Southwest Corridor Communities
Jamaica Plain (Commentary by Alexandra O'hara)
Jamaica Plain (or JP, as it is known the locals) is a 4.4 square-mile neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Rumors abound on the origin of this neighborhood's moniker; some say Jamaica Plain evolved from the linguistic corruption of the name of a Native American sachem, Kutchemakin; others speculate that it represents the way 17th century residents liked to drink their Jamaican rum ("plain" rather than "neat").
There were several transportation innovations in the neighborhood long before the introduction of the Orange Line. In 1733, for instance, the first public coaches began to serve the area. In 1826, a horse-drawn omnibus called the "Hourly" allowed Jamaica Plain residents to travel downtown more frequently. 1856 saw the establishment of horse-car trolleys, and electric streetcar service finally arrived in 1889.
As for recent history, the past ten years have seen a significant increase in housing prices. According to the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, the median rent for a studio apartment in the neighborhood went from $549 in 1995 to $1,158 in 2001. The average price for a single-family home in Jamaica Plain went from $173,201 in 1995 to $426,818 in 2001. The per capita income after taxes in Jamaica Plain was $23,992 in 2000. Demographically speaking, Jamaica Plain has the largest Hispanic community in Boston, with over 10,000 Hispanic residents in 1990. Today, the total population is close to 40,000.
Though not far from the city of Boston, Jamaica Plain residents and visitors enjoy beautiful natural surroundings. These include Olmstead Park, which abuts Jamaica Pond, as well as the Franklin Park Zoo, The Arnold Arboretum, and one of America's most treasured historic burials grounds: the Forest Hills Cemetery.
The area became embroiled in the conflicts involving city plans for Interstate 95, which would have necessitated the razing of some Jamaica Plain residences. By the late 1960s, a final design for the highway was well underway. The state had acquired space along what is now called the Southwest Corridor, and begun to tear down homes and businesses to clear the way for the interstate. In 1968, due in large part to neighborhood resistance, the governor canceled the plans to run I-95 through Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Roslindale and the cleared land was turned into parks. Unfortunately, several homes and buildings were demolished and never rebuilt.
Fortunately, today's Jamaica Plain is still a vibrant and interesting neighborhood on the outskirts of central Boston. Socially active organizations within Jamaica Plain include the locally famous Bikes Not Bombs, which enhances communities with a bicycle repairing and recycling program; and Spontaneous Celebrations, which plans artistic events to showcase different aspects of the neighborhood culture.
Chinatown (Commentary by Jess McCann and Bill Benjamin)
Unfortunately, displacement and relocation had become familiar to many inhabitants of Chinatown by the time the MBTA project rolled around in the 1970s. Boston's Chinatown was established around 1870, when Chinese immigrants, out of work in the wake of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and weary of anti-Chinese sentiment in the west, began to migrate east from California. Arriving through South Station, many ran into trouble immediately due to a strike at a nearby shoe factory; they were seen as picket-line crossers. Still, most remained due to the area's ideal location. The neighborhood was built on land which had been tidal flats until the late 19th century, when city planners filled them in to double the size of the city, and make room for incoming immigrants. Chinatown itself began as a collection of young male factory workers who lived in tents on what is now called Ping On Alley, along with the many Syrians who already resided there. They soon began building residences along the main roads: Harrison, Beech and Oxford Streets.
Chinatown remained a relatively small collection of workers until just after World War II, when new laws made it easier for Asian families to permanently reside in the United States, creating a population boom. The neighborhood remained strictly blue-collar for many years, with most men and women holding jobs in retail and food-service industries. The growth of the neighborhood was also restricted by many major factors in the 1950s and 60s. The construction plans for the Southeast Expressway/Central Artery, the Massachusetts Turnpike, Tufts University, the New England Medical Center and many urban renewal projects displaced hundreds of families and threatened the sense of community and cultural identity of the Chinatown neighborhood.
In the year 2000, Chinatown was considered one of Boston's most densely-populated residential districts, with over 28,000 people per square mile. 70% of Chinatown's population is Asian, and public transportation provides a link for other primarily Asian communities, including some in the South End, Allston-Brighton, Jamaica Plain, Malden, Quincy and Brookline. Mastering the English language has often been an obstacle for new residents, and many have remained within Asian communities for this reason. Many new immigrants opt to live in Chinatown until they have established themselves. These community members focus on developing their English language skills and strengthening their economic mobility, in order to exercise wider options regarding housing and employment.
Currently Chinatown's generally accepted boundaries are Essex Street to the north, the Surface Artery to the east, Washington and Tremont Streets to the west, and Marginal Road to the south. Chinatown continues to be a cultural and social center for Boston; it remains a center of Asian-American life in New England, hosting many Chinese, Japanese, Cambodian, and Vietnamese restaurants and markets. Chinatown also has museums and architecture representative of the Chinese culture.
Sources Used:
"All History is Local." The Boston Historical Society Website. 2008. The Bostonian Society.http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=neighborhoods&p=localhist
"Boston Chinatown History." Chinatown Gateway. 2000. 5 April 2008. http://www.chinatowngateway.org/chinatown/cthistory.html
Simon, Kate. "A Sweet and Sour History of Boston's Chinatown." The Independent Online. Dec. 9, 2007. http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/a-sweet-and-sour-history-of-bostons-chinatown-766059.html
Roxbury (Commentary by Max Olivier)
When I originally volunteered to research a profile of Roxbury, it seemed like a simple enough task. However, as I began to learn about the history of this town, I soon found that I didnt know as much as I had believed. Roxbury enjoys a history that is as rich as it is old. This presents a challenge to those, such as myself, who are not interested in detailing every significant occurrence or establishment, but who realize that the omission of certain particulars may skew the overall picture. That being said, I hope the following information is helpful, but by no means is it meant to constitute a complete portrayal.
If one takes on the challenge of profiling such a town, or anything for that matter, it makes sense to start at the beginning. Roxbury was founded in 1630 as one of the first villages in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The original boundaries of this village included the present-day neighborhoods of Mission Hill, West Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain.
Roxbury was initially established as an agricultural community, as most colonies were at the time. Resources were plentiful, such as timber and natural stones (like pudding stone) for building homes, and a fresh flowing brook to provide drinking water and power for local mills. During the 18th century, many of Roxbury's "grand homes" were built. These residences are well known for their striking architectural style, as well as their ability to withstand the test of time; many are still standing today. Changes in the early 19th century, prompted by new developments in transportation, brought industrial development and increasing density in residential areas. As a result, in 1846 Roxbury was categorized as a city, and then annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868.
From Roxbury's earliest days, commerce centered at Dudley Station, where Washington, Warren, and Dudley streets cross. By the turn of the 20th century, the area was a bustling mix of department stores, residential hotels, silent movie theaters, banks, and even a bowling alley. These buildings were designed by prominent Boston architects in a rich mixture of revival styles. Dudley Station itself opened in 1901 as the southern terminus of the Boston Elevated Railway, which ran to Sullivan Square in Charlestown and later became part of the Orange Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. Adapted for use as a bus station after the removal of the old elevated Orange Line in 1989, the elegant, copper-clad Dudley Station is still a major link within the city's public transit network. Roxbury continues to experience significant revitalization, evidenced by the 2001 opening of the Grove Hall Mall, making the Grove Hall section of Roxbury another commercial center of the neighborhood.
Aside from the economic growth and physical changes brought on by industrialization, Roxbury also experienced a demographic shift of ethnicity. Many of Roxbury's earliest residents were English; alongside them, Irish and German immigrants and their descendants made up most of the population. In the early 20th century, Roxbury became more diverse with the establishment of a Jewish community in the Grove Hall area along Blue Hill Avenue. Then, following a massive migration from the American South to northern cities in the 1940s and 1950s, Roxbury became the center of the African-American community in Boston. Social issues and the resulting urban renewal activities of the 1960s and 1970s contributed to an economic decline in the neighborhood. More recently, grassroots efforts by residents have been the force behind revitalizing historic areas and creating the Roxbury Heritage State Park. The relocation of the Orange Line and development of the Southwest Corridor Park spurred major investment, resulting in the new Roxbury Community College at Roxbury Crossing, and Ruggles Center at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Ruggles Street. Commercial development now promises reinvestment in the form of shopping and related consumer services.
Back Bay (Commentary by Lauren Chrystal and Brooke Vilim)
In a city that can count itself as one of the first European settlements in the United States, Back Bay as a relatively new area. It got its name because it used to be a literal bay at the back of Boston, filled with marshes and resembling nothing of the urban center that exists there today. The marsh was filled in throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century, and the land that currently constitutes Back Bay was filled 1882. Because it was created much later than much of the city, the streets of this neighborhood were designed to lay in a neat grid pattern, a contrast with the haphazard streets in nearby downtown Boston. The orderly, tree-lined avenues featuring consistently-styled architecture owe much of their inspiration to the work of Baron Haussmann, who had famously renovated Paris a few decades previously.
The Neighborhood Association of Back Bay defines the area's boundaries: "the Charles River on the North; Arlington Street to Park Square on the East; Columbus Avenue to the 'New York, New Haven, & Hartford' right-of-way (south of Stuart Street and Copley Place), Huntington Avenue, Dalton Street, and the Massachusetts Turnpike on the south and the Charlesgate East on the West."
Beacon Street, Marlborough Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Newbury Street, and Boylston Street run east-to-west, stretching the length of the neighborhood. North-to-south cross streets are in alphabetical order beginning at the Public Gardens, a fact that is often interestingly emphasized on Boston Duck Tours. Back Bay is home to two of the tallest buildings in New England: the Hancock Tower and the Prudential Tower. The Prudential Tower (known locally as the Pru) was completed in 1964 with 52 floors, and was at that time the tallest building in the world outside of New York City. Today it is no longer even the tallest in its own city (or neighborhood for that matter); the Hancock Tower takes that prize. Designed by I.M. Pei, it was completed in 1972 and became the tallest building in New England, reaching 60 stories into the sky. Back Bay station is nearby. A major stop on the Orange Line, it also houses the Commuter Rail and Amtrak. The current station opened in 1987, replacing a railroad station of the same name, remnants of which can still be found.
Back Bay also contains many historical buildings, most notably the Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. Trinity Church, completed in 1877, was quickly named by the American Institute of Architects as one of the ten most significant buildings in the United States. Facing Trinity Church is the Boston Public Library. It was the first public library to allow patrons to check out books and take them home. Currently, it is the third largest library in the United States (by the number of volumes)
Back Bay houses an array of restaurants, upscale retail stores and private residences, all of which inhabit buildings of several different architectural styles, from brownstones to skyscrapers. Popular Back Bay areas include Newbury, the Charles River Park, the Prudential Center and Copley Square. These areas attract tourists and visitors with their history and beauty, and its residents have the highest income per capita. The neighborhood was named a National Historic District in 1973.
