"Dirty Old Boston"

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Plen-T-Pak said:
Wow that was amazing! I don't think I've seen Revere Beach captured so well. Its glory days precede me, but I like to imagine based on stories I've heard, and it looked better than I imagined. Thanks for posting!
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Can anyone explain why Revere never re-built the arcades, fun houses, roller coasters, etc? At what point did the city of Revere say "actually, this is all just going to be condos now"?

Also fascinating that no one is swimming. Do we think it's due to water quality or just the wrong time of year?
 
Blackbird said:
Can anyone explain why Revere never re-built the arcades, fun houses, roller coasters, etc? At what point did the city of Revere say "actually, this is all just going to be condos now"?
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Nantasket Beach (Hull) also used to have a massive amusement park back in the 50s and 60s. As a kid back then we took the ferry from Rowes Wharf to Nantasket in the summer to the amusement park. It was great. As to why both Revere and Nantasket amusement parks disappeared, I'm not sure. Economics and and the most profitable land use come to mind.
 
Nantasket must have taken longer to "degrade" in this fashion, as it still had something of a Hampton Beach/Old Orchard Beach vibe to it when I was elementary-school age (mid-'80s) and still had some boardwalk/midway-ish attractions in the '90s, whereas by the early '80s Revere was already pretty devoid of such "fun" (Revere Beach was actually *less* nice/fun in the mid-1980s than it is now).

What I've heard/read is that, in the case of Revere Beach, attendance dwindled gradually and things started falling apart -- the latter of which was greatly accelerated by the Blizzard of '78. As for Nantasket/Paragon Park, I'm not really sure why that closed. Presumably Charlie_mta's guess is pretty spot-on.
 
chrisbrat said:
Nantasket must have taken longer to "degrade" in this fashion, as it still had something of a Hampton Beach/Old Orchard Beach vibe to it when I was elementary-school age (mid-'80s) and still had some boardwalk/midway-ish attractions in the '90s, whereas by the early '80s Revere was already pretty devoid of such "fun" (Revere Beach was actually *less* nice/fun in the mid-1980s than it is now).

What I've heard/read is that, in the case of Revere Beach, attendance dwindled gradually and things started falling apart -- the latter of which was greatly accelerated by the Blizzard of '78. As for Nantasket/Paragon Park, I'm not really sure why that closed. Presumably Charlie_mta's guess is pretty spot-on.
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Nantasket still has quite a few family friendly attractions such as an arcade and Carousel. It's very lively in the summer with outside Beer Garden, Live music and many restaurants along the beach with outdoor decks.
www.paragoncarousel.com

Paragon Carousel | Historic Paragon Park

Visit the Paragon Carousel, the last remaining piece of the beloved Paragon Park in Hull, MA ･ Paragon Museum & Carousel Creamery ･ James Hardison's Restoration Studio
www.paragoncarousel.com www.paragoncarousel.com
 
Is the dream of getting entertainment/leisure businesses back to Revere Beach a total lost cause at this point or is there still some hope?
 
Blackbird said:
Can anyone explain why Revere never re-built the arcades, fun houses, roller coasters, etc? At what point did the city of Revere say "actually, this is all just going to be condos now"?

Also fascinating that no one is swimming. Do we think it's due to water quality or just the wrong time of year?
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Cheaper air travel and the rise of the travel industry when the "Middle Class Family" had a little extra money for trips. Why go to these cold water beaches when the are the beaches in Miami, the Caribbian, California, Mexico and Hawaii?
 
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Java King said:
I love that building with the tower cupula to the left of the photo. Does anyone know what that building was used for? Was it government or commercial. I've tried to get my bearings with Google Maps, and I can't figure out where this shot was taken. Are we looking down State Street toward the waterfront?
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It's the building that got replaced by 75 State Street, the stumpy one with the gold top. The angle is basically standing near the clocktower (which would be to the back left maybe a block behind) and look towards the Old State House, which you can barely make out at the end of the road. Today the view is dominated by 1 Boston Place framing the State House.

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www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
Java King said:
I love that building with the tower cupula to the left of the photo. Does anyone know what that building was used for? Was it government or commercial. I've tried to get my bearings with Google Maps, and I can't figure out where this shot was taken. Are we looking down State Street toward the waterfront?
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The photo title says State Street at Chatham, so I'm assuming it's taken at Chatham Row, looking West toward the old State House.
 
Java King said:
I love that building with the tower cupula to the left of the photo. Does anyone know what that building was used for? Was it government or commercial. I've tried to get my bearings with Google Maps, and I can't figure out where this shot was taken. Are we looking down State Street toward the waterfront?
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Here is the current Google Street view taken from the same spot.
 
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DZH22 said:
It's the building that got replaced by 75 State Street, the stumpy one with the gold top. The angle is basically standing near the clocktower (which would be to the back left maybe a block behind) and look towards the Old State House, which you can barely make out at the end of the road. Today the view is dominated by 1 Boston Place framing the State House.
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While I don't hate 75 State Street and think it's a nice example of PoMo in Boston (though it's certainly, as you say, stumpy), I'd take the previous building over it in a heartbeat.

Since I lived and went to school in Boston growing up and was walking around downtown -- and that area, specifically -- often, I'm curious: do you know if the previous building still *had* the cupula prior to being demo'd for the current 75 State Street building? I feel like I'd have remembered something so distinctive and gorgeous, but pre-1988 was a long time ago at this point and I would've been a little kid when the older building being discussed was still around (with or w/o cupula), so... I guess anything's possible.

Anyway, if you have any other info or pix -- you seem to be excellent at digging such stuff up online -- I'd love to know more! I'll do my own online digging later today, when time allows.
 
chrisbrat said:
Anyway, if you have any other info or pix -- you seem to be excellent at digging such stuff up online -- I'd love to know more! I'll do my own online digging later today, when time allows.
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Off the top of my head I believe there was some sort of renovation that ruined the building's aesthetics long before it got torn down. I'll see if I can dig up more information later.
 
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