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If you've already read Dark Tide
By adamg on Wed, 07/14/2010 - 11:31pm
Stephen Puleo, author of the definitive work on our very own Molasses Flood, has a new book out on the history of Boston between 1850 and 1890: A City So Grand.
Chris Klein reviews the book, says it's a great read, but left him melancholy:
... Back then, Bostonians literally moved mountains to resculpt the city, filling in waterways and creating the Back Bay. Puleo writes that the Great Coliseum, 500 feet long and 300 feet wide, that held 50,000 people for the Great Peace Jubilee was built in just 90 days. 90 days!
Boston still plays a leading role in science, technology, and education. In the last 20 years, Boston has had some notable achievements such as the cleanup of Boston Harbor and the Big Dig, but even while the Big Dig was an engineering marvel it was a long, protracted project and not necessarily a source of pride. These days, we can't even stage an event such as the Parade of Tall Ships without constant bickering and political infighting. There's a huge hole festering in Downtown Crossing where the old Filene's building, a Boston institution, once stood. I fear that it's becoming a symbol of a can't-do spirit in the city. Could Boston build the Great Coliseum in just 90 days today? I doubt it. ...
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Comments
Dark Tide was great
An evil corporation, an attempt to scapegoat terrorists for the disaster- pretty fascinating stuff.
Oh, it's an amazing story, alright
One of my "favorite" parts is how the company painted the entire tank rusty red to hide evidence of leaks.
Fair enough
I have not yet read Mr Puleo's latest book but I am sure it is just as great as his earlier, sweeter-tasting one.
Regarding the look into the past, I don't know how the author paints the picture of 19th-century Boston, but it's always been my understanding that there was a fair amount of "constant bickering and political infighting". I seem to remember reading about how difficult it was to get everyone to agree what to do with the Back Bay with the city wanting one thing and the state something else and landowners wanting something something else.
And, the South End was long a "festering hole" after the financial crisis of 1870, et al. So, the Filene's inaction is nothing but previous faults, repeated.
Just a bit more history to chew on.
"Dark Tide" is an excellent book!
Go for it!
I heard and read all about
I heard and read all about the molasses flood when I was a kid. The part about camouflaging the hairline fascinated me at the time. As a little kid, I couldn't understand how a corporation could get away with something like that, LOL...
Downtown Crossing has been ghetto for a long time now. The city administration doesn't have the cajones to do what's necessary to improve the situation. IT WILL NEVER IMPROVE UNTIL THE CRIME/SECURITY ISSUE IS FIXED. And it's scandalous Hines was allowed to do what occurred with the Filenes building. Menino is a bad joke and the joke is on Boston.
ah yes, the good old days of planning
They moved a mountain (Fort Hill) to fill a harbor (Atlantic Ave), of course, the thousands of poor Irish that lived on the hill were not considered at all. That trend continued to destroy neighborhoods like New York Streets in the South End, parts of Brighton along the Mass Pike, the West End, Scollay Square, and huge swaths of Roxbury, the South End, and Jamaica Plain for highways never built.
I'll take the delays over the easy ability to wipe out neighborhoods, homes, businesses, livelihoods and memories.
Remember...
Molasses kills.