Panel 4: Constructed Space: The Creation of “Environments”
Location
Campus Center Conference Room 2545, UMass Boston
Start Date
9-3-2013 11:00 AM
End Date
9-3-2013 12:15 PM
Description
Boston’s own entertainment district, Scollay Square, has been eradicated from Boston’s landscape, both physically and in public memory. In its prime, Scollay Square housed dime museums, theaters, burlesque attractions and its answer to Nathan’s hot dogs, Joe and Nemo’s. Eventually, Scollay Square deteriorated and was targeted for urban renewal. At present, Boston’s Government Center and City Hall Plaza occupy what once was a thriving local attraction. Beyond the plaque dedicated to the Howard Athenaeum, a strong public memory of Scollay Square is not evident in Boston. Following the rise and fall of Scollay Square and analyzing rhetoric used to support its destruction does not clarify if the district was as sordid as it seemed. Comparing the loss of public memory of Scollay Square to the reclamation of the memory of the West provides insight into how Bostonians remember. Through his comparison, suggestions will be made as to how to reclaim this history and present it to the public once again.
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Recovering a Sordid Past: Public Memory of Scollay Square
Campus Center Conference Room 2545, UMass Boston
Boston’s own entertainment district, Scollay Square, has been eradicated from Boston’s landscape, both physically and in public memory. In its prime, Scollay Square housed dime museums, theaters, burlesque attractions and its answer to Nathan’s hot dogs, Joe and Nemo’s. Eventually, Scollay Square deteriorated and was targeted for urban renewal. At present, Boston’s Government Center and City Hall Plaza occupy what once was a thriving local attraction. Beyond the plaque dedicated to the Howard Athenaeum, a strong public memory of Scollay Square is not evident in Boston. Following the rise and fall of Scollay Square and analyzing rhetoric used to support its destruction does not clarify if the district was as sordid as it seemed. Comparing the loss of public memory of Scollay Square to the reclamation of the memory of the West provides insight into how Bostonians remember. Through his comparison, suggestions will be made as to how to reclaim this history and present it to the public once again.
Comments
Panel 4 of the 2013 Graduate History Conference features presentations and papers under the topic of "Constructed Space: The Creation of 'Environments.'"
Joan Ilacqua's presentation is the second in this panel.