The West End Museum - Boston, MA

Isabelle A.

This museum has brilliantly documented the rise and fall of the rich and vibrant West End neighborhood, which was destroyed by developpers in the 1950s. Urban renewal was rampant in many cities in North America, and Boston was not immune to that discriminatory and racist practice. Bravo to this small but impactful museum. A must-see!

Jack E.

A nice little museum with the history of the West End "Renewal" project. It's small but tells the story. I wish there was more focus on the political history of it - how did they generate the new design? How did urban planners justify shrinking the housing supply so drastically, especially since they promised the West Enders that they'd all have housing to relocate to? (That turned out to be a lie). Unfortunately this isn't explored much.

Pauline J.

I thoroughly enjoyed the West End museum experience. It was informative, and quite moving to see the fate of thousands of displaced individuals of several ethnicities, African-American, Italian, Irish and Jewish constituencies disrupted by the government’s brazen implementation of eminent domain. I was able to see a Leonard Nimoy film of “Mr. Spock” whose own family was forcibly removed and the effect on his family. This is a gem in a small space, and should be added to your tour list today!

Eric W.

A friend told me about this place. I wasn’t expecting much, but generally like history, so my wife and I visited. We planned to spend 30 minutes.

We ended up spending an hour and a half and only left because we had a reservation. I was super impressed with this museum, and will go back next time I’m in Boston. This little museum is a gem.

WEM = gem!

Ann T.

This is a small but superb museum documenting a part of Boston's history that many people may not know about. The exhibits are fascinating and the staff members are wonderful. I highly recommend a visit!

Eugene P.

I highly highly recommend this museum. The history of the West End must be kept alive, especially if we wish to prevent such destruction from happening again. It's a small space, but theres plenty to look at and engage with. I would recommend they add more seating(I know its a small space but its still possible imo). Keep in mind that admission is now 12 dollars or so. New visitors can't come in within the last 30 minutes of closing.

Tom B.

Wonderful renovated museum which tells of the effects of "Urban Renewal" on a close knit Boston neighborhood. A must for any visitor to Boston.

Robert D.

I just walked past this place randomly, when I was just walking around Boston. I'm glad I did, even though I had no idea what the place was about being from the UK!

The museum was quite interesting talking about the history of the area, the "famous" people, including the late Leonard Nimoy, who had only passed away a few months before my visit, and had apparently visited the museum a couple of times through the years.

Bob, who seemed to run the museum was very helpful. At first, I was slightly "put off" by his enthusiasm for the museum, but you soon realise, he's not a bad guy, and his enthusiasm for the museum actually made it a more interesting experience.

If you like to know about local history (in any country, or city), this museum is definitely worth going. There is no admittance fee, they just ask for a $10 donation.

Thanks again to Bob.
Robert
From Jersey, UK (if you remember be in August).