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One of Boston's many narrow, curved streets

By adamg on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 10:58am
Curved street in old Boston

The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can place this photo. See it larger.

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Comments

By theszak on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:03am.

See also
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/research-maps

By bulgingbuick on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:21am.

Salem Street

By Art on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:36am.

Prince Street

By Stevil on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 3:46pm.

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.

By Pete Carroll on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:47am.

Doesnt' prince street have a couple of those bump-out windows? and curves kind of like that.

By gotdatwmd on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:35am.

Frontage on the right looks a lot like JJ Foleys but I don't think Kingston St is that curvy.

By Anonandon on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:38am.

Looks like Melcher st.

By Rob Not Verified on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 12:07pm.

Yup, that's exactly what I was gonna say: Melcher Street in Fort Point district. It has that unique curve.

Modern day

By KBHer on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 12:28pm.

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

By Scratchie on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 12:28pm.

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.

By SwirlyGrrl on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 1:27pm.

Melcher is much wider than this and the individual buildings are large and do not have residential features.

By FredQuimby on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 7:57pm.

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?

By aldos on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 12:30pm.

The cars look old enough, and it doesn't look exactly like any particular place in the current North End or anywhere else.

By anon on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 1:19pm.

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.

By GROVER on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 1:31pm.

Lower washington street just before state.

By Stomps on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 4:21pm.

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.

By anon on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 5:21pm.

I'm thinking Water Street also. Facing from Washington but past the Old South.

These are fun!

By FredQuimby on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 7:04pm.

The street in the picture is too narrow and that curve is too strong to be Washington.

By Patrick McM on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 4:36pm.

It looks like Prince Street taken a half block down from Salem St.

By Boston City Archives on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 6:19pm.

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.

By Saul on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 9:13pm.

Based on this map -- http://www.wardmaps.com/viewasset.php?aid=4813 -- here is roughly the same view today.

http://goo.gl/maps/vdpwo

By Matthew on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:34pm.

Comparing what was to what is.

By anon on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 11:34pm.

Because that view's clearly better than the old one.

By bulgingbuick on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 7:40pm.

we're waiting.

By SBer on Mon, 11/10/2014 - 8:08pm.

From the Archives....not Melcher Street:

Boston City Archives @ArchivesBoston ยท

Today's #mysteryphoto is Leverett St in the West End, ca. 1950-53.

By steve andrrews on Tue, 11/11/2014 - 4:43pm.

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...