Railroads and Location

The railroads directly to the north of the site have had an influential impact upon the area. The changing uses in housing and occupants illustrated on the Sanborn and Bromley maps from 1897 to 1920 could be attributed to the railroads. As can be seen in Figure 7, the railroad tracks create a barrier between the site, the Back Bay, and downtown Boston. It might have been difficult for the residents to cross the tracks on their way to work and into the city, due to the impending train tracks. Another issue with the rowhouses being so close to the tracks is the unpleasant effect of the trains on the environment of the site. Perhaps the smoke from the train engines would blow over the homes and the trains would also make a great deal of noise as they moved through in close proximity to the rowhouses. Thus the value of the properties in the area probably went down due to these problems. The middle-class residents might not have enjoyed these inconveniences inherent to the site. Yet they had the means to move out into more fashionable suburbs of Boston, such as the newly built Back Bay, where they would not have to cross the tracks to venture downtown and they would be further away from the engine smoke and noise. The train tracks would continue be a barrier between the South End and the rest of Boston directly influencing the site.

The location of the South End probably also effected the changes seen on the maps of the area in the early 1900s. As can be seen from any general map of Boston, such as the one in Figure 8, the South End is right on the edge of downtown. The middle-class residents had the means to pay for the train, streetcar, or horsecar into work and the rest of the city and thus could move out into the suburbs without much budget strain. But the poorer working class population was probably forced to stay as close to their jobs as possible since they could not afford to commute on these new modes of transportation. The South End was thus very appealing to the working class as it was within walking distance to downtown Boston.

Links to Sanborn & Bromley Atlases 

Figure 7:

Railroad Barrier

[1887 Sanborn Map]

Figure 8:

General Map of Boston