Neighborhood Briefing Document

Transcription

YO U T H
V I O L E N CE
S Y S T E M S
P ROJE CT
•S outh End & Low er Rox bury•
A
p
a
r
t
n
e
r
s
h
i
p
o
f
:
Emmanuel Gospel Center • Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston • Boston TenPoint Coalition
High
Risk
Youth
Network
•
United
Way
of
Massachusetts
Bay
and
Merrimack
Valley
PARTNERS
STEERING COMMITTEE
Emmanuel Gospel Center
Khary Bridgewater (Project Manager)
Director, Applied Evaluation Systems
(the consulting enterprise of Emmanuel Gospel Center)
Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston
Boston TenPoint Coalition
Jeff Bass (Project Support)
Executive Director, Emmanuel Gospel Center
High Risk Youth Network
Paul Bothwell (Community Liaison)
Director, Boston Urban Academy
United Way of Massachusetts Bay
and Merrimack Valley
Rema Cheng (Project Support)
Senior Associate, Applied Evaluation Systems
Project Advisors
Tamecia Jones (Researcher)
Research Writer, neXus Boston
Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith
Associate Dean and Professor,
Harvard School of Public Health
Jin Min Lee (Project Support)
Business Manager, Applied Evaluation Systems
Rev. Jeffrey Brown
Executive Director, Boston TenPoint Coalition
Grace Lee (Project Support)
Consultant, Applied Evaluation Systems
Rev. Ray Hammond
Chairman, Boston TenPoint Coalition
Laura Mitchell (Project Support)
Project Coordinator, Youth Violence Systems Project
Rudy Mitchell (Researcher)
Senior Researcher, Emmanuel Gospel Center
Dean Borgman
Youth Work Professor,
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Steve Peterson (Model Designer)
System Dynamics Consultant
Talia Rivera (Community Liaison)
Coordinator, Boston High Risk Youth Network
Contact
c/o Emmanuel Gospel Center
2 San Juan Street
PO Box 180245
Boston, MA 02118
Khary Bridgewater
Project Manager
khary@aes-egc.org
The South End & Lower Roxubry Neighborhood Briefing Document was prepared by
Rudy Mitchell and Theresa Musante
Copyright © 2009 Youth Violence Systems Project. All rights reserved.
w w w.gettingtotheroots.org
•S outh End & Low er Rox bury•
The Youth Violence Systems Project is a two-year project that will develop a system dynamics model of youth violence in Boston. This computer model will help community, academic,
political, and institutional stakeholders develop more effective strategies to reduce youth violence. By increasing our understanding of the systems dynamics of youth violence in Boston,
including plausible outcomes for different actions taken, we will have stronger communication, agreement and cooperation around a community-wide response to youth violence in
Boston, which will result in a safer, healthier city for everyone.
History 1
Boundaries
8
Overall Population Trends 12
Racial and Ethnic Trends 14
Age Characteristics of the Population
16
Family Structure 18
Economics and Income 20
Housing 21
Churches 23
Schools and Education 31
Community Organizations and Social Service Agencies 35
Public Safety and Crime 48
Community Newspapers and Media
51
Bibliography
52
Credits
54
.
History o f the S outh E nd &
Lo w er Rox bury A rea
T
he area known today as the South End was originally a smaller neck of land along Washington Street,
widening from its narrowest point at today’s Berkeley Street to its widest at the Roxbury line near today’s Hammond Street. Although there were a few scattered houses
and taverns in the early 1800s, most of the area was not developed until after 1840. During the next 30 years, filling the
bays created most of the present land, and brick bowfront
houses were built throughout the area, followed by a variety of major institutions and factories. By 1885 parts of the
South End were becoming rooming house and tenement districts which filled with working class lodgers and successive
waves of immigrants. Over the next century the area had a
rich diversity of people and activities, but its buildings and
reputation suffered an increasing decline. From the 1950s
through the 1970s the community became the largest urban
renewal area in the nation, with accompanying community
South End street with bowfront houses
organizing, protests, and conflict. In recent years, beginning
in the late 1960s, many parts of the area experienced gentrification as rooming houses and
apartments were converted to condos and major new market rate housing developments
were built. This period has also been characterized by an increased emphasis on the arts, the
proliferation of restaurants and cafes, the growth of Boston Medical Center and the expansion of Northeastern University into the area.
Until 1786 the only way into Boston by land was on Washington Street over the narrow
neck of land in the South End. From the early years, the city had a guard post, gate, and fortifications at the narrowest point near present day Berkeley Street. When the British occupied
Boston during the Revolutionary War, about 600 of their soldiers were sent over to the Neck
in the fall of 1774 to cut a channel to let the water through and strengthen the old fortifications near this part of the neck. The British also built larger and stronger, advanced fortifications closer to the present Cathedral and Blackstone School. They used Deacon Brown’s
house located near today’s Newton Street and Blackstone Square as a guard house. His store
was also used by the British. The American troops later dug entrenchments near the Roxbury line close to the present day Ramsay Park and used the George Tavern as an advanced
outpost. The advanced fortifications on each side were within musket range of each other.
General George Washington wrote of the American troops at lower Roxbury, “Our people
have intrenched across the outer end [of the neck] and are strongly fortified there.”
Thus parts of present day South End and Lower Roxbury were the sites of strategic positions and numerous skirmishes between the American and British forces during 1775-1776.
Although no major battle took place there, the area definitely had the atmosphere of a war
William Wheildon, Siege and Evacuation of Boston and Charlestown (Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1876), 11.
Youth Violence Systems Project
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page zone with the British shooting cannons daily
at the American lines and the houses in range
in Roxbury, and both sides engaging in numerous skirmishes. On June 24 a party of American
troops tried to burn Brown’s house down, but
they were discovered early and two were killed.
They brought a field piece up and shot a cannon
ball through the house driving the British guards
out, but were unsuccessful in burning the house.
There was a strong skirmish with firing from both
sides continuing for some time. The following day
another attempt was also unsuccessful, although
Roxbury and South End with troop placements
the British lost several men in the skirmishing
that continued throughout the day. One American was wounded. On the 26th a group of
British soldiers advanced at daybreak and fired at the American sentinels at George’s tavern.
When more American guards showed up, a sharp exchange of musket fire took place, and
the British retreated. A few days later flaming bombshell from the British set Mr. William’s
house on fire. “But the daring activity of the troops, working in the face of constant fire from
the enemy, prevented the flames from spreading.” On July 5 General Washington came over
to Roxbury to visit and survey the situation.
At 10 o’clock at night on July 7, six American soldiers advanced secretly to positions behind
Brown’s house. Meanwhile other volunteers under the leadership of Major Tupper and Captain Crane advanced quietly to positions in the marshes on either side of the Neck. “Two
brass field pieces were drawn quietly across the marsh to within 300 yards of the house. On a
signal from the advance party, two rounds of shot were fired into the house” at about 2 a.m.
The British guards in Brown’s house hastily retreated to the safety of their lines. The six advance men then set fire to the house and another building. In the process, six muskets were
captured. Scattered shots from the British outpost were heard for some time, but the attacking party was able to return without loss. On July 11 the Americans attacked again, driving
the British guards back and burning Brown’s store. It had been the only house left standing
on the neck beyond the British fortifications. Shortly after that about 200 men worked under fire throwing up some breastwork defenses in front of the George Tavern. “Three bombs
burst near our men, without injuring any of them.”
About 500 British troops marched out on Sunday, July 30 and built a low breastwork to protect themselves. The American troops were at high alert. Later the British sent a floating battery up the Charles River and shot at the American defenses. The Redcoats then attacked the
American sentinels on the advanced lines, driving them back, and burning the George Tavern
in revenge. However, the British did not venture further, but returned to their own lines.
Richard Frothingham, A History of the Siege of Boston, 6th edition (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company,
1903), 213.
Ibid., 216.
Ibid., 224.
Wheildon, 18.
Frothingham, 224.
The George Tavern near the Roxbury line on Washington Street dated back to 1707 at least.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page These events illustrate the type of hostilities taking place in the South End and Lower Roxbury during the Revolutionary War. The American Army consisted of three divisions, with
one division placed in the Roxbury highlands and Lower Roxbury. The division, which consisted of two brigades of six regiments each, was commanded by General Artemas Ward and
General John Thomas.
After the Revolutionary War (1787-88) the state authorized a mint to be built in the South
End to produce copper, silver, and gold coins. However, this mint only operated for a short
time. After the war only a few businesses were built along the Neck, and by 1794 there were
still only 18 buildings between the narrowest point of the neck and the Roxbury line. In
1801, Charles Bulfinch, Chairman of Boston’s Board of Selectman, presented a plan for laying out streets in the South End and a large circular park called Columbia Square (which
was renamed Blackstone and Franklin Squares in 1849). The city’s involvement in developing the area in the next fifty years was an early example of urban planning. The city placed
restrictions on height, width, and setback of buildings to create a uniform and harmonious
blend of streets and buildings. Later the architect, Nathan J. Bradlee, gave more specific architectural unity to the streets of the South End with his building designs.
Although it never attracted large
numbers of the wealthiest Bostonians, the South End did attract
young couples, solid businessmen,
and many skilled craftsmen. The
area also attracted a number of substantial institutions including Boston City Hospital, Boston College,
the Boston Latin and English High
School (largest public school building in the world), the St. James Hotel, and many major churches. The
hospital opened in 1864, and Boston College was located in the South
End nearby from 1863 to 1913. In
its early years, the St. James Hotel10 hosted President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1882 the building was sold to the New England Conservatory of Music, which served 3,000 students annually and was called the largest and best appointed musical institute in the world. When
the Boston Latin and English High School building on Warren Avenue was completed in
1880, it was the largest structure in the world used as a free public school.11 The Girls High
School on West Newton Street, built in 1870, served 800 young women and trained many
of Boston’s school teachers. In September 1872, Alexander Graham Bell came to live at 35
Boston Landmarks Commission, The South End: District Study Committee Report (Boston: Boston Lanmarks Commission, 1983), 7. Walter Muir Whitehill, Boston: A Topographical History, 2nd edition (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, Belknap Press, 1968), 135-136.
10 In recent years the building has served as housing for the elderly and as the supposed St. Eligius Hospital
on the T.V. series, St. Elsewhere.
11 Moses King, editor, King’s Handbook of Boston, 7th edition. (Cambridge, Mass.: Moses King Publisher,
1885), 152.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page West Newton Street where he opened “an establishment for the study of vocal physiology,
for the correction of defects of utterance and for practical instruction in ‘Visible Speech.’”12
In 1877 the famous Christian leader, Dwight L. Moody, held an evangelistic campaign in
the South End, drawing crowds as large as 6,000-7,000 people three times a day for three
months. Also drawing large crowds was the Cyclorama, built in 1884 to house the 400 foot
circular mural of the Battle of Gettysburg. From the 1871 to 1914, professional baseball was
also played in the South End/Lower Roxbury area at the impressive South End Grounds13
with its double decker grandstands and tall twin towers. When the baseball stadium burned
on May 15, 1894, the fire spread to consume 177 other Lower Roxbury buildings. With its
growing population, the neighborhood also developed other forms of entertainment, from
theater to boxing and bicycle racing.
The neighborhood was initially developed hoping to attract upper class families. However, when the Back Bay neighborhood
was built, it became the more popular area for the wealthy. Due
to a financial depression in 1873 and other factors, the South
End began to lose its attractiveness and declined somewhat.
From the 1880s on, many buildings were turned into rooming
houses. Areas surrounding Dover Street (now Berkeley Street)
and Columbus Avenue changed more fully, while some other
areas declined less.
By the turn of the century, many new immigrants had settled
in the South End, and
a number of settlement houses sprang
up to serve their soUnion Park, one of the South End’s English
cial needs. In addition
style oval parks dating to 1851
to the Irish and Nova
Scotians, there were Syrians, Greeks, Armenians,
Lebanese, and Eastern Europeans. Some Jewish
immigrants also settled in the South End. African
Americans came to parts of the South End, especially from Virginia14 after the Civil War and in
larger numbers in the 20th century. “By 1880 twothirds of all southern black adults lived in the five
wards of the South End.”15 Some of these migrants
from the South formed Ebenezer Baptist Church
The Syrian Grocery—
an old world style food store
12 From the original advertising card, Oct. 1, 1872.
13 Located between the present Ruggles train station and Carter Park. It was home to the Boston Bean Eaters, the Boston Braves, etc. and went by several names.
14 Elizabeth H. Pleck, Black Migration and Poverty: Boston 1865-1900 (New York: Academic Press, 1979),
45.
15 Elizabeth H. Pleck, Black Migration and Poverty: Boston 1865-1900 (New York: Academic Press, 1979),
77.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page under the leadership of Rev. Peter Randolph, who had led a group of freed slaves to Boston
before the Civil War.
West Indian immigrants settled in Lower Roxbury and the South End in the early years
of the 20th century. They founded St. Cyprian’s Church in 1913, and it soon became their
cultural, social, and spiritual center. By 1922 the church was able to attract 500 people and
had a strong youth group providing leadership training, and had begun building its present
building in Lower Roxbury.16
The South End became a port of entry for many immigrants, who filled the rooming houses,
apartments, and the tenements. “Between the demise of the South End as a middle/uppermiddle class neighborhood in the 1870s and the post-war world of the 1950s, the South End
was a vibrant, economically poor, but culturally rich, dynamic community.”17 In the 1940s
there were “36 racial and ethnic culture groups” in the area.18 By the 1940s the South End
had also become the home of many bars and rescue missions. It gained a reputation as a
skid row, although that was just one dimension of a more complex reality. For example, the
area around Massachusetts Avenue and Columbus Avenue became well known as a center
of jazz clubs where famous jazz musicians played from the 1930s through the 1950s. Joseph L. “Wally” Walcott opened Wally’s Café in 1934, and it is
still serving up jazz today. Other jazz clubs that have come and
gone include the famous Hi Hat, the Savoy, Morley’s The Big M,
the Pioneer Club, the Wigwam, Louie’s Lounge, and the Professional & Businessmen’s Club. Clubs like the Hi Hat attracted famous musicians like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Sammy Davis,
Jr., Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Stitt. After late night
sessions, musicians would stop by Charlie’s Sandwich Shop on
Columbus Avenue for something to eat. The area’s tradition of
jazz continues today with the annual September Beantown Jazz
Festival on Columbus Avenue, with Wally’s Café, and with the
Beehive nightspot.
By the 1960s the city was thinking of major urban renewal efforts for the South End. A few
housing projects, like Cathedral Housing Project, and Lenox/Camden Housing had already
been built. Edward Logue and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) were considering thousands of housing units of new construction. By the time they came to the South End
they knew they would need to de-emphasize demolition and spend more time listening to
community groups before finalizing plans. Local neighborhood activism resulted in a citizen
review process and ended most mass clearance of older buildings. The South End was indeed vocal and well organized, especially the Hispanic community in Parcel 19. By 1966 the
urban renewal plan had been approved in a neighborhood meeting and by the city council.
With the renovation of 3,000 buildings and the construction of more than 3,000 new rental
units, this was the largest urban renewal project in the nation. With the help of leaders from
16 Robert C. Hayden, Faith, Culture and Leadership: A History of the Black Church in Boston (Boston: Boston
Branch NAACP, 1983), 51.
17 Boston Landmarks Commission, The South End District Study Committee Report (Boston: Boston Landmarks Commission, 1983), 11.
18 Mel King, Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development (Boston: South End Press, 1981),
1981.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page Emmanuel Gospel Center and St. Stephens Church, Hispanics successfully
organized to force the BRA to accept
an alternate plan for Parcel 19. This
community organizing effort became
the IBA/ETC (Inquilinos Boricuas en
Accion/Emergency Tenants Council)
community development organization.
The resulting Villa Victoria community became a national model. Other
coalitions and organizations involved
in housing and urban renewal issues
included CAUSE (Community Assembly for a United South End), SETC (South End Tenants Council), and SEPAC (South
End Project Area Committee). A parcel of land at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Columbus Avenue became the site of a series of protests beginning in April 25, 1968. “For the
next three days, between 100 and 400 people lived on the lot. They built tents and wooden
shanties and put up a large sign welcoming the media and visitors to “Tent City.” Thousands
of people came. The music of guitars, bongo drums, and saxophones filled the South End.”19
These community efforts eventually led to the construction of the Tent City Housing development. As the Boston Redevelopment Authority continued to complete the urban renewal
process, a group called the Committee for a Balanced South End opposed further construction of subsidized housing, while others in the community pressured potential developers to
guarantee certain percentages of affordable units in their plans. Because of a series of community efforts, much of the old
housing stock was preserved, and
many new buildings were required
to set aside low and moderate income units.
Southwest Corridor Park—The Prudential Center (top left) as well as Copley
Place and the Hancock Tower (top right) have had a major impact on the
South End, contributing to rising housing prices and gentrification
Beginning in the 1960s, the South
End began to experience the evergrowing momentum of gentrification. The construction of the Prudential Center and Copley Place
along with considerable public
and private investment, made the
South End an attractive area to
young professionals. Many of the
low rent apartments and rooms in
rooming houses were converted to
condos, displacing many lower income residents. Between 1980 and
1985 nearly 13,000 private market
19 “Activists Erect ‘Tent City’ in Boston,” Mass Moments, http://massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=126
(accessed 12 May 2009).
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page apartments were converted to condos in Boston.20 The number of lodging house rooms in
Boston dropped from 25,000 in 1950 to 3,000 in 1985.21 The South End was one of the
major areas where this rooming house to condo housing change took place.
The South End has remained quite diverse racially and ethnically in spite of the economic
pressures of gentrification. Nevertheless, the
demographic diversity does not often lead to
cross-cultural social networks, as the subcultures often remain relatively isolated. In recent
years the neighborhoods have seen changes
from the expansion of Boston Medical Center
and Northeastern University in the community. There has been a growth in the arts with annual open studios, the construction of new theaters and gallery space. The South End has also
seen the proliferation of restaurants and cafes.
The Washington Street “Main Streets” proThe South End Buttery, a bakery café and restaurant at
Shawmut Ave. & Union Park
gram has been a catalyst for major residential
and business development along the original
central artery of the area. Other major changes have included renovations of many housing
developments like the Hope VI redevelopment of Orchard Park into Orchard Gardens and
major renovations in the Roxse Housing and the Camden Street housing. At the same time,
1100 or more new housing units have been built for market rate buyers, especially in the
Harrison Avenue and Washington Street areas. Although large areas of the neighborhood
have most of the same buildings that were present 130 years ago, there are few urban neighborhoods which have experienced as many major changes as the South End/Lower Roxbury.
Understanding this complex history and interweaving of diverse people is important.
20 Rolf Goetze, “Boston’s Changing Housing Patterns, 1970-1985” (Boston: Boston Redevelopment Authority, Research Dept., 1986), part 1, p. 2.
21 City of Boston, Commission on Affairs of the Elderly. “Rooms for Rent: A Study of Lodging Houses in
Boston” (Boston: City of Boston, 1986), 4.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page Boundaries o f the S outh E nd
and Lo w er Rox bury A rea
The boundaries of the combined South End and Lower Roxbury area follow the Southwest
Corridor Park and Orange Line tracks from Back Bay Station to the Roxbury Crossing Station and then follow New Dudley Street/Malcom X Boulevard through Dudley Square along
Dudley Street past St. Patrick’s Church and then down Magazine Street to Massachusetts Ave.
The boundary then goes back up Massachusetts Avenue to the Melnea Cass Boulevard intersection and follows the connecting road, General Pulaski Skyway, to Route 93 north and then
to the Massachusetts Turnpike (Rt. 90 and Herald Street) until it passes near the Back Bay
Station. The Boston Redevelopment Authority has defined the South End to include much
of this area down to Melnea Cass Boulevard as the southwest boundary. Before Melnea Cass
Boulevard was built most of the area between Massachusetts Avenue and New Dudley/Dudley Street was popularly known as Lower Roxbury and was not split by the highway. During
much of the 19th century, the boundary between Boston and Roxbury was between Kendall
and Hammond Street and along Ball Street. The South End Landmark Historic District covers most of the area between the Southwest Corridor Park and Harrison Avenue, and between
the Massachusetts Turnpike and Camden Street (except Castle Square, etc.). References to the
South End alone will normally mean the BRA-defined South End since many demographic
statistics are compiled for that area.
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page #803
South End and
Lower Roxbury
Boundary
(part)
#806
#805
#804
#709
#708
Block Group 1
#711
(parts)
#801
#712
#706
#707
#703
#705
Block Group 3
#704
South End and lower roxbury Census Tracts
and boundaries
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page #708
#709
#707
#706
#703
#705
Block Group 3
#712
#704
and boundaries—magnified view
Neighborhood Briefing Document: South End & Lower Roxbury  Page 10
(part)
#806
#805
#804
#803
Block Group 1
(parts)
#801
#711
and boundaries—magnified view
overall population trends
In the early years of the 19th century, Boston
government officials hoped to attract residents to areas of the Boston neck which are
now part of the South End. Plans for some
streets were drawn up, but the sale of lands
was slow. As Hale’s 1814 map shows, there
were only a few houses and businesses on
and near Washington Street. The population
continued to grow slowly during the next two
decades. The 1838 Thomas Bradford map
shows a significant cluster of houses in Lower
Roxbury along Washington Street and between today’s Zeigler Street and Eustis Street
near Harrison Avenue northeast of Dudley
Square. By that time the South End had four
parallel major through streets: Tremont, Suffolk (now Shawmut), Washington, and Front
Street (now Harrison Ave.). The extension of
these streets helped to stimulate population
growth. By the middle of the 19th century,
South End from J.G. Hales map of 1814 showing planned
new land was being filled, new housing was
streets and contemporary buildings
being built, and the population of the South
End was growing substantially. Initially South End bowfront row houses were mostly designed for individual families, but later the population increased more as the buildings were
divided up into rooming houses and small apartments.
Between 1900 and the 1950s, the South End was overcrowded with many immigrant families and single lodgers squeezing into rooms and small apartments. “The pace of change in
the population of the South End slowed in the 1930s because of economic conditions and
in the early 1940s because of the war. By the middle of the 40s, the population was close to
60,000, and the South End was the most densely inhabited district in the City of Boston.”22
Between 1950 and 1960 the population dropped dramatically as families moved to the suburbs and there were few newcomers to take their place. In the following decade many people
were displaced through urban renewal and the population dropped by more than 12,000.
Since 1970 the South End population has increased, although this moderate change masks
some important and complex underlying dynamics. On the one hand the population density in the historic rowhouses has decreased as rooming houses and family apartments were
converted to condos and some single family buildings. On the other hand these decades have
seen a number of large scale housing developments built. Some of these have been for low
and moderate income residents and others for high income residents. Overall, a significant
number of new housing units have been built in the last few decades, even though the neighborhood was already highly built up.
22 Boston Landmarks Commission, South End Report, 20.
South end PoPulation trendS
70,000
60,000
50,000
57,218
40,000
30,000
34,956
20,000
22,775
27,125
28,842
28,239
1980
1990
2000
10,000
0
1950
1960
1970
Population
Year
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
200724
South End
Boston
Population23 Population
57,218
801,444
34,956
697,197
22,775
641,071
27,125
562,994
28,842
574,283
28,239
589,141
31,000
608,352
23 Boston Redevelopment Authority, South End District Profile & Proposed 1978-1980 Neighborhood Improvement Program (Boston: BRA, 1977), 3. Also, BRA, “Boston’s Population—2000,” Report 541 (Boston:
BRA, 2001), 11. Based on U.S. Census data. BRA defined area of the South End which extends to Melnea Cass Boulevard. Some parts of the study area between Melnea Cass Boulevard and Dudley Street
are not included in this table.
24 2007 Boston population based on a U.S. Census revision in 2008. See Stephanie Ebbert, “Revision Puts
Population Estimate for Hub Over 600,000,” Boston Globe, 5 December 2008, Metro B3. The 2007
South End estimate is based on at least 1,100 new housing units built in the South End and a large
increase in the number of young children since 2000.
RACI A L A ND E T HNI C T R E NDS
Over many decades the area has been quite diverse, racially and ethnically. In the past it has
been a port of entry for immigrants from dozens of countries. It has had substantial numbers
of African Americans, West Indians, Asians, Hispanics and whites. In 1960 the neighborhood was 58% white, 39% black, 1% Hispanic, and 2% Asian. In 1970 it was 41% white, still
39% black, 7% Hispanic, and 13% Asian. The large amount of subsidized housing in the
South End enabled the area as a whole to remain quite diverse despite the influx of young
professionals in the 1980s and 1990s. Between 1980 and 2000, the main change in the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood was the increase in the percentage of whites from 35% to
45% and the decrease in the percentage of blacks from 39% to 23%. The Hispanic population increased from 13% (3,443) to 16% (4,773) during those years. The Asian population
stayed about the same at 12%.
Two tables will be given because the sources use different categories in different decades.
Trends in the South End Population, 1960-197025
White Black Hispanic Chinese & Other
South End 1960
58% 39%
1%
2%
South End 1970
41% 39%
7%
13%
Trends in the South End Population, 1980-200026
GROUPS
1980
1990
2000
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
White
9,554 35%
11,433 40%
12,780 45%
Black/African
10,503 39%
9,088
39%
6,422
23%
American
Hispanic
3,443 13%
4,663
16%
4,773
17%
Asian/Pacific
3,192 12%
3,458
12%
3,358
12%
Islander
Native American 77
0%
114
0%
94
0%
Other Single
356
1%
116
0%
117
0%
Race
Multiracial
695
2%
Total
27,125 100% 28,842 100% 28,239 100%
White
Minorities
9,554 35%
17,551 65%
11,433
17,409
40%
60%
12,780
15,459
45%
55%
25 Boston Redevelopment Authority, South End District Profile (1977), 4.
26 Boston Redevelopment Authority, “Boston’s Population—2000,” Report 541, “Changes in Population,
Race, and Ethnicity” (Boston: Boston Redevelopment Authority, 2001), 11.
Age Characteristics
o f the population
The distribution of youth is uneven across the South End/Lower Roxbury area, and the concentration of various racial and cultural groups is higher in some census tracts than others.
Census Tract 805 in Lower Roxbury has by far the largest number of 10-19 year olds (636).
Tract 705 in the center of the South End has the second-highest number of youth. 54% of
the study area’s Hispanic youth are concentrated in just three census tracts: 705,805, 709.
Most (71%) Asian youth live in census tracts 704 and 705, which includes Castle Square
and the adjacent area in central South End. There are large numbers of African American
youth in census tracts 805, 707, 709, and 804. The total number of youth in the South End
declined by 16.3% from 1990 to 2000, with both white youth and minority youth declining
in numbers. Most of the decline was in African American youth (-571), Asian youth (-208),
and white youth (-116), while the number of Hispanic youth remained about the same. 27
ComPoSition of the Youth PoPulation (10-19 YrS.)
in South end/lower roxBurY
Two/More 6%
White 17%
Other
21%
White
Black or African American
Asian
Other race
Two or more races
Asian
11%
Black/Afr. Amer.
45%
(Hispanic youth are 33.5% of the total youth population, but are
distributed among the various groups in the pie chart above)
27 Boston Redevelopment Authority, “Boston’s Population–2000: Changes in Youth Population (under 18)
by Race and Ethnicity in Boston and Boston’s Neighborhoods,” Report 543 (Boston: BRA, 2001), 9.
Composition of the Youth Population (10-19 years old)
by Census Tracts
Census
Total White Black or Afri- Asian Other 2 or more Hispanic*
Tracts
youth
can American
Race Races
(any race)
704
291
11
80 171
22
5
44
28
705
417
90
72 142
23
238
88
706
60
33
18
6
3
0
8
707
222
19
171
10
12
10
26
29
708
159
64
8
15
12
32
60
709
273
44
141
5
49
29
101
711
151
33
67
18
19
13
32
712
118
22
29
23
34
10
64
804
163
9
97
6
44
6
63
805
636
52
397
5 144
32
237
703 BG 3
40
25
3
6
5
0
7
801 BG 1**
21
6
5
0
9
1
8
801 BG 2
144
9
39
0
80
16
37
803 BG 1
104
7
67
0
26
4
33
30
806 BG 1
190
55
10
30
11
46
83
806 BG 2
165
18
86
1
37
20
82
Area Total 3154
519
1409 341 671
192
1058
BG means block group (each census tract is divided into 2-4 block groups).
*Hispanic numbers are included in the columns to the left.
**Only the part of the block group north of Magazine Street and west of Massachusetts
Avenue is included (approximately 150 teenagers were incarcerated in the Suffolk County
house of correction at the time of the 2000 census. This facility is located in block group 1,
block 1000).
28 U.S. Census 2000, Tables P12, P12A-H, “Sex by Age (Race),” Summary File 1 (SF1). Note—Native
American and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander files not included (very few of these youth are in the area).
29 Only 24 of the youth in this census tract are non-Hispanic white.
30 Most of the 45 youth in this census tract who are 18 or 19 years old are college students.
31 Most of the 73 youth in this block group area who are 18 and 19 years old are college students.
Family S tructure
The South End and Lower Roxbury areas have 2,727 married couple families. One-third
of these families (919) have children under 18 years old, while the other two-thirds (1,808)
do not have children under 18. There are 2,416 female headed households with 1,527 single
mothers with children under 18 years old. Only 132 households headed by single males
have children under 18. In the South End/Lower Roxbury, 64.4% of the families with children under 18 years are single parent families, and 59% are female-headed households. This
is a much higher percentage of female-headed households with children than in the state
(21.8%), the nation (21.9%), or in Boston (42%).
female-headed houSeholdS with Children
er R
ox
to n
S .En
Percent
d/
low
B os
S ta
te
Nat
i on
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
The South End has also attracted a number of older couples who are now “empty nesters”
no longer needing large suburban homes. Many young Anglo couples are now raising young
children in the South End. This trend should be visible in the 2010 census, although there
were already close to 300 non-Hispanic white children under 10 years old, listed in the 2000
census. Overall, however, the South End has a relatively low proportion of married couple
families with children.
On the other hand, the South End also has a large population in non-family households of
unrelated individuals. Of the 13,077 who live in non-family households, 7,031 or 24.9% of
the total population live alone. More than 1,000 of those living alone are over 65 and over.
Many of the other 6,000 are single young adults. According to Census Table PCT-14, 4% of
the households of South End/Lower Roxbury are same-sex partner households. The South
End has a very high proportion of non-family households compared to other areas, with only
51.3% of the household population in family households. The percentage nationally is about
85%, statewide about 82% and in Boston 68%. This characteristic was also true in the past
when many unrelated single people occupied the South End’s rooming houses.
PerCent non-familY houSeholdS
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Nation
State
Boston
South End
Percent Non-family households
Economics and Income
The percent of families in poverty varies widely in this area between census tracts. In a few
areas the rate is around 7%, while in other areas it is over 30%. Nine of the 14 census tracts
have more than 25% of the families below the poverty line. Overall, 1,604 families or 24.5%
of the total are below the poverty level. This rate is more than 3.5 times the state percentage
and 2.5 times the national rate of family poverty. One reason the rate is high is that many major subsidized housing developments are located in the area. The Boston Housing Authority
owns 14 developments in the South End/Lower Roxbury and several other major affordable
housing developments are located here. The rate of poverty among nonfamily householders
is higher than the rate among families in eight of the 14 census tracts (sometimes significantly higher), but in other census tracts it is lower.
Area
United States
Massachusetts
City of Boston
*Tract # 703
Tract # 704
Tract # 705
Tract # 706
Tract # 707
Tract # 708
Tract # 709
Tract # 711
Tract # 712
*Tract # 801
*Tract # 803
Tract # 804
Tract # 805
*Tract # 806
Totals
Families in poverty32
# of Families
# of Families
Below Poverty
72,261,780
6,620,945
1,587,537
105,619
116,657
17,892
483
32
411
142
979
270
369
27
412
44
511
39
450
118
381
72
183
65
421
124
397
108
184
47
955
377
402
139
6,538
1,604
% of Families
Below Poverty
9.2%
6.7%
15.3%
6.6%
34.5%
27.6%
7.3%
10.7%
7.6%
26.2%
18.9%
35.5%
29.5%
27.2%
25.5%
39.5%
34.6%
24.5%
*Not all block groups in these census tracts are within the study area.
32 U.S. Census 2000, Table QT-P35, Poverty Status in 1999 of Families and Nonfamily Householders, Summary File 3 (SF 3).
H ousing
Housing in the South End includes many Victorian
era, brick bowfront row houses which were originally
designed as single family buildings, but are now divided
up into apartments or condos. Most of these were built
between 1840 and 1870, and renovated between 1970
and the present. In addition there are numerous apartment buildings and housing developments which are either partly or entirely subsidized. Recently, other large
developments with market rate condos or lofts have
been added to the housing stock. Other types of housing include temporary shelter housing at Pine Street Inn,
A South End bowfront townhouse
Rosie’s Place, Boston Family Shelter, Sancta Maria, and
the Woods Mullen Shelter for individuals who are homeless (all in the South End). Northeastern University has also added a large number of student dormitory rooms in the area.
Lower Roxbury is characterized by a very low
rate of home ownership. For example, the subneighborhood area defined by the BRA roughly between Melnea Cass Boulevard and New
Dudley/Dudley Street has a home ownership
rate of only 3.8%.33 The percentage of owneroccupied housing units in the South End/Lower Roxbury area as a whole is 25.2%, which is
higher than in the past, but still far below the
state and national rates which are above 60%.
In the South End, only 7% of the owner-occupied housing units are owned by African
Americans.
Even with the 2008-2009 recession, housing
prices in the South End have remained quite
high. For example, in a May 2009 open house
listing, 64 out of 90 houses/condos for sale
were above $500,000 and 77 out of 90 were
Old Industrial Buildings and artifacts along Harabove $400,000. 12 out of 13 sales were above
rison Avenue are being renovated and reused for
$400,000.34 Because market rate housing in the
offices, galleries, studios, lofts and restaurants
area has been very expensive in recent years,
middle class families have been priced out of the market.
33 Boston Redevelopment Authority, Census 2000: Roxbury, Lower Roxbury Neighborhood, “Housing Units
and Household Population by Tenure,” Area 56 (Boston: BRA, 2002), 4.
34 “MLS Open Houses,” and “Banker and Tradesman Real Estate Transaction Listing,” Boston Courant, 8
May 2009, 12, 14,15.
South End/Lower Roxbury Housing: Ownership & Rentals35
Number
Percent
Total occupied housing units
15,752
100%
Owner-occupied housing units 3,963
25.2%
Renter-occupied housing units 11,789
74.8%
Housing developments

Camfield Gardens

Cathedral Housing

Castle Square


Concord Houses (715
and 725 Tremont St.)
Grant Manor


Orchard Gardens

Langham Court
Parmalee Court


Lenox Housing
Roxbury Corners


Madison Park
Roxse Housing


Mandela Housing
Tent City


Methunion
Whittier St. Housing

IBA–ETC –Villa
Victoria
The following tables provide demographics from the Boston Housing Authority for several
of the area’s housing developments.
Population Composition of Housing Developments
Hispanic Asian Other
Development White Black Native
name
American
Lenox Street
26
157
6
315
26
0
Cathedral
55
358
4
492
45
1
Whittier Street 7
207
2
236
11
0
West Newton St. 15
94
1
84
11
0
Rutland
3
7
0
17
0
0
Camden Street 7
30
1
82
6
1
530
955
463
205
27
127
Youth Population by Age in the Housing Developments
0-4
5-6
7-13 14-15 16-17 18-21
Development name
yrs.
yrs.
yrs.
yrs.
yrs.
yrs.
50
25
76
19
16
33
Lenox Street
Cathedral
85
50
154
36
47
71
Whittier Street
50
20
75
19
29
45
West Newton St.
10
8
20
7
7
10
Rutland
3
3
3
1
2
1
Camden Street
16
6
15
5
5
9
22-24
yrs.
22
47
18
5
1
0
Total
35 Ibid., and combined with same table from BRA, Census 2000: South End Planning District (Area 6).
Churches o f the south end
and Lo w er rox bury
Historical Background
Since the South End was built on newly filled land, many of the congregations that built
churches there in the 19th century had previously met elsewhere in the city. In the decades
to come most of these church buildings passed on from one congregation to another as the
South End population went through many ethnic changes. Because of the ever changing
character of the neighborhood, as many as 200 churches and religious institutions have met
at one time or another in the South End. Some of the early churches of the South End
were old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (1836 on Northampton Street at Harrison Ave.), the
Church of the Messiah (1843), Holy Trinity Catholic Church (1844), the Shawmut Congregational Church (1849) which grew out of the Suffolk Street Union Church (1845), the
Tremont Street Methodist Church (1848), and the Church of the Unity (1857).
Other churches of the 1860s and 1870s
(date of building in parentheses) included
the Church of the Immaculate Conception
(1861), the Berkeley Street Church (Congregational, 1862), the South Congregational
Church (pastored by Edward Everett Hale;
1862), Clarendon Street Baptist (1869), the
Church of the Disciples (Unitarian, 1869),
Second Universalist Church (1872), the 28th
Congregational Society (Unitarian, 1873 in
Theodore Parker Memorial Hall), Ebenezer
Baptist Church (1871), and the Cathedral of
the Holy Cross (1875).
By the 1880s the Jewish population of the
South End was growing, and in 1885 Temple
Adath Israel built a synagogue on Columbus
Ave. In 1889 Boston’s oldest official Jewish congregation, Ohabei Shalom, moved into the
former home of the South Congregational Church.
German and Nova Scotian immigrants had already established churches. Scandinavian immigrants also came into the South End and started churches such as the Norwegian Congregational Church, the Norwegian Lutheran Church, Emmanuel’s Swedish Lutheran Church,
Calvary (Swedish) Baptist Church, and Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church. Later many of
these members moved on to parts of Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and beyond. By the early 20th
century immigrants from Syria, Armenia, Lebanon, and Greece were also establishing congregations. Meanwhile several Presbyterian churches of Nova Scotian and Canadian background were growing to more than 500 members each.
The 20th century also saw the growth of many major African American churches as well as
dozens of smaller black congregations. The South End/Lower Roxbury black population
was growing as people moved from Beacon Hill, especially in the 1890s, and new immigrants
came to Boston from the South. In 1895 St. Mark’s Congregational Church was organized
in the South End, where it met in various locations until 1926. In 1898 the historic People’s
Baptist Church (then known as St. Paul’s Baptist) moved from Beacon Hill and bought the
New South Church building on Camden Street. By 1904 Columbus Avenue AME Zion
Church occupied the synagogue built by Temple Adath Israel less than 20 years before. In
1908 St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church moved from the West End and joined with St. Martin’s Mission in a new building on Lenox Street. In 1913 St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church was
founded to serve the West Indian population, and by 1924 the congregation had completed
their present building. In 1946 Concord Baptist bought the United Presbyterian Church
building when that congregation moved to Newton, and Union Methodist Church (previously called Fourth Methodist) bought the former Second Universalist building on Columbus Avenue and West Newton Street in 1949. Later New Hope Baptist Church (founded in
1916) bought the former Tremont Street Methodist building. Over the last several decades
many members from these churches have moved out to other neighborhoods and cities;
however, they still return to the South End to attend church. Mount Calvary Baptist, First
Church of God (Shawmut Community Church), United Emmanuel Holiness Church, and
Grant A.M.E. Church also flourished in the neighborhood. In the decades before the 1980s,
many smaller Black churches occupied storefronts, rowhouses, and small meeting spaces in
the South End. During the 1980s rents and real estate prices increased dramatically. Because
of residential displacement and increased costs, many of these churches moved out of the
South End or closed. Today there are only a few storefront churches left.
In the 1960s the South End Hispanic population grew from 1% to 7%.36 By 1965 there were
at least four Hispanic congregations in the neighborhood. Beginning at that time and continuing for many years, the South End was something of an incubator of Hispanic churches.
Many churches, including the Lion of Judah Church, began by meeting at the Emmanuel
Gospel Center. At one point Hispanic pastors and Christians held a service and prayer gathering in Blackstone Square that resulted in restoring peace to the neighborhood in a time of
riots. Although the South End Hispanic population has continued to grow, the number of
Spanish language churches has declined in part because of the difficulty of finding inexpensive space to rent.
36 Boston Redevelopment Authority, South End District Profile (Boston: Boston Redevelopment Authority,
1979), 4.
Map of Churches
See maps on next two pages; also refer to pages 28-30 for full names and details of churches
1.
Boston Missionary Baptist Church
2.
Cathedral of the Holy Cross
3.
Chinese Christian Church of Praise & Worship
4.
Church of God Valley of Blessing
5.
Columbus Avenue AME Zion Church
6.
Concord Baptist Church
7.
Congregación León de Judá/Lion of Judah Church
8.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
9.
Good Shepherd Church of God in Christ
10. Grant AME Church
11. Heart Change Fellowship
12. Iglesia de Cristo Miel Ministerios ELIM, Boston (Elim Church)
13. Iglesia de Dios (64 Aguadilla Street)
14. Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal MI, “Fuente de Vida”
15. Iglesia de Jesucristo una Luz en el Camino
16. Iglesia Movimiento Mision Cristiana, AICU
17. Mount Calvary Baptist Church
18. New Hope Baptist Church
19. Peoples Baptist Church
20. Salvation Army Roxbury Center
21. Salvation Army South End Community & Worship Center
22. Shawmut Community Church of God
23. South End Neighborhood Church of Emmanuel
24. St. Augustine’s and St. Martin’s Episcopal Church
25. St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church
26. St. John the Baptist Hellenic Orthodox Church
27. St. Patrick Catholic Church
28. St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
29. Union United Methodist Church
30. United Emmanuel Holiness Church, Inc.
3
2
5
19
17
4
29
8
18
6
13
15
28
1623
12
21
26
31
27
20
9
1
11
7
10
30
14
22 24
25
Church Directory of the South End and Lower Roxbury
Boston Missionary Baptist Church
336 Dudley St., Boston, MA 02119
617-427-4448
Rev. Soliny Vedrine
Youth programs serving the Haitian community
Cathedral of the Holy Cross
1400 Washington St., Boston
617-542-5682
www.angelfire.com/ma4/cathedral/home.html
The Most Rev. Sean O’Malley O.F.M. Cap,
Archbishop
Very Rev. Kevin J. O’Leary, VF, Rector
Rev. Carlos Lopez, Parochial Vicar
Sister Tanya Santander-Atauchi, CDP, Director of Religious Ed. and Youth Group
Youth Group meets on Fridays at 7 p.m. (Contact: 617-524-1024)
Chinese Christian Church of Praise &
Worship
89 Union Park St., Apt. 301, Boston
617-426-5930
Rev. Jun Chen, Senior Pastor
Church of God Valley of Blessing
Eglise de Dieu Vallee de Benediction
485 Columbus Ave., Boston
781-308-4367
Rev. Adler Jean-Louis, Pastor
Columbus Avenue AME Zion Church
617-266-2758
Rev. Lloyd W. McKenzie, Jr., Pastor
Concord Baptist Church
190 Warren Ave., Boston
617-266-8062
www.cbcboston.org
Rev. Conley Hughes Jr., Pastor
Youth programs include youth meetings on the second
and fourth Friday evenings, a youth music ensemble,
a Saturday discussion group, and a Young Women’s
group for 13-18 year olds, which seeks to empower
each young woman to strive for excellence through
Bible study, workshops, discussion, and outreach
Congregación León de Judá
Lion of Judah Church
68 Northampton St., Boston
617-541-4455
www.leondejuda.org
Dr. Roberto Miranda, Pastor
Miguel Prieto, Youth Pastor
Samuel Acevedo, Director of the Boston
Higher Education Resource Center
The church hosts the Boston Higher Education
Resource Center (see description under organizations) and has several youth programs including an Awana program and youth group
meetings, Fridays, 7:30 p.m.
Ebenezer Baptist Church
157 West Springfield St., Boston
617-262-7739
www.ebenezerbaptistchurchofboston.org
Rev. James Dove, Pastor
Good Shepherd Church of God in
Christ
18 Whittier St., Boston, MA 02120
617-445-6016
Rev. Samuel B. Hogan
Grant AME Church
617-427-0670
Rev. Roland McCall, Pastor
Heart Change Fellowship
(meeting at Orchard Gardens Pilot School)
906 Albany St., Boston, MA 02119
www.heartchangefellowship.com
Pastor Jua Robinson
Iglesia de Cristo Miel Ministerios
ELIM, Boston (Elim Church)
2 San Juan St., Boston (meeting at Emmanuel
Gospel Center)
617-308-1644
www.mielboston.org
Rev. Erick Barrios
Iglesia de Dios
64 Aguadilla St., Boston
Pastors Maria and Juan Rodriguez
Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal MI,
“Fuente de Vida”
589 Shawmut Ave., Boston
617-763-3467
Iglesia de Jesucristo una Luz en el
Camino
64 Aguadilla St., Boston
617-267-0890
Pastor Julia Carrasquillo
Iglesia Movimiento Mision Cristiana,
AICU/Christian Mission Movement
Church
Gospel Center)
617-905-8722
Rev. Fundador Morales, Sr. and Rev. Fundador Morales, Jr., Pastors
Mount Calvary Baptist Church
541 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
617-247-8614
www.bullockbrothers.org
Mount Calvary has youth programming, including leadership development and music
New Hope Baptist Church
740 Tremont St., Boston
617-536-9332
Rev. Willie Dubose, Jr., Pastor
Minister Olivia Dubose, Christian Education
Director
The church has a youth group for teens (meeting on Sundays), a summer program for young
people, assists youth with academics, and helps
prospective college students
Peoples Baptist Church
134 Camden St., Boston
617-427-0424
www.pbcboston.org
Rev. Dr. Wesley Roberts, Pastor
Myra Kinds, Minister to Youth and Families
The church has a youth choir, youth group on
Fridays, 7-9 p.m., a youth and family ministry, young adult ministry, and an afterschool
tutorial program (Tues., Wed., and Thurs.,
3-7 p.m.). They have also partnered with two
Boston Public Schools.
Salvation Army Roxbury Center
23 Vernon St., Boston, MA 02119
617-427-6700
Majors Yvon and Lilia Alkintor, Corps Officers
Lilia.Alkintor@use.SalvationArmy.org
Youth programs include the Timothy J. Smith
Computer Center, open Mon.-Fri., 9:30 a.m.6 p.m. The computer center educates young
people in the local neighborhood with special
attention given to developing their computer
skills. College Prep coursework is offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-9 p.m. A Summer Enrichment Program is offered for girls on
Tuesdays to build character, self-esteem, and
positive values. A summer camp is also available to local youth.
Salvation Army South End Community
& Worship Center
617-536-5260
www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/
www_use_mas.nsf
Captains Greg and Irene Norman
See description of youth programs under organizations
Shawmut Community Church of God
617-445-3263
www.shawmutchog.org
South End Neighborhood Church of
Emmanuel
Gospel Center)
617-262-0900
www.southendchurch.org
Rev. Neal Armandt, Pastor
St. Augustine’s and St. Martin’s
Episcopal Church
29-31 Lenox St., Boston
617-442-6395
www.saintaugustinesaintmartin.org
Rev. Evan L. Thayer
St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church
1073 Tremont St., Boston
617-427-6175
www.stcyprians.org
Rev. Henderson L. Brome
St. John the Baptist Hellenic
Orthodox Church
15 Union Park St., Boston
617-536-5692
www.saintjohnthebaptist.org
Rev. Father George Dragas, Pastor
St. Patrick Catholic Church
10 Magazine St., Roxbury, MA 02119
617-445-7645
Rev. Walter J. Waldron, Pastor
Rev. Jose A. Borja, Rev. Christopher Gomes,
Rev. Carlos A. Lopez, Vicars
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church
617-262-9070
www.ststephensbos.org
Rev. Timothy Crellin, Vicar
Liz Steinhauser, Director of Youth Programs
See description under organizations
Union United Methodist Church
617-536-0872
www.gbgm-umc.org/unionboston
Rev. Latrelle Miller Easterling
United Emmanuel Holiness Church, Inc.
65 Windsor St., Boston
617-442-4183
St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church
Rev. Anthony S. Medford, Pastor
S outh E nd / Lo w er Rox bury
S chools and E ducation
Schools
Blackstone Elementary, located on Shawmut Avenue in the South End, served 612 students in grades K-5 for the 2008-2009 school year. The student body can broken down into
17.6% black, 75.8% Hispanic, 4.6% white, 1.1% Asian, and 0.8% other. The school maintains
an average daily attendance rate of 96.4% and a staff to student ratio of 1:12. Blackstone is
currently being restructured because of not meeting No Child Left Behind requirements in
English Language Arts (ELA). The school includes 43.5% of students whose first language
is not English and 30.7% who have limited English proficiency. Students receiving free or
reduced lunch account for 77.8% of the student body. They have a dual language program
for grades K-3.
Hurley K-8 School, located on Worcester Street, served 312 students in grades K-7 in
the 2008-2009 school year. The school runs a Spanish-English dual language program providing dual immersion in all classes except the core curriculum. Next year all classes will be
included in the dual immersion program. The student body is 21.8% black, 64.4% Hispanic,
10.6% white, 1% Asian, and 2.2% other. Average daily attendance for students is 94.2% and
the staff to student ratio is 1:14. Because of low performance on the No Child Left Behind
requirements in Math the school is restructuring. Students whose first language is not English make up 43.5% of the student body, while 30.7% of students are limited English proficient. In addition, 77.8% of students are receiving free or reduced lunch.
Timility Middle School, located on Roxbury Street, served 662 students in grades 6-8
in the 2008-2009 school year. In 2007 Timility was awarded the “Seeds Planted: Harvest
Begun” Award from the Notre Dame Montessori and in 2008 it was recognized for Excellence in Educational Leadership by the Livingstone College Alumni Association. The student body was composed of 47.7% black, 46.7% Hispanic, 2.7% white, 1.7% Asian, and 1.2%
other. Students maintained an average daily attendance rate of 95%. Timility runs an extended school day with school going from 7:35 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. and maintains a staff to student
ratio of 1:12. The school is restructuring under No Child Left Behind regulations. Students
who do not speak English as a first language make up 41.1% of the student body, and 21.9%
are limited English proficient. Free or reduced lunch is given to 86.3% of students.
Dearborn Middle School, a member of Foundations for Excellent Schools, located
on Greenville Street outside of Dudley Square, served 399 students in grades 6-8 for the
2008-2009 school year. Of these students, 61.7% were black, 31.8% Hispanic, 2.5% white,
1.3% Asian, and 2.8% other. The school maintained an average daily student attendance rate
of 93.2% and a staff to student ratio of 1:11. About 54% of students do not have English as
a first language and 38% have limited English proficiency. Students qualifying for free or reduced lunch made up 86.5% of the student body. The school is currently being restructured
because of not meeting No Child Left Behind requirements.
Cathedral Elementary School, located on Harrison Avenue in the South End, serves
students in K-8 grades. 213 students attended this co-ed Roman Catholic school in the
2007-2008 school year. The school can be broken down as 78.4% black, 19.2% Hispanic,
1.4% Asian, and 0.93% white.
Cathedral High School is an urban, co-ed, multi-cultural, private, Catholic collegepreparatory learning community committed to excellence. The school of 250 students features small class size and a new gymnasium. Its student body is 46% non-Catholic. The students are from 33 nationalities and the school is 31% African American, 21% Haitian, 18%
Hispanic, 11% Caribbean, 9% Cape Verdean, and 6% White. 100% of the class of 2007 went
on to post-graduate education. See www.cathedralhighschool.net. Cathedral High School,
74 Union Park St., Boston, MA 02118; 617-542-2325.
Boston Day and Evening Academy is a pilot high school located in the Dudley Square
neighborhood. The day program serves students who are at least 16 and haven’t attended
high school. Students who have dropped out of high school and would like to return attend
the evening program. In addition, students who are unable to attend school because of parenting, health, work, or other commitments can participate in the distance learning program.
The school serves 135 students, who are 60.7% black, 34.1% Hispanic, 3.7% white, 0.7%
Asian, and 0.7% other race. The school has a “needs improvement” status under No Child
Left Behind.
Mason Elementary School is a pilot school in Roxbury which has been recognized as
one of the 50 best elementary schools in Massachusetts by Boston Magazine in 2005. This
K-5 grade school serves 207 students and is 62.8% black, 25.1% Hispanic, 8.2% white, 1%
Asian, and 2.9% other. 23% of students did not speak English as a first language and 71%
receive free or reduced lunch.
Orchard Gardens K-8 School is a pilot school located on Albany St. in Roxbury. The
school was started through the efforts of the Orchard Gardens Residents Association and
continues to draw students mostly from within a two mile radius of the school. The school
has a community building theme. The 680 students are 35.1% black, 61% Hispanic, 2.5%
white, 0.3% Asian, and 1% other race. 24% of students receive special education and 24% receive bilingual education. 93% are low income and 34.5% are limited English proficient. 46%
did not speak English as a first language. The school has a “corrective action” status under No
Child Left Behind for both ELA and math.
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School is Boston’s only technical vocational high school and offers 17 programs to 1398 students. Located near Dudley Square
in Roxbury, the student body is 48.6% black, 44.3% Hispanic, 4.6% white, 1.2% Asian, and
1.2% other. Sixty two percent of students are low income and 51.2% did not speak English
as a first language.
O’Bryant School of Math and Science, a college prep exam school on Malcolm X
Boulevard in Roxbury, serves 1261 students in grades 7-12. The school has a gateway program for science and medicine as well as four year course sequences for engineering and
computer programming. The school has met adequate yearly progress standards under No
Child Left Behind. Students are 41.8% black, 22.7% Hispanic, 12.1% white, 22.6% Asian,
and 0.9% other race. 46% did not speak English as their first language, 34.5% are limited
English proficient, and 64.3% are low income.
Quincy Elementary School was identified as one of the 100 best elementary schools
in Massachusetts by the Boston Magazine in 2005. Students are scoring well on the MCAS
tests, with about 90% or more receiving passing scores in 2008 and 42% of fifth graders
scoring Advanced/Above Proficient in math. The student body of 822 students is 10.9%
Black, 11.1% Hispanic, 8.3% White, and 68.6% Asian. The school offers Mandarin language
instruction and 23.6% of the students receive bilingual education.
Quincy Upper School, located near the South End, offers a longer school day on four
days a week. The school is organized into four “Pavilions” to nurture and educate the development of the whole person: (1) Information, (2) Cultural, (3) Renewal, and (4) Pathfinding.
The student body of 484 students is 26.4% Black, 10.3% Hispanic, 5.6% White, and 56.6%
Asian. This North Zone school serves grades 6-12 and plans to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma program which is recognized worldwide. Two members of the school
debate team went to the Chase Urban Debate National Championship in 2009.
William McKinley Schools, located on Warren Avenue in the South End, are composed of McKinley Elementary, McKinley Middle School, McKinley Preparatory High
School, and McKinley South End Academy. Together, they serve 451 students with special
educational needs, including emotional, behavioral, and learning needs. The school has a
staff to student ration of 1:8 and the student body can be broken down to 57% black, 28.2%
Hispanic, 12.6% white, 1.1% Asian, and 1.1% other. The school is restructuring under No
Child Left Behind requirements.
Higher Education
Benjamin Franklin Institute of
Technology
41 Berkeley St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-423-4630
www.bfit.edu
Bunker Hill Community College—IBA
Community College Extension
Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary—Boston
Center for Urban Ministerial Education
(CUME)
90 Warren St.
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-983-9393
cumeinfo@gcts.edu
www.gordonconwell.edu/boston
Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion
405 Shawmut Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
617-927-1707
www.iba-etc.org/programs/com_col.html
Northeastern University
250 Rutherford Ave.
Boston, MA 02129
617-228-2000
www.bhcc.mass.edu
Roxbury Community College
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-373-2000
www.northeastern.edu
1234 Columbus Avenue
Roxbury Crossing, MA 02120
617-427-0060
www.rcc.mass.edu
Dropout Rates
The annual dropout rates for the high schools in this area in 2007-08 reached a level equal
to or lower than the Boston citywide dropout rate. The O’Bryant School (which is an exam
school) and Quincy Upper School had very low dropout rates, while Madison Park High
School and McKinley School (which serves students with special educational needs) had
higher rates. Although the annual dropout rates are not strictly comparable over the last
eight years because of changing definitions, Madison Park and McKinley do seem to have
made progress in lowering dropout rates. In particular the last year showed a significant decline in dropouts for both schools. These annual rates do not represent the total cumulative
dropouts of a cohort over four years, but snapshots of each individual year.
Annual High School Dropout Rates by Schools (percentage)37
School
names
20002001
20012002
20022003
20032004
2004- 20052005 2006
Boston
District
McKinley
School
Madison
Park
Quincy
Upper
O’Bryant
Math &
Science
8.5%
7.0%
7.7%
8.3%
7.7%
9.9%
2006- 2007- Total
2007 2008 Dropout
Count
8.9% 7.6% 1,396
High
School
Enrollment
18,414
22.8% 19.3% 16.8% 13.4% 18.3% 23.6% 17.6% 7.4%
17
231
11.9% 9.6%
8.4%
9.9%
9.1%
8.8%
9.4%
7.6%
119
1,563
-
-
0.0%
0.0%
0.7%
0.0%
2.5%
0.0%
0
197
1.6%
1.1%
0.5%
0.9%
0.4%
0.5%
1.2%
1.0%
10
998
37 Massachusetts Dept. of Education,“High School Dropouts 2007-08, Massachusetts Public Schools. Appendix A: Dropout Rates by District and School, 2000-01 to 2007-08,” http://www.doe.mass.edu/
infoservices/reports/dropout/0708/appendixA.xls (accessed 7 May 2009).
Community O rgani z ations
and S ocial S ervice Agencies
Map of social agencies and youth programs
See maps on next two pages; also refer to pages 38-43 for full names and details of agencies and programs
1.
2.
Blackstone Community Center
3.
Boston Higher Education Resource Center
4.
Orchard Gardens Community Center
5.
Boston Medical Center
6.
Castle Square Tenants Organization
7.
Cooper Community Center
8.
Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House, Inc. (66 Berkeley St.—location is different than mailing address)
9.
Salvation Army Harbor Light Center
10. Madison Park Development Corporation
11. Madison Park Community Center
12. Madison Park Youth Resident Activities Program
13. Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, Inc.
14. Salvation Army South End Community Center
15. South End Baseball (located at Peter’s Park on map, rather than downtown office)
16. South End Community Health Center
17. South End/Lower Roxbury Youth Workers’ Alliance
18. South End Technology Center @ Tent City
19. St. Stephen’s Youth Programs
20. United South End Settlements
21. Whittier Street Health Center
22. Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
23. Emmanuel Gospel Center
24. Youth Enrichment Services (YES)
15
6
24
20
18
16
1
9
19 2
1
23
14
8
4
3
22
5
11
10
5
13
7
17
12
21
Social Agencies and Youth Programs
405 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-927-1707 • www.iba-etc.org
Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion (IBA) is a dynamic community building agency dedicated to increasing the social and economic power of individuals and families through education, economic
development, technology, and arts programming that builds safe, vibrant and culturally diverse
affordable housing communities. The Youth Learning Center includes an after-school program; a
teen center providing educationally and culturally enriching activities; a summer internship program providing career and life building workshops, financial literacy classes, and community service opportunities; and a girls’ empowerment program.
Cacique Youth Leadership Development Program seeks to develop community leaders by combining academic tutoring, technology training, career awareness, prevention education, and internships.
Blackstone Community Center
50 West Brookline St., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-635-5162
This program is a city community center serving people of all ages and cultures. Programs include an
after school program providing tutoring and other enrichment services for 20 children and a summer day camp for children aged 4-12 years old. Popular programs include youth etiquette classes,
GED classes (in both English and Spanish), swimming, and theatre programs in collaboration with
local theatre companies. The center has a gymnasium, pool, and other recreational space.
Boston Higher Education Resource Center
68 Northampton St., 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118 • 617-442-5608 • www.bostonherc.org
This program “merges educational, spiritual, and local resources to support minority students” by
preparing urban students for academic achievement. Middle school and high school students participate in SAT prep, mentoring, and an academic enrichment/college exploration program for
high school juniors and seniors. Programs stress leadership development, education and career
exploration, character and life skill development, and parent outreach.
Orchard Gardens Community Center
2 Dearborn St., Boston, MA 02119 • 617-635-5220
Orchard Gardens Community Center in Roxbury is the only BCYF community center focused
exclusively on girls. Contact Aidee Pomales at Orchard Gardens at 617-635-5240 to learn about
what’s available for girls at that site.
Boston Medical Center
One Boston Medical Center Pl., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-638-8000 • http://development.bmc.org
This medical center is a teaching hospital of Boston University School of Medicine. The hospital has numerous community outreach programs working with youth and violence prevention. The Child Witness
to Violence Program provides developmentally appropriate counseling to children age eight or younger
who witness acts of significant violence. The Adolescent Center, in addition to traditional medical services,
provides assistance with issues such as immigration, housing, continuing education, and career counseling.
Project HEALTH (Helping Empower, Advocate, and Lead through Health) brings together college volunteers and health care professionals to provide outreach and education to inner-city children and families
while also advocating for 700 families per year. Violence is Preventable brings groups of 12 to 17 year olds to
the emergency department and trauma rooms on busy evenings to witness the consequences of violence.
476 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116 • 617-357-8548 • www.cstoboston.org
Castle Square Tenants Organization was founded in 1987 to save affordable housing at the Castle
Square Apartments. They own and operate the 500 units of Castle Square Apartments and provide community and social support for the residents, who are largely Asian-American and African-American. The Tenants Organization manages the Technology, Youth, and Education Center,
which serves the community with an afterschool and summer program, teen programs, and computer classes for youth and adults (in both English and Chinese).
Cooper Community Center
1891 Washington St., Roxbury, MA 02118 • 617-445-1813 • www.cooperctr.org
The Hattie B. Cooper Community Center is committed to providing children and youth with
the strongest developmental foundation to inspire a lifelong excitement for learning and the skills
to become caring and responsible citizens. Children ages one month through 12 years are served
through age-appropriate programs, including an afterschool program for those aged 5-12 years
old. The afterschool program provides tutoring and mentoring with college students, among other
things. Elementary aged children can also attend summer camp in Westwood, MA.
Ellis Memorial & Eldredge House, Inc.
95 Berkeley St., Suite 310, Boston, MA 02116 • 617-695-9307 • www.ellismemorial.org
This settlement house has been working with South End individuals and families since 1885,
offering educational, social, and health support services. They serve children and youth through:
an infant/toddler program serving 41 children and families; a preschool enrolling 56 children
aged 2.9 to 5 years; and multiple afterschool and computer centers. Children engage in tutoring,
mentoring, arts and health programs, technology training, and recreational activities. In addition,
parents are offered advocacy, referrals, emotional support, counseling, information, training, and
other resources.
Salvation Army Harbor Light Center
407 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-536-7469
www.use.salvationarmy.org/use/www_use.nsf/fm-ndos?OpenForm&go=1&zip=02119
The Harbor Light Center in Boston’s South End features many supportive programs for those
struggling with addiction. The Center features a residency program, two sober graduate houses,
women’s transitional housing assistance, a dental clinic, community feeding programs, and worship
services.
Lower Roxbury Youth Collaborative
Contact: Kevin Johnson (kjohnson@madisonpark.org) • 617-849-6240
The seven members of LRYC primarily serve youth living in the affordable housing developments
of Madison Park Village, Orchard Gardens, and Orchard Commons. It is particularly committed
to youth leadership and has formed a Youth Council representing all network members to provide
ongoing input into the network’s priorities, programs, and service agenda. With guidance from the
Council, LRYC has hired eight youth workers to encourage greater youth participation in network
programs and activities. The teen youth workers did a needs assessment and identified programming strategies to improve youth work in the area. LRYC is developing a system to monitor interagency referrals and participation. Monthly youth rap sessions are bringing together teens from
different agencies and housing developments to identify common needs, effective strategies, and
programs. The collaborative is part of the Boston After School and Beyond Teen Initiative.
Madison Park Development Corporation
184 Dudley St., Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-541-3900 • www.madison-park.org
The mission of Madison Park Development Corporation is the physical, economic, social and
cultural renaissance of Roxbury. They have developed affordable housing including 113 homeownership units, 1173 rental units, 125 student housing units, and 85,000 sq. ft. of retail and office
space. They have multiple arts programs, voter education and mobilization, tenant organizing, financial literacy programs, an Internet center, and community gardens. The Ellis Memorial School
Age Program is a partnership between Madison Park and Ellis Memorial to provide year-round
afterschool care for children ages 5-13 years old. Children engage in educational, recreational, and
cultural activities, including homework assistance. In addition, scholarships are available for students preparing to enter college.
Madison Park Community Center
40 Raynor Circle, Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-445-1061
Madison Park Community Center is a city-run center which provides afterschool reading and
math tutoring; a pool sports league and tennis run out of their gym; a baseball league; and a summer day camp.
Madison Park Youth Resident Activities Program
55 New Dudley St., Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-635-5209
This youth program includes afterschool education and recreational programming for children
aged 6-12 as well as summer and teen programs.
Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, Inc.
1010 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02119 • 617-445-1010 • www.goodwillmass.org
Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries’ mission is to provide exemplary job training and related services to help individuals with disabilities and other barriers to self-sufficiency to achieve
independence and dignity through work. In 2005 they provided job and vocational training to
nearly 1500 individuals with disabilities, transitioning from welfare or facing other barriers to
employment. They operate seven Goodwill stores. In South Athol, Mass., is the Goodwill Fresh
Air Camp, an overnight camp for ages 8-16 providing academic enrichment in addition to fishing,
dance, sports, and talents shows. BNY Mellon Academy is a girls afterschool academic enrichment
program for girls aged 10-17. The program provides homework assistance, mentoring, instruction
in math and science, access to computers, and self-expression forums. Saturday Academy provides
a focus on college and career exploration and preparation. Many of the older girls from the Academy are hired by the summer camp.
Pine Street Inn
444 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-892-9100
www.pinestreetinn.org • info@pinestreetinn.org
Pine Street Inn daily serves 1,300 individuals who are homeless through emergency and transitional shelter, permanent supportive housing, food, street outreach, job training, mental health
support, and substance abuse treatment. The shelter has 700 beds (450 emergency, 250 transitional).
Project Hip Hop
2181 Washington Street, Suite 315, Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-427-7950
www.projecthiphop.org • info@projecthiphop.org
PHH is youth-led, adult-supported organization that provides a space where predominantly
young people of color from traditionally low-income communities in Boston can develop and exercise their individual and collective leadership. Their approach to leadership development combines skills training, experiential learning, direct action organizing and reflection. The organization
provides a base of knowledge from which young people can think critically about the history and
continuing legacy of racism and injustice in their own communities and greater society. The four
core initiatives are (1) the Lower Roxbury Violence Prevention and Leadership Initiative (drop-in
nights, street outreach, retreats), (2) Hip Hop Renaissance Initiative (teaches how to understand
and critique hip hop culture, and develop artistic skills), (3) Project Action (helps youth organize
around various issues that affect them), (4) Summer Leadership Institute (includes study trips and
local projects to train leaders).
Salvation Army South End Community Center
1500 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-536-5260 • www.use.salvationarmy.org
The Salvation Army’s South End Corps holds worship services, provides emergency assistance, a
computer center, GED computer class, gymnasium, and many youth programs. Youth programs
include an afterschool program with homework help, music, karate, basketball, and computer activities. They also offer summer camp at a lakeside location at a sliding cost and girls programs
(similar to the Girl Scouts).
South End Baseball
25 Edinboro St., Boston, MA 02111 • 617-542-2900 • www.southendbaseball.com
This baseball and softball programs provide their program to children and youth aged 4-18 in the
South End, including Roxbury, Dorchester, and Chinatown. This is the largest youth program in
the South End. Any child may play regardless of ability or financial means (they do not charge a
fee). Various teams in the 13-18 age bracket travel as far as Florida and Nebraska to compete.
South End Community Health Center
1601 Washington St., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-425-2000 • www.sechc.org
Established in 1969, this center is the largest provider of comprehensive care to Boston’s Latino
population. In addition to traditional medical care, the center provides financial counseling, homeless care, interpretation, and insurance assistance.
South End/Lower Roxbury Youth Workers’ Alliance
31 Lenox St., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-442-9800 • www.youthworkersalliance.org
This network of more than 150 youth workers from over 45 organizations seeks to build cooperation among youth programs and youth through collaborative events. They advocate, provide
a resource center for youth workers, and participate in diverse coalitions. In 2007, they provided
grants for cross-turf programming, trained youth workers in trauma response, held an art auction,
and advocated for more youth jobs and street workers.
South End Technology Center @ Tent City
359 Columbus Ave., Boston, MA 02116 • 617-578-0597 • www.tech-center-enlightentcity.tv
The South End Technology Center @ Tent City is a collaboration between the Tent City CorporaYouth Violence Systems Project
tion and Massachusetts Institute of Technology to enable people to become producers of knowledge and sharers of idea and information. The mostly-volunteer staff provides free or low-cost
computer access and classes. Classes range from basic introduction classes to resume help to more
advanced programming and music production classes.
St. Stephen’s Youth Programs
419 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-262-9070 • www.ststephensbos.org
These afterschool and summer programs serve mostly neighborhood Hispanic youth 6-17 years
old. 80 young people are involved at the church’s site and 25 more participate at a second site in the
Lenox Street area. The after-school program for elementary students is called LEARN (Leadership, Enrichment, Academics, Recreation, and Nurture), and uses hired older teens to help with
leadership. More than 30 teens 15-18 years old are involved in the Youth Leadership Corps and
the high school S2POT program providing jobs, enrichment, and academic support. The summer
program, called B-SAFE (Bishop’s Summer Academic & Fun Enrichment Program), is a day camp
with academic, recreational, and leadership components. It is larger and uses several sites.
United South End Settlements
www.uses.org
This organization, formed in 1960, is the result of the merger of four of Boston’s first settlement
houses. USES seeks to bring together resources in the community to promote the stabilization
and well-being of those at risk; nurture personal growth and development; build community; and
foster an environment where everyone can thrive. Programs include adult education; senior services; a children’s art center; an early childhood program for 16 children aged 2-32 months; a boys
residential summer camp in New Hampshire; and an afterschool and summer program providing
homework assistance and recreational activities. Artful Transformations is a clinically informed
arts mentoring program for high-risk girls aged 11-18, designed to help them be successful in all
areas of their lives.
Vine Street Community Center
339 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-635-1285
The Vine Street Community Center offers a variety of afterschool programs and activities as well
as a summer program. It is a member of the Lower Roxbury Youth Collaborative.
Whittier Street Health Center
1125 Tremont St., Roxbury, MA 02120 • 617-427-1000 • www.whittierstreet.org
This health care center provides primary care, preventative care and social services to Roxbury and
surrounding communities. Their programs include violence prevention, post-prison release/reentry programs, and Whittier Youth Services and Enrichment.
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
504 Dudley St., Roxbury, MA 02119 • 617-442-9670 • www.dsni.org
The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) is a nonprofit community-based planning and
organizing entity rooted in the Roxbury/North Dorchester neighborhoods of Boston. DSNI’s approach to neighborhood revitalization is comprehensive, including economic, human, physical, and
environmental growth. DSNI focuses on three strategic areas: community economic development,
leadership development and collaboration, and youth opportunities and development. Talented
young adults return to the community in large numbers to play their role in sustaining change.
To date more than half of the 1,300 abandoned parcels have been permanently trans¬formed
into over 400 new high-quality affordable houses, community centers, new schools, Dudley Town
Common, community greenhouse, parks, playgrounds, gardens, an orchard and other public spaces.” DSNI sponsors a Resident Development Institute (RDI) which has trained staff, board, and
activists in the design and facilitation of adult and youth learning. They have developed a set of
core leadership competency training modules. RDI trainings, based on experiential learning methods, are dynamic, interactive, and immediately relevant. RDI and DSNI offer a leadership training
series on various topics both locally and nationally.
Emmanuel Gospel Center
2 San Juan St., P.O. Box 180245, Boston, MA 02118 • 617-262-4567 • www.egc.org
Since 1938 Emmanuel Gospel Center has been seeking to “understand and help nurture the vitality of urban churches in the context of their broader urban communities, particularly Boston’s
low-income and immigrant communities. The Boston Education Collaborative supports students
through mentoring and support in finishing high school and transitioning to college; neXus Boston is a collaborative effort that encourages, supports, and trains youth workers; Starlight Ministries works with volunteers from churches to feed, clothe, offer worship services, and develop
relationships with people who are living on the streets. Starlight’s Sanctuary Arts Community
brings together youth, staff and volunteers for a family-style meal, arts workshops, and contemplative group time. Starlight’s youth outreach provides employment and educational counseling and
referral for youth on the streets.
Youth Enrichment Services (YES)
412 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02118 • 617-267-5877
www.yeskids.org • info@yeskids.org
Youth Enrichment Services has served more than 100,000 youth since 1968 through bringing
urban kids into outdoor and environmental experiential education programs. Through these programs YES helps “to lower the student attrition rate among urban youth by offering unique opportunities for positive risk taking and practical learning that is both problem-focused and real-world
experiences.” Operation Snowsports takes kids on skiing and snowboarding trips, with lift tickets, equipments, and lessons subsidized by ski areas and other retailers. The Outdoor Adventure
Program includes one-day bike and hike tours in the Boston area and overnight trips in Western
Massachusetts. YES’ Job Training Program provides weekly trainings and adult mentors to prepare youth for the work world. YES works in partnership with more than 150 organizations and
schools.
Neighborhood Associations
South End Neighborhood Associations
Blackstone-Franklin Neighborhood Association
President: Sherwood Hughes
617-429-9934
www.neighborhood02118.org
Meetings are once a month, second Tuesday at 7 p.m at the Franklin House
Bradford Street Neighborhood Association
President: Rolf Carlson
617-482-2420
The Bradford Street Association usually meets every second Thursday of each month
Director: Deborah Backus
617-357-8548
www.cstoboston.org
info@ctsoboston.org
Castle Square Tenants Organization was founded in 1987 in response to the need to save affordable
housing in the Castle Square Community. Since its founding CSTO has worked to maintain affordable housing in their community. Castle Square Apartments is composed of 500 units of multi-family
housing, located in the South End of Boston. The organization is a strong advocate of programs and
services needed to build vibrant and safe communities.
Cathedral Tenants Association
Chairperson: Ruth Barkley
Chester Square Neighborhood Association
President: Ben Miceli
857-222-3142
www.chestersquareassociation.org
info@chestersquareassociation.org
Meetings are held the first Wednesday of the month at the Harriet Tubman House, corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Columbus Avenue at 7 p.m.
Claremont Neighborhood Association
President: Michael Kukoleca
www.cnaboston.org
The Claremont Neighborhood Association represents 3600 residences in the 14 blocks of the South End
from Tremont Street to the Southwest Corridor and from West Newton Street to Camden Street.
CNA meetings take place at the Harriet Tubman House on the corner of Columbus Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue every third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m.
Concord Square Neighborhood Association
Contact Person: Michael Lloyd, lloyd@cape.com
Cosmopolitan Neighborhood Association
CosmopolitanNA@msn.com
Formed in 1938, the Cosmopolitan Neighborhood Association stretches from West Newton Street to
Dartmouth Street, between Columbus Avenue and the Southwest Corridor Park. Meetings are on the
third Wednesday of each month, September through June, at the Union United Methodist Church.
Eight Streets Neighborhood Association
President: John McLachlan, 617-695-3997
www.eightstreets.tripod.com
Blog: http://eightstreets.blogspot.com
The ESNA meets the first Wednesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., usually at the Boston
Ballet on Clarendon Street
Ellis Neighborhood Association
President: Kathy Emrich
www.ellisneighborhood.org
info@ellisneighborhood.org
The Ellis Neighborhood Association meets at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month (there is
no meeting in August), at Boston Ballet
Hurley Blocks Neighborhood Association
Officers: Brian Marsh, 617-266-3961 and Bob Stafford, 617-536-8340
www.discoverhurley.org
The Association meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Hurley School
Langham Court Neighborhood Association
Methunion Manor Tenants Association
Old Dover Neighborhood Association
President: Sandi Wolchansky
www.olddover.org
info@olddover.org
Monthly meetings are typically held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of the month at Project Place
(second floor conference room), 1145 Washington Street
Pilot Block Neighborhood Association
President: David Mooney
pilotblock.na@verizon.net
Meetings are at the South End Branch Library quarterly, see bulletin boards and fliers for dates
Rutland Square Neighborhood Association
Chairman: Stephen Fox, stephenfox@verizon.net
Regular Association meetings are held quarterly with notice provided to residents at their homes
Rutland Street Neighborhood Association
President: Laurel Acker, laurel@laurelacker.com
Tent City Tenants Association
Union Park Neighborhood Association
President: Kevin Cole, 617-375-1041
info@upna.org
www.upna.org
The Union Park Neighborhood Association is the oldest neighborhood association in the South End,
having been active for at least 60 years. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of every other month
January, March, etc. at 346 Shawmut Avenue. There are no meetings in July and August.
Union Park Street Neighborhood Association
United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury
President: Nataka Crayton
90 Windsor St., Roxbury, MA 02120
www.unlr.org
unlr.communications@gmail.com
Meetings are held monthly on the first Thursday of every month at United Emmanuel Holiness Church
on Windsor Street.
See also the organization selected by UNLR to redevelop their building at 90 Windsor Street into a community center for youth and adults: A Village at Work, 998 Tremont Street, Roxbury, MA 02120;
617-271-1966; http://avillageatwork.wordpress.com. The Village at Work proposal is also available
on the United Neighbors of Lower Roxbury website.
Washington Gateway Main Street
President: Donald Fleming, 617-542-1234
46 Waltham, Suite 304A, Boston, MA 02118
617-542-1234
www.gatewaymainstreet.org
Gateway has guided the development of Washington Street in the South End/Lower Roxbury. The
district runs 1.4 miles along Washington Street from Herald Street to Melnea Cass Boulevard. Mobilizing hundreds of volunteers and working through partnerships with neighborhood organizations, real
estate developers, government and businesses, Gateway’s success can be seen today in new businesses,
storefront improvements, residential/commercial developments, preservation projects, and rejuvenated
open space.
Gateway has had the unique opportunity to rebuild a commercial/residential district that had been
nearly lost. In doing so, it has successfully employed all the latest ideas for community development.
Renovated historic buildings, new market-rate loft apartments, mixed-income developments, urban renewal era low-income housing projects, 100 year old businesses and trendy new shops make the district
one of the most diverse. There is something in the Gateway story for everyone interested in preservation
and revitalization.
West Concord Street Neighborhood Association
Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association
www.wsana.net
Blog: http://wsana.blogspot.com
Meetings are held 7 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month (except for August and December) in
Conference Rooms C/D of the Newton Pavilion, 88 East Newton Street, Boston University Medical
Center
P ublic S a f ety and Crime
According to the 2004 Boston Youth Survey, youth from the South End had the highest
exposure to violence (witnessed violence or were victimized by violence) of any neighborhood’s youth. More than 95% were exposed to violence. However, less than 50% of them
were exposed to violence in their own neighborhood. This was the second lowest exposure
to violence in a home neighborhood. The majority of violence was experienced by South End
youth in other neighborhoods.38
Exposure to Violence by Respondent's Neighborhood
In Neighborhood
Elsewhere
100%
Percent Witnessed Violence and/or
Victimized by Violence (in past year)
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
L
TA
TO
ls
Al
on
ht
rig
/B
n
to
D
r
te
es
ch
r
o
B
st
Ea
n
to
os
H
e
yd
rk
Pa
m
Ja
ca
ai
n
ai
Pl
M
p
ta
at
an
R
le
da
lin
os
R
/M
ry
bu
ox
on
si
is
H
ill
h
ut
So
on
st
Bo
h
ut
So
d
En
*Neighborhoods with n<25 not shown. Differences between neighborhoods were not statistically significant.
38 Report of the 2004 Boston Youth Survey (Boston: City of Boston and Harvard Youth Violence Prevention
Center, 2005), 66. http://www.cityofboston.gov/humanservices/pdfs/youthsurvey2004.pdf (accessed
30 April 2009). This and many other charts are available in the complete online report.
area d-4 Crime trendS
900
800
813
802
700
653
630
600
588
538
400
507
506
500
478
444
421
401
435
422
363
347
315
300
314
295
200
100
28
28
27
0
2004
2005
Series1
2006
Series2
1) Robbery & attempted robbery
2) Aggravated assault
3) Rape & attempted rape
4) Burglary & attempted burglary
5) Vehicle theft & attempted
Series3
37
26
2007
Series4
2008
Series5
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
363
421
422
315
314
401
444
478
435
347
28
28
27
26
37
630
813
538
506
507
802
653
588
435
295
Robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and vehicle theft all showed decreases between 2004
and 2008 in police district D-4 which includes the South End, Back Bay, and parts of Roxbury. The number of rapes and attempted rapes stayed relatively constant from 2004 to 2007,
but sharply increased in 2008. The number of homicides decreased from four in 2004 to two
each in 2007 and 2008. However, there were already three homicides in the area in 2009 by
April 19. The total number of crimes, including larcenies, declined from 6,361 in 2004 to
5,290 in 2008.39
39 Boston Police Department. Annual crime reports.
The old Orchard Park housing project had a high crime rate, but with the transformation
into Orchard Gardens with the Hope VI program, crime was dramatically reduced. The
following chart shows crime trends in two categories: I. Crimes of Violence with malicious
intent against persons and property, and II. Less serious crimes against persons and property.
The redevelopment was coming to completion during the 1997-1999 period. By 2003, crime
was rising again in the development, influenced by drug dealing in surrounding areas. “In response, the Orchard Gardens Resident Association started the Orchard Gardens/Common
Public Safety Committee as a highly networked crime watch. The Public Safety Committee’s
strategy was to collaborate with police and city agencies to bring about changes in crime
enforcement and the physical environment while providing families with needed social services.”40 This partnership with the Boston Police Department resulted in improvements. In
October 2008 they were awarded the MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership
Award. In May 2009 a teenager from Orchard Gardens was brutally murdered in Dudley
Square. While the housing development may not be as bad as it once was, it still has experienced some feuding between gangs and other problems.
Crime in Orchard Park/Orchard Gardens Housing Development41
1997
1998
1999
% Change
Orchard Park I
80
37
21
-73.8%
Orchard Park II
127
83
56
-55.9%
Citywide I
-6.0%
Citywide II
-5.8%
40 “Roxbury Community Safety Partners Win National Award,” Madison Park Development Corporation,
14 October 2008, http://www.madison-park.org/page/news (accessed 15 May 2009).
41 Boston Housing Police, “Reported Crime in Public Housing 1997-1999.” See summary on the Boston
Housing Authority website, http://www.bostonhousing.org/detpages/deptinfo155.html (accessed 28
April 2009), page 6. (The Boston Housing Authority has its own nationally certified police force.)
Community Ne w s
The Boston Courant
P.O. Box 1248, Back Bay Station, Boston, MA 02117
617-267-2700
Published weekly
The South End News
46 Plympton St., 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02118
617-266-6670
www.southendnews.com
Published weekly on Thursdays
The Bay State/Boston Banner
23 Drydock Ave., Boston, MA 02210
617-261-4600
www.baystatebanner.com
Published weekly on Thursdays
Bibliography
Boer, Albert. The Development of USES: A Chronology of the United South End Settlements,
1891-1966. Boston: United South End Settlements, 1966.
Boston Redevelopment Authority. South End Urban Renewal Plan. Boston: Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1965.
Dorion, E. C. E. The Redemption of the South End: A Study in City Evangelization. New York: The Abingdon Press, 1915.
This book is about the ministry of Morgan Memorial.
Dorn, Jonathan Andrew. “Our Best Gospel Appliances: Institutional Churches and the Emergence of Social Christianity in the South End of Boston, 1880-1920.” PhD. Thesis, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1994.
Firey, Walter. Land Use in Central Boston. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1947.
Goodman, Phebe S. The Garden Squares of Boston. Hanover, N.H.: University Press of New England, 2003. See chapter two on the South End.
Green, James R. The South End. Boston 200 Neighborhood Histories Project series. Boston: Boston 200 Corporation, 1975.
Hayden, Robert C. Faith, Culture and Leadership: A History of the Black Church in Boston. Boston: Boston Branch NAACP, 1983.
Jawitz, Robert, and Michael Weinstein. The South End, Boston, Massachusetts: Toward an
Utopian Conception of Environment. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University, Graduate
School of Design, 1969.
Keyes, Langley Carleton, Jr. The Rehabilitation Planning Game: A Study in the Diversity of
Neighborhood. Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press, 1969.
A study of neighborhood negotiations in the South End urban renewal process.
King, Mel. Chain of Change: Struggles for Black Community Development. Boston: South End
Press, 1981.
Lucas, J. Anthony. Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985.
McKee, Sean Cameron. “The South End: Urban Renewal, Gentrification, and Diversity in
a Boston Neighborhood,“ 2000. Senior Honors Thesis, Brandeis University, Waltham,
Mass.
Mollenkopf, John H. The Contested City. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1983.
Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell. Boston’s South End: Then and Now. Portsmouth, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 2005.
Sammarco, Anthony Mitchell. Boston’s South End. Dover, N.H.: Arcadia Publishing, 1998.
Seashores, Nancy S. Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press, 2003. See especially chapters 7 and 10.
Small, Mario Luis. Villa Victoria: The Transformation of Social Capital in a Boston Barrio.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2004.
Smith, Margaret Supplee. Between City and Suburb: Architecture and Planning in Boston’s
South End. Providence, RI: Brown University Press, 1976.
South End Historical Society. A Picture of the South End: Or, the Citizens and Strangers Guide
to the Metropolis of Massachusetts and Its Southerly Environs, with Curious Addenda. Boston: South End Historical Society, 1968.
Warner, Sam Bass, Jr. Streetcar Suburbs: The Process of Growth in Boston,1870-1900. 2nd edition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1978.
Whittlesey, Robert B. The South End Row House and Its Rehabilitation for Low-Income Residents. Boston: South End Community Development, Inc., 1969.
Wolfe, Albert Benedict. The Lodging House Problem in Boston. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin
and Company, 1906.
Woods, Robert A. The City Wilderness: A Settlement Study. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, and
Company, 1898.
Yoshida, Okiru, editor. In South End: A Directory of Human Services. Boston: Gregg Publications, 2003.
Cred its
Page
Source
Cover
The Boston Atlas, Boston Public Library—Bromley Atlases, “1890 Boston
Proper and Roxbury Combine,” www.mapjunction.com.
1
Photo by Rudy Mitchell.
2
Boston Redevelopment Authority’s “Boston Atlas,” www.mapjunction.com.
3
Boston City Hospital: King’s Handbook of Boston by Moses King. Cambridge,
Mass.: Moses King Publisher, 1885. p. 227.
4
Photos by Rudy Mitchell.
5
Album cover: Name of label/company is Jazz Door; from a 1955 recording released in 2000.
6&7
12
Map: J.G. Hales’ Map of 1814. From the Boston Atlas at www.mapjunction.com.
Boston Public Library Collection.
15
Map: Robert A. Woods, ed. The City Wilderness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and
Co., 1898. p. 56ff.
16
Chart: U.S. Census 2000, Summary File 1, Tables P12, P12 A-H (based on the
table on p. 17).
18 & 19 Charts: U.S. Census 2000, SF1, Table QT-P10. (These are our own charts
based on info from the Census table.)
21
23
Church graphic: King’s Handbook of Boston (see above), p. 177.
30
Photo by Rudy Mitchell.
44
Map: Courtesy of www.southend.org, a public service of Finial Software, Inc.,
www.finial.com.
48
Chart: Report of the 2004 Boston Youth Survey.
49
Our own chart based on info from Boston Police Department data.
w w w . gettingtotheroots . org

Neighborhood Briefing Document

Transcription

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