrict Association.

Theoldphotodepictsaverydifferentand thrivingstreetscapeoftailors,hatters,shoemakers,andpictureframers—smallbusinesses, thekindthatthriveoninexpensive side-street locations,cateringtotheneedsofnearbybusinessmen.Manyofthebuildingsgobackto 1828, theyearLaGrange wasfirstlaidoutfortwenty housesonthesiteofaformerdistillery.Thatwas shortlyafterthelastvisittoBostonoftheMarquisdeLafayette, andLaGrange wasnamed, according tolegend,inhonorofLafayette’s home in France.

Onestone standsunmovingin the streamof

changethatisLaGrange Street.HandtheHatter, atNo.20,hasbeenoperatedhereforfifty-five yearsbythesameowner,ArthurA.Stephens. Thebusinessitselfgoesbackat leastacentury. Stephensbelievesheistheonlycustomhat makerleftinBoston.

Arace|Yankees|whosetypicalmemberis torn betweenapassionforrighteousness anda desire togetonin theworld.—SamuelEliotMorison

a>

1961

HiddenMasterpieces Porest:TENTIAL GEMS INACITYCaneasily becomelostbeneatharottingcrustofinap-

propriateuse andincongruoussignage.Nowhere

isthismoretruethanintheCombatZone,a smallareathatretainstheornatescaleofaVictoriandowntownandboastsoneofthebestcollectionsofbuildings,architecturally, inBoston. FiveoftheCombatZone’sbuildingshave receivedlandmarkdesignation bythecity;others deserveit. Oneofthefive,theLibertyTreeBuilding,isthesubjectofthesephotographs. It takes itsnamefromafamouselmthatstoodhereat the cornerofWashington andEssex(thenOrangeand FrogLane)inRevolutionary times.Dissidentcolonists,callingthemselvestheSonsofLiberty, methereintheyearsleadinguptotheRevolution,andthespaceshelteredbythetreecameto beknownasLibertyHall.Soonafterthewar

56

began,BritishtroopsandTorysympathizers marchedontheLibertyTreeandchoppedit into fourteencordsoffirewood. Legendstatesthatthe patriotictreekilledtwooftheaxmenbyclobberingtheirheadswithfallingbranches. TheLibertyTreeBuildingtodayisalovely buthideouslydeteriorated structure,designedin brick and stonebyan unknownarchitectin a

stylethatfallsbetweenGreekRevivalandItalianate.A uniquefeatureisafive-by-eight-foot carvingoftheLibertyTree,madebyshipcarvers andsetintothesecond-floor facade.Aroundand beneaththetreearecarvedthewords“Liberty 1776/Lawand Order/SonsofLiberty1766/Inde-

pendenceofTheirCountry1776.” Greatchangeshaveoverwhelmed thelower WashingtonStreetareain the yearssincethe

olderphotowasmade.Stripteaseclubsandpros-

titutiondriftedhereinthe1960s fromScollay Square, thenbeingredeveloped asGovernment

growing NewEngland Medical Center, andby privatedevelopers. Suchgrowth, nowslowed,

the areabecameknown,as a fact oflife.In 1974it was declaredan “adultentertainment zone”in a

at the same time it offershopeforrestoringthem.

Center.ThecityacceptedtheCombatZone,as

successfulefforttocontainBoston'sX-rated activitieswithinonesmallarea.Theresultscan bereadinthenewerphoto.A cafeteriahas

becomea strip club,a pawnshophas becomea peepshowarcade,a delihas becomeanotherpeep-

show.Abovethegroundfloor,a firehasdestroyed theLibertyTreeBuilding’s interior.

mayinfuturethreatenthehistoricbuildings,but

Timemaybeshortforsomeofthezone’s forgottenmasterpieces. Arecentfirenearly

destroyed theHayden Building, anotherBoston

landmarkthenservingasagaybathhouse.

Designedby the greatestBostonarchitect,H. H. Richardson,it is just downthe street fromthe LibertyTree.

ThecurrentviewshowstheCombat Zoneat

whatmayprovetobeits economicnadir.With the spreadofhome video,its pornographicuses arein decline.In the 1980sthe zoneshrank,

pressuredbyexpanding development onall sides—byanactiveChinesecommunity, bythe

a

I believethe right question to ask, respectingall

ornament,is simplythis:Wasit donewithenjoyment—wasthecarverhappywhilehewas aboutit?—JohnRuskin

af

1898