Flickr Finds & Social Media Pics

The city morphs into a suburb; similar to what happened at Causeway Street and North Station.
 
SO let me make sure I understand this....

The before pictures show a filthy, scary city infested with drugs, smut, crime, and filth.

The after pictures show a cleaned up city with chain stores and luxury apartments mixed in with rehabilitated historic structures.

And you people are complaining?

You want to live in that grit why don't you start hanging out in Roxbury... or better yet, Hoyloke.

Don't get me wrong, I hate the influx of chain stores and bland luxury buildings as much as anyone but don't for a minute argue that inner city was any better 30 years ago.

I'm willing to bet most of the people who complain about this transformation fall into one of two camps: the first are people under the age of 30 who only ever experienced this kind of city through films and nostalgic tales and are off looking for their own gritty adventure; fucking hipsters (full disclosure I fit nicely into this category).

The second are the people who toughed it out for the last 30 years, who fought the good fight to clean up their neighborhood only to see it change in ways they didn't like. To these people I have little sympathy. Cities evolve and change. These people worked hard to make their neighborhoods better places and then when it actually happened they realized that they had lost control and became bitter. Or they sold out to developers and retired in nicer digs.

Cry me a river.
 
gooseberry said:
I love the fascist arch. Looks like Nazi rally.

Is that a theater on Norway Street?
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Goose -- actually the idea of a triumphant arch goes back a lot further (to say Roman times)

However in Boston specifically -- They built a large temporary arch (desined by Bulfinch) for the triumphant return of President George Washington in fall 1789

TriumphalArch.jpg


http://teachhistory.com/tag/washingtons-visit-to-boston/

"....The nation’s first president rode along Orange, Newbury, Marlborough, and Cornhill streets (all later named Washington Street in honor of his visit). On this path, President Washington went by the Old South Meeting House – a spot he had visited in 1776 to see the destruction done to the building by the British troops when they occupied Boston. Reaching the State House (today’s Old State House), the President passed through a richly decorated Triumphal Arch, designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, which spanned from the west end of the building to the stores on the opposite side of the street. This arch had a canopy above it over 20 feet high with an eagle perched on top.


The President then entered the State House, went upstairs, strode through the Representatives’ Chamber, walked out the center window and took four steps down to the gallery of the Colonnade – a colonial reviewing stand of sorts erected for the occasion at the west end of the State House. This reviewing stand stood atop six large columns, fifteen feet high, and the floor of its gallery was furnished with armed chairs and spread with rich carpets. When President Washington entered the Colonnade, he was saluted by three huzzas from the citizens, and an Ode was sung.

The Procession passed him, proceeded into Court Street and was dismissed. Military companies then escorted the President to his residence in Court Street, Ingersoll’s Inn, where he would stay during his five day visit.

That evening, fireworks were exhibited in several parts of the town – in State Street, the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, Eastern Coffee House, the Castle and from the French Ships, which were beautifully illuminated......
 
Flickr Find: If you search for "boston urban exploration" on Flickr, 95% of the pictures are by Vanshnookenraggen.
 
BTW, in that pic it looks like the upper floors on IP1 are under construction, or is it just different lighting from the other floors? And a few floors below that are in the dark.
 
A then(~1892)-and-now. Corners of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue. First image from the Boston Public Library flickr photostream.

stables1.jpg


stables2.png
 
^ I love that building. My apartment of nearly three years looked straight out at it, and I spent much time admiring its handsome Renaissance-meets-red-brick looks.

Also, it's interesting to note how the first floor has changed...the original arches looked nice, but I also think the current incarnation does no harm.
 
I've spent hours going through Nick's photostream. Everyone should peruse it.
 
kz1000ps said:
I've spent hours going through Nick's photostream. Everyone should peruse it.
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Thumbed through real quick:

1) NYC lost a great one when they trashed the real "Penn Station"
2) amazing to remember when there wasn't yet the JH Tower just the weather beacon
3) Real vitality on Washington St -- just before Lafayette Place
4) seem to be lots of loose dancing women in Cambridge
 
Found on the Tumblr site Maps On The Web -- 1872 post-fire street plan:

boston01872firerebuildi.jpg


The 1912 subway system as depicted with modern typography:

boston01912subwaytoday.png
 
Green station was infilled later? I did not know this. (I did know about Charles station.)
 
I know Arlington was an afterthought, but I was under the impression they knew it was going in by the time they started actual construction?
 
davem said:
I know Arlington was an afterthought, but I was under the impression they knew it was going in by the time they started actual construction?
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They know the end point but it was the middle that needed filling in.
 
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