Scollay Square after the war

November, 1945, looking north into the Square. (Today, City Hall would be on the right and the curving 1-2-3 Center Plaza building on the left.) The Second World War had been over for only a few months when this photo of a sadly empty Scollay Square was taken.

There are many reasons for Boston's sad decline after the war. Returning veterans, taking advantage of the G.I. Bill and a roaring economy began buying cars and homes in the suburbs, now easily accessible on new, wide highways like Route 128. Meanwhile, James Michael Curley wins his fourth (and thankfully, last) term as mayor in 1945, providing cronies opportunity to return their well-practiced ravaging of city coffers. And so Boston, like so many other cities, fell into disrepair. Federal money would soon flow for "slum clearance" and "urban renewal" projects. Boston would happily take money for both, Sadly, the rush to "renew" actually meant wholesale destruction of the West End, South End, and other neighborhoods, as well as the loss of business areas such as Scollay Square. The real tragedy is how in just a couple of decades the concept of restoration and preservation is what really fired the rebirth of Boston. (But that's a rant for another day.)

This aerial was taken in 1957.

Looking from Bowdoin Square into Scollay Square we can see "dive" bars and hotels advertising cheap rooms for rent. Everyone - especially landlords - knew the wrecking ball was coming, and many ignored their properties and obligations to tenants.   

 Thanks to the wonderful Dirty Old Boston Facebook page we have this photo featuring the marquee for Jack's Lighthouse... which has clearly seen better days. Historically, it's no small matter that the space next Jack's is a parking lot; it was happening a lot here in the area as older buildings that landlords could no longer rent were being torn down and the property used for parking to handle the surge in traffic as the new, elevated Central Artery brought more and more cars into the city. 

The Crawford House, a literal shell of its former self, is about to lose the battle to the wrecking ball in this 1962 photograph by John. 

  Despite the massive amounts of construction during the era of renewal, life went on  In this 1962 photo the famous Tea Kettle (which would survive the redevelopment) watches mutely as commuters make their way to work through the Square. Meanwhile, across the street Scollay's Olympia was not as lucky.

Taken a few months after the above aerial, this picture was taken from the roof of the "new" (1937) courthouse. Ed Logue, who managed the renewal of Scollay Square for Mayor John Collins, credits his experience as a bomber in Europe to teach him how cities were laid out... so he could demolish them later.

 Demolition of the old Scollay Square subway station has begun in 1962.  In the foreground we can workers tearing up a portion of the tunnel (notice the tiles on the underground wall) between Scollay and Adams Square. Meanwhile, in the background, Cheney's Drug Store carries on...