West End Removal – Tessa Harlow
An example of this change can be seen in the Old West Church. Originally, the church was Protestant, more specifically Congregational. It existed that way, serving the Christian Community in the area for quite a while, until, with the influx of immigrants to Boston, the community makeup changed, and there was no longer the same need for a Protestant Church. Instead of keeping building for its original purpose, with almost empty pews or having it demolished, the Old West Church was purchased by the City of Boston and changed into a library to support the community of the West End. It remained this way until 1960 when there was no longer a community to support, in which it was purchased by the Methodist Church. The Old West Church stands as an example of how buildings can adapt and be sculpted to fit many needs.
The West End’s physical attributes were what gave the City of Boston and its officials the idea that it was a ‘slum’. The streets were narrow, which was cause for concern when it came to emergency vehicles attempting to maneuver between them. On top of the tight squeeze between the streets, there were also always children about in the streets, a relatively common occurrence in most urban neighborhoods. Another reason the City cited was the status of the houses and apartment buildings themselves, which had fallen into disrepair. Buildings falling into disrepair is common in lower income areas, especially when there is less political pull in an area. Immigrants will commonly have less of a political voice, largely due to the fact that noncitizens aren’t allowed to vote in Boston. This lack of power ties with the likelihood that they are less likely to have the means to fix it themselves. Apartments also had a tendency to be packed with residents, as extended family may be living in one home. The City used these reasons to seize the land through eminent domain, as the neighborhood had become unsafe to continue to live in. But while Boston officials saw slums, the residents of the West End saw a diversely woven community, where the different backgrounds came together to live, and yes, many also saw these issues, but they hoped that instead of completely removing the community they had developed, that Boston would help in making the area better to live in.
The clearance of the West End opened up space to fix a transportation issue that was jamming Boston. At this edge of Boston, many roads and connection points converged and by freeing up the land they were able to dig down, up and out to make the roads go in the directions needed. The hospitals were able to expand to fit their growing needs and developers were able to offer grand, river views from tall high rise apartments. While there were benefits for the Boston Community (of mostly higher wealth) at large, the urban renewal left the West End as a no longer connected community that no former residents could still afford.