Long ago, there was once a large Jewish community in the North End. The North End was once home to well over a dozen Jewish Synagogues. In fact, by the turn of the 19th century, the North End was a neighborhood of nearly two dozen Jewish Synagogues. By the 1930’s the North End was no Read More…
Author: Jacqueline Gray
The West End was Just Like the North End
An account of the old West End from one of its last survivors, name withheld by request. (1950’s) I had one of these scooters, made from fruit boxes, that my father would pin with the caps of soda bottles, my uncle would make them for me too, with the caps, paint it black. The only Read More…
North End Beginnings: Three Streets Wide
Before the North End was an urban neighborhood community, it was an island. Before Hanover Street was a commercialized concrete jungle, it was a neck. Characterized by the early colonial, John Winthrop, “the north part of the town separate from the rest by a narrow stream which was cut through a neck of land by Read More…
If Streets Could Talk: Unity Street
UNITY ST (a link that runs parallel between Salem St. and Hanover St.) — feeding from the head of Garden Court, Unity Street is a narrow passageway that serves as a vessel for the surrounding streets- Hanover St, Charter St, Tileston St, Salem St. Unity Street is also an old neighborhood watermark. Centuries ago, the Read More…
Back to the Windmill
CLEAN ENERGY– Sustainability is wired to the DNA of Boston. The birthplace of America is on a mission that began with a windmill. WINDMILL HILL (the predecessor to the site of Boston’s second largest burying ground, otherwise known as Copp’s Hill)– was the site of the first working windmill erected in Boston. ‘Puritan Picnics’ occupied the Read More…
What’s in a Name: Snow Hill Street
SNOW HILL (a shortcut from Charter St to Prince St) – has nothing to do with snow or ice. According to the origin of its namesake, the street is named after Snowhill Lane in London: “It occurs very early as Snor or Snore Hill, later as Sore, and finally as Snow Hill. It has been Read More…
Recalling the North End’s “Love Lane” on Valentine’s Day
Navigating through the North End can often make this neighborhood feel like the Prague of Boston — narrow streets laden in antiquity. Tracing the history of these streets can often reveal less-known stories that coincide with the advent of days like today. Valentine’s Day calls upon the opportunity to share the nomenclature of Love Lane, otherwise Read More…
10 Hidden North End Historical Sites and Plaque Proposals
The North End is Boston’s oldest neighborhood and its streets are laden with the treasures of time. Not much is known about the native Americans or anyone living here until the Puritans arrived in the 1600’s. As the colonists settled in, streets began to branch throughout the North End. Much has been written about the Read More…
So Long, Tony Soprano
It lasted eight years, six seasons, and eighty-six episodes. The Sopranos still gains fans even after production has stopped and cast members have passed away. The Sopranos mafia put the mafia before everything, including their own families– as seen through the conflict between “one’s family” (blood) and “one’s family” (business). Viewers migrate to this plot-line because its Read More…
Palace on Parmenter
(On the Aesthetics of Architecture: Venice and Islam: A Dialogue Between Two Cultures (Examining Venice’s Trade-links with the Eastern Mediterranean). Analyzing the Islamic Influence on Venetian Gothic Architecture of the Ducal Palace in Venice, Italy, through the works of 19th century British Architect, John Ruskin.) *With a special thanks to the Friends of the North End Read More…
Bread + Butter, A Cafe Acropolis
The cafe acropolis perched on the corner of Cross Street is the North End’s newest buzz and bustle. Bread + Butter is the new kid on the bakery block. Pastry artisan Lee Napoli of South End’s ChocoLee has done it again. With the work ethic of a European baker, Napoli built this honeysuckle castle from Read More…