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One of Boston's many narrow, curved streets
By adamg on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 10:58am
The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can place this photo. See it larger.
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See also bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/research-maps
See also
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/research-maps
Is that
Salem Street
Prince Street
Prince Street
Agreed North End
Thought maybe Charter with that curve - but looked at street view and I doubt it.
Note it's a road that "kinks" twice - and I don't see anything like that in the North End looking at a map. Is it possibly a road that no longer exists in the West End or Bulfinch Triangle? That would explain the residential - and also why this is so hard to place.
would say about 1950 based on those cars - perhaps slightly earlier.
I was thinking Prince..
Doesnt' prince street have a couple of those bump-out windows? and curves kind of like that.
Frontage on the right looks a
Frontage on the right looks a lot like JJ Foleys but I don't think Kingston St is that curvy.
Hm...
Looks like Melcher st.
Yup, that's exactly what I
Yup, that's exactly what I was gonna say: Melcher Street in Fort Point district. It has that unique curve.
Modern day
Not sure
Fort Point and Melcher is/was mostly warehouses, seems these buildings are residences/offices with some street level retail. So many streets have this sort of curve.
Vehicles and attire would indicate the pic is from before the urban renewal era so it could be that the street doesn't even exist anymore or has been entirely redesigned. Definitely somewhere in Boston proper, looks like some of the pics I've seen of pre-Central Artery of Blackstone St....maybe Franklin, hard to say without being able to see the signs clearly
Yeah
I'm not sure what's supposed to be "unique" about this curve, but Melcher Street looked nothing like this in the 80s/90s. I can't imagine they tore down all these apartment buildings at some point and replaced them with warehouses.
No, not Melcher
Melcher is much wider than this and the individual buildings are large and do not have residential features.
My first guess was Melcher
We are looking uphill judging by the stepped buildings (the way the window get higher with each building) so it could be Melcher. But did it really change that much between then and now?
Somewhere in the old West End or Scollay Square
The cars look old enough, and it doesn't look exactly like any particular place in the current North End or anywhere else.
Cooper St. - North End
I believe it is Cooper St in the north end. If you are at intersection of cooper & north margin and are looking up towards salem street.
STREET PHOTO
Lower washington street just before state.
My gut
My gut tells me its Washington Street, downtown crossing. Coming from Court Street heading toward Water. There is a B.Good on the right, juuuust around the bend.
Water
I'm thinking Water Street also. Facing from Washington but past the Old South.
These are fun!
Not wide enough
The street in the picture is too narrow and that curve is too strong to be Washington.
Prince St
It looks like Prince Street taken a half block down from Salem St.
The Answer!
Those of you who guessed the West End are correct. This is Leverett Street. We don't have an exact date for this photo, but it was taken in preparation for the urban renewal/demolition of the neighborhood, so its likely somewhere between 1950 and 1953.
Based on this map -- http:/
Based on this map -- http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=4813 -- here is roughly the same view today.
http://goo.gl/maps/vdpwo
Most depressing comment of the day
Comparing what was to what is.
Renewal
Because that view's clearly better than the old one.
Well...
we're waiting.
West End....Answer
From the Archives....not Melcher Street:
Boston City Archives @ArchivesBoston ·
Today's #mysteryphoto is Leverett St in the West End, ca. 1950-53.
picture
it's 1954 year i was born or 55 because theres a 54 chevy, a 50 chevy,
and way back a 50 or 51 studebaker starlite coupe - wide wrap around
rear window - or the "bullet nose studebaker" didnt know if they were
coming or going...