Patrick Winn
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It's a very long way from it's sarcastic nickname: Slumerville!
Part of that is the fact that prior to the 90s, a lot of Italian and Irish families who'd lived in Somerville--and Charlestown for that matter--fled to the blue collar frontier between Rt 3 and I-93 that is Billerica, Tewksbury and Wilmington. The beating heart of those communities is former urban working class who still strongly identify with the old neighborhood.Years ago when I was growing up in Billerica, that hack writer Howie Carr wrote an insulting piece about my hometown calling it "Somerville with trees" among other things.
Took a walk through Assembly Square felt like I was walking through a movie set- for the Global Corporate business development model for waterfront areas.
It just feels Boston is not following its history and soul for the developments are only basing the areas for corporate boxed buildings with some cool angles but their is no culture, or soul that is part of the areas.
Something is missing.
Either that or I'm just old.
Part of that is the fact that prior to the 90s, a lot of Italian and Irish families who'd lived in Somerville--and Charlestown for that matter--fled to the blue collar frontier between Rt 3 and I-93 that is Billerica, Tewksbury and Wilmington. The beating heart of those communities is former urban working class who still strongly identify with the old neighborhood.
I lived and worked in Billerica for 13 years. I know what you mean! It's a town that lost its way long ago and contented itself with being an architectural and design backwater, from commercial, to residential, to government (the present town hall being in the old high school building). The restoration of the old town hall into a fine library was an exception and the restoration of St. Andrew Church in N. Billerica is a gem.Years ago when I was growing up in Billerica, that hack writer Howie Carr wrote an insulting piece about my hometown calling it "Somerville with trees" among other things. For years you could buy bull's eyes in town with Howie's face in it. Nowadays, I wish Billerica was more like Somerville (and our current town rep invited Howie to a breakfast in town to promote his candidacy) Oh how times have change.
I lived and worked in Billerica for 13 years. I know what you mean! It's a town that lost its way long ago and contented itself with being an architectural and design backwater, from commercial, to residential, to government (the present town hall being in the old high school building). The restoration of the old town hall into a fine library was an exception and the restoration of St. Andrew Church in N. Billerica is a gem.
That sounds promising but if they hold onto the property, as it sounds like they might, it will remain a sad and depressing wasteland, even if they do eventually get around to taking down the unused smokestacks. I'll at least keep my fingers crossed for their removal, if not the sale of the property to be redeveloped. I'm sure it would be insanely expensive for a new owner to thoroughly clean up
It's because Somerville has become extremely blue while Billerica has gotten progressively redder. I hate to oversimplify it, but the bluer a town/city is, the more progressive and open to development it is, drawing in more younger, diverse professionals, who have more and pay more, bringing up the values of the homes, schools, neighborhood parks, shops, and restaurants. The more a town stagnates, the redder it gets.Years ago when I was growing up in Billerica, that hack writer Howie Carr wrote an insulting piece about my hometown calling it "Somerville with trees" among other things. For years you could buy bull's eyes in town with Howie's face in it. Nowadays, I wish Billerica was more like Somerville (and our current town rep invited Howie to a breakfast in town to promote his candidacy) Oh how times have change.
You have a point about Assembly needing time to develop soul. Fwiw, I think they've done a pretty good job of laying the foundations for something that can grow and have soul in the future as opposed to a lot of similar developments. Just look at the difference between Assembly and Station Landing.I don't know what the hell people mean when they talk about a place having or not having "soul." Actually, I think I do. It's a euphemism for "nostalgia." Soul happens when you have fuzzy, distant memories of a place... or when you're told about someone else's fuzzy, distant memories, whether they're Roman historians recalling the good old Imperial times or your dad reminiscing about the neighborhood way back when. So when we say Assembly Row has no soul what we mean is that neither we nor anyone else grew up there.
To get post-modernist on the topic, even the little flourishes around Assembly meant to imbue it with character--and that come off as artifice right now--will become touchstones of the soul of the neighborhood for the next generation that is growing up shopping, eating and--yes--even living there. "Remember those funny plaques on the ground that said 'You are Here' in all those different languages?"
To these people, our 2020s-era pearl-clutching about "soul" will elicit nothing but eye-rolls.
No, creative people moved to a desirable well situated area and made it more desirable still. The locals who get no credit are largely just being priced out of places they actually protected and maintained back in the bad ole days like Davis Square.You have a point about Assembly needing time to develop soul. Fwiw, I think they've done a pretty good job of laying the foundations for something that can grow and have soul in the future as opposed to a lot of similar developments. Just look at the difference between Assembly and Station Landing.
You can have soul without nostalgia tho. Take the rest of Somerville, there's been a huge change in population make up over the last generation and the vibrancy hasn't been built off nostalgia. It's been built off an influx of creative people and a reduction in knee jerk curmudgeons, Stuff like Bow Market, Honk and Porchfest bring soul but not through nostalgia.
The soul missing from Assembly is Good Time Emporium. That was pretty much my favorite place ever. In my 20's it's where I would "go out" when I didn't feel like going out. So affordable, and so many entertainment options. Football games, March Madness, arcade, pool, ping pong, cheap pizza and pitchers of beer. I know it was a gritty dump but I minded my own business and never had an issue. I can't think of a single bigger loss to the Boston area in my lifetime (the Revere Beach rollercoasters predate me).