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Nothing like the smell of ink early in the morning

By adamg on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 10:55am
Old printing shop in Boston

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

Neighborhoods: 
Boston
Topics: 
History


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Comments

By Stevil on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 11:29am.

circa the end of Menino's tenure - 2010?

(incredibly they were still in operation as a jobs program until shortly after the financial crisis)

In all seriousness - looks like a trade school - was it the Bennett that used to be in the North End (which was near the city's printing facility?). I'll go with that and based on clothes I'll say 1930ish originally thought later - but I think I'm seeing some knickers there..

By Ron on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:45pm.

is still there

By Colin. on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:55pm.

So I think you have this right. This is the old City of Boston printing plant which was still in operation in 2010 but had all its stuff auctioned off in early 2011.

It's now used as part of the North Bennet street school that moved into that building and the old police station next door.

By capecoddah on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 11:31am.

The panslab ceiling is usually a 1950s thing.

My guesses:

1) Hyde Park High
2) East Boston High
3) South Boston High

By Rob on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 11:33am.

Bizarro Vocational High School, where things are printed backwards.

By anon on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:55pm.

That would be if the things used for printing were readable.

By anon on Fri, 09/15/2017 - 9:30am.

Um ... you do realize printing plates have to be mirror images, right ?

By anon on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 11:56am.

That appears to be Hebrew on those signs.

By Ron Newman on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:30pm.

Just backwards (mirror-image) English. Put the photo in Preview and select "Flip Horizontal".

By anon on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 1:08pm.

Thanks! It looked kinda Hebrew to me.

By SwirlyGrrl on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 8:02pm.

My odd brain initially interpreted it as cyrillic, but then I quickly realized that it was a negative.

By lKK on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:01pm.

Martin Milmore School

By Suldog on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:48pm.

Since I don't have a better guess, I'll go with the High School of Commerce (became Boston English), where My Dad went to school.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

By geep9 on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 12:48pm.

are working on their book reports

By Kaz on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 1:12pm.

Rockland Street, JP...around 1955

By SFPD12 on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 1:17pm.

IS similar to the old armory building on com ave.
much earlier than 1955.
but I like the don bosco guess

By FPEB on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 1:24pm.

In Roxbury.

By theszak on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 2:24pm.

5247 in the back in the center of the photo might be
Graphic Arts Union Local 5247.

By Dave on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 2:56pm.

I keep hearing about a recent affliction called "Smartphone Neck" or "Text Neck". Was "Typesetters Neck" a thing back in those days?

By noahproblem on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 8:08pm.

...the Globe's new printing press room looks like...

By Oscar Worthy on Wed, 09/13/2017 - 10:40pm.

Would indicate probably the 1930's. And despite what the background sign says, they don't appear to be doing anything really specific to printing. There's no press equipment or letter blocks in the pic. So they may also be sign making. (The voc school theory is a good one.)

By Boston City Archives on Thu, 09/14/2017 - 10:36am.

Thanks for playing folks!

This is an Interior Design class at the Washington Irving School in the 1936-1937 school year. The photo is tricky, because it was taken in the same room that was used for the Printing Class - but as you can see, they're drawing, not setting type.

We don't think the photo is backwards, we think that instead we're looking at type (which is backwards)

By Oscar Worthy on Thu, 09/14/2017 - 3:33pm.

Not impossible. But maybe the photo is backwards . .