Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about old Boston neighborhoods being “reconnected” to the city. The North End was cut off from the rest of Boston by the Central Artery, built in the 1950’s. Now, the depression of the Artery allows for the “stitching” of that neighborhood with downtown Boston.

Likewise, parts of Chinatown were destroyed, buildings torn-down or chopped in half, also for the artery (people love cars, I guess?). As I mentioned in an earlier post this week, plans are underway to reclaim some of that land, to be used by long-time residents for desperately-needed housing.

And, of course, everyone laments the loss of Boston’s West End, where the towers of the Charles River Park loom, today. (People have short memories and like to romanticize the past, I guess?)

There are less well-known neighborhoods that were destroyed in the interest of “urban renewal’ of the 1950’s and 1960’s.

The “New York Streets” neighborhood was located where the Boston Herald’s offices are, today. According to what I’ve read, it was home to many different races, mostly lower-income people.

Here’s a photo of what was left of the neighborhood, after they built the Southeast Expressway.

- click to blow-up image

Um, yeah. It’s gone.

Interesting, I never thought about it very much, but I think what was happening on the left was a result of what was happening on the right, and in the middle.

A neighborhood wiped-off the face of the earth, because the old way of moving goods (and people) changed from railways to highways.

Fascinating.