Back Streets, Oh Boy

From Dave Brigham:

Boston's South End is a hot market right now, with developers working on or proposing large new projects all across the neighborhood, as I alluded to in a recent post (see February 23, 2019, "Exchanging Flowers for Life Science"). While some of these projects involve rehabbing existing warehouse and factory buildings, others call for demolition and replacement with taller structures.

City officials have been surprised by some of this action. “We didn’t think we would see so much development here,” said Marie Mercurio of the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) in this 2018 article from the Boston Sun. She was referring to the Harrison-Albany Corridor, which "is bounded by the Massachusetts Turnpike to the east, Albany Street/Southeast Expressway/Massachusetts Avenue Connector to the south; generally Massachusetts Avenue to the west; and generally Washington Street/Harrison Avenue to the north," per the BPDA's Harrison-Albany Corridor web site.

From 2009 to 2012 the BPDA worked with various groups in the South End -- property owners, business owners, residents, institutions -- to develop a strategic plan for the corridor. Four sub-areas were created, along with draft vision statements for each, per the BPDA web site. Then the group developed an open space plan, analyzed existing and future land uses, studied transportation and infrastructure, envisioned potential development scenarios, identified economic development potential, and developed an implementation plan that included recommendations for new zoning text and map amendments. The plan was adopted and spurred various developments and future projects.

I have to say I was shocked at how much development was going on in the Back Streets area of the South End. I'd never stepped foot in this section of Boston before, and I immediately wished I had done so much, much sooner in my nearly three decades of living in Greater Boston. My only previous ventures into the South End had been minimal: Drinks at Clery's on Dartmouth Street a few times when my wife was in law school in the mid-'90s; dropping in at kids' clothing and toy store Tadpole to see if they would consider selling my children's book (they never got back to me); a family jaunt to the SoWa Market; a photo-snapping trek for this very blog that you're reading (see April 8, 2018, "Tom Cruise Slept Here...Well, Maybe").

None of those explorations touched on the Back Streets district, which is bounded by Albany, Malden and East Brookline streets, and Harrison Avenue. This area is filled with beautiful old warehouses and factory buildings that once housed furniture and piano-making companies. The South End has long been known as a diverse community, home to white and African-American middle class residents, particularly immigrants during the 20th century. During the middle part of last century, the South End was a jazz Mecca. Sadly only Wally's is left from that heyday. The neighborhood began to attract a population of gay residents in the 1940's, per Wikipedia. In the 1970s and '80s, the South End saw many artists move into the warehouse and factory spaces. This population is still going strong in the South End, but it has dwindled in recent years as younger, more affluent residents move in to new and rehabbed developments.

Just off the Southeast Expressway, the Back Streets is undergoing major changes, just like so many other areas of Boston. I spent some time in this area late last year. Here's what I found. Note: things have obviously changed in some of these locations since I was there....

I parked on Wareham Street, across from a nice row of old warehouse/loft buildings that now house, among other businesses, two fashion companies, a massage school, an antique lighting outfit and an interior design firm. With so many new developments popping up around here, and the former Flower Exchange project on tap (see linked article in first paragraph), buildings like this that mix small businesses with artist lofts may go the way of the dodo.

On the opposite side of Wareham Street, near its intersection with Albany Street, is the condo building known as 88 Wareham. With 27 high-end condos and an automated, underground parking system, this place caters to, you guessed it, rich young people. When I took the shot above several months ago, the building (on the left) wasn't completed; I believe it is now. I don't know what 88 Wareham replaced. On the right of the photo is the back of 90 Wareham/519 Albany Street, also home to condos, in addition to M. Miller Furs, something called Ecologic Entomology and Visiting Angels, among other businesses. That building was once a piano factory, one of many that filled this area with the sounds of, well, whatever tools and machines were once used to build pianos.

On the opposite corner from 90 Wareham/519 Albany is 535-543 Albany, home to Marc Hall Design, Hunter Gallery Design, Hidden Kitchen restaurant and advertising agency Proverb, among other businesses. I'm guessing this place was once home to a piano factory or warehouse or related business. The Boston Globe profiled the building and its many small, creative businesses several years ago, and indicated the building dates to 1896. There are several artists working here. I hope they are able to remain here as rents rise in the Back Streets neighborhood.

The biggest project going on in this area right now was known initially as the Harrison Albany Block; the development is now called The Smith. It is fronted by 575 Albany Street (below), and when it's completed, will feature two new apartment buildings that will include retail, restaurant and cultural space, according to the project's official web site.

Here's a view of the side of 575 Albany (below), with heavy equipment rising behind on the massive project.

"The Smith, which is named for the artisan history in the area south of Washington Street, is a 650,000 SF mixed use development that will bring residential housing, including an onsite affordable component and artist live/work units, to Boston’s South End," according to the web site for developer Leggat McCall. "In addition, there will be retail and cultural space on the ground floors of the building and surface parking will be replaced with an underground 650-car parking garage."

I'm glad that the developer is at least paying lip service to the current reality of this area, by offering artist live/work units. I'm curious to see how that works out.

Above is a photo of the rear of 575 Albany Street from East Canton Street. This view is surely much different now. Below, a shot taken further up East Canton, heading toward Harrison Avenue. This area was previously comprised of small buildings and parking lots owned by Boston Medical Center.

Next door to 575 Albany is Boston Wholesale Flowers, in the middle of the photo below.

I love this combination of buildings, and wish that none of them would ever change in any way. But that's not realistic, is it? I'm not sure whether Boston Flower Market, at the left edge of the picture, is part of the same company. Squeezed in between these two floral businesses is Panagea Soumela, also known as the Pontian Society, a Greek cultural organization.

Continuing southwest to the corner of Albany and East Canton Street, I found the Baha'i Center.

The Baha'i faith puts an "emphasis on the unity of all people, openly rejecting notions of racism and nationalism," per Wikipedia. "At the heart of Bahá'í teachings is the goal of a unified world order that ensures the prosperity of all nations, races, creeds, and classes."

I have serious doubts about the ability of the flower shops, the Greek club and the Baha'i gathering spot to continue here in the face of development pressure.

I pivoted at the corner of Albany and East Brookline streets, but not before snapping a photo of this amazing sign.

The Naval Blood Research Laboratory is part of Boston University and Boston Medical Center. That is all.

The beauty in the photo above is The Groton, one of four former Lawrence Model Lodging Houses dating to 1874 on East Canton Street. These places have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, per Wikipedia. They were built with funds from industrialist and financier Abbott Lawrence, the founder of Lawrence, Mass., who left a $50,000 bequest to provide housing for the poor, Wikipedia says.

On the other side of The Smith development, I found this ghost sign along East Dedham Street.

I believe this place at 72-74 East Dedham, also seen below, was once a police station. There is a newer police facility along nearby Harrison Avenue. This building, which sits right across from the new mega-development, is now home to Wediko Children's Services.

There wasn't a heck of a lot more to see along East Dedham, but I really liked the look of Plympton Street. Below is what I believe is the former location of landscape architecture firm Foliaire, which is now situated in South Boston. Or perhaps it's a storage facility for the company. I haven't been able to find out the history of this little building, but I assume it was a warehouse for a piano or furniture company back in the day.

Next is 34 Plympton, below. In the background we see the backs of the buildings on Wareham Street that started our tour. Again, I don't know what this building was at birth; it's now condos.

One more building away is 40 Plympton, home to Boston Sign. While the company appears to be hanging on here, its days could be numbered. In an article in My South End nearly five years ago, the company owners are quoted: "If you guys decide to make Back Streets a residential neighborhood it will force us out of the City. Our light industrial use is not compatible with residents...we make signs here."

I don't know what this used to be, but I'm guessing storage or machine shop for a factory.

Below is the backside of 71-73 Wareham, home to....I have no idea.

Below is 52 Plympton, which looks like it was once a garage. Maybe a fire or police station? Or perhaps related to a factory, with worker housing above? Now it appears to be condos/apartments.

The last building along Plympton, below, is actually the back of 541 Albany Street, home to Proverb, and profiled above.

Finally, a little something different.

This plaque on Special Unit, Engine Co. 3 on the corner of Wareham Street and Harrison Avenue, recognizes the completion in 1940 of this fire house. In the top left corner you can see (I hope) a relief of a firefighter helmet, axes and a hose. The Back Streets district of the South End was a much different place 79 years ago when this first responder building went up. Unlike the artists, small businesses and lower-income folks who've needed to find new neighborhoods in recent years of gentrification in the South End, at least the fire station is sure to remain for decades to come.