News

Screening of 1977 South End documentary sparks warm memories

by . .
Thursday Jan 22, 2015

On Thursday evening, January 15, South Enders of all ages, cultures and lengths of connection to the neighborhood packed into a conference room at United South End Settlements, 566 Columbus Avenue, for a screening of the 1977 documentary, "Neighbors: Conservation in a Changing Community", followed by an exchange of vivid reminiscences and colorful historical detail. The standing room-only crowd ranged from Jennifer Kelly, a neighborhood alumna with fond memories of growing up in the neighborhood in the 1960s and 1970s to Siobhan Hayes, a 14 year old, fifth generation South Ender currently living on West Canton Street and attending Boston Arts Academy. After the screening of the 28 minute film examining the redevelopment and gentrification of the neighborhood through the experiences of 12 residents, longtime residents traded memories and observations with State Representative Byron Rushing, former president of Boston's Museum of African American History, moderating.

Christopher Cato, a lifelong neighbor, Green Initiative Project Manager at Youthbuild USA and USES board member, said, "Tears streamed from my eyes as I started seeing these familiar faces. These were the people who taught me how to be a South Ender. They didn't tell me how, they showed me how. It moved me that their influence is still here, and being active in the community, I am anxious to get back to that role of mentoring that many of the people in this room have played." Herbert Hershfang, who bought his home at auction in 1966, recalled that Cato's father, Roy, was among the neighbors and friends who helped refurbish his home. The Hayes family, a presence on West Canton Street for over 100 years, was represented by Claire Hayes, who identified one of the figures in the movie as a member of neighborhood's once-vibrant Middle Eastern community, as well as by 14 year old Siobhan Hayes, a fifth-generation South Ender and a student at Boston Arts Academy. Former South Ender Fred Dow recounted with pride that his Chinese grandfather operated the first mechanized laundry shop on West Dedham Street at the turn of the 20th century. Dow's father Harry, who appeared briefly in the film, became the first Asian American admitted to the bar in Massachusetts.

The dozen South End denizens profiled in the film were young and old, rich and poor, individuals and families. There were professional couples who bought row houses for as little as $11,000 and poured their "sweat equity" into making them habitable; the young Middle Eastern girl identified by Claire Hayes, who in the film spoke of wanting to get out and see the world; and a young mother in the Cathedral apartments who spoke of the thousands applying for the limited openings in the affordable housing complex. The film also included an interview with the late Helen Morton, whose youthful work with the Junior League first introduced her to the neighborhood, became a longtime resident and affordable housing activist prominent in the campaign to develop Villa Victoria. Morton, who also served local organizations such as the Harbor Light homeless shelter, the Community Music Center of Boston and USES, apparently was a formidable and beloved neighbor, as evidenced by an amusing story from Chris Cato. He recounted that the elderly Morton was once accosted from behind and mugged. When she turned around and the would-be robbers saw who she was, they promptly returned her belongings.

The screening sparked discussion of neighborhood challenges then and now, such as the soaring coast of housing and its effect on the diversity in which the South End has historically taken pride. Hershfang pointed out that now, as in 1977, neighborhood parents who want their children to attend a school with a diverse population "Face the uncertainty of being able to send their kids to a nearby school that is integrated. The same problem that existed during the film about so-called gentrification exists today." Retired engineer David Sprogis, a resident since 1963 who served on the South End Urban Renewal Committee and the South End Project Area Committee, lamented the quality of the city's redevelopment work. "The BRA (Boston Redevelopment Authority has done a lousy job. The city has collected enormous volumes of money. Where has it all gone?" he wondered. He continued, "Even I, who have lived conservatively and spent and saved money conservatively am under horrible pressure with the way the tax rates and the assessments are jumping up. Where is the money all going?" Kelly, a teacher who now lives in Dorchester, spoke warmly of her South End upbringing, attending the Bancroft school, visiting the Syrian bakeries and meeting people of diverse races, religions and sexual orientations. "I love the South End because of the people. It didn't matter what anyone made. I didn't know what my friends' parents did for a living. We were in and out of houses, apartments, Castle Square, Villa Victoria; it was really just about who you liked. I always say that I had the best upbringing here and I would love for my parents to stay here so I can afford to move back here eventually!" she quipped.

Rushing concluded the discussion by saying, "We would like to continue the conversation, starting with the question, 'What would you have done differently?' I think that's a question that needs to be answered. We need to talk about what we want the community to be." In an e-mail the following day, Regina Pyle, chairperson of the Ellis Neighborhood Association which co-sponsored the screening, requested that neighbors who would like to participate in future discussions contact the Ellis at info@eillisneigborhood.org.