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Renovations never end in Boston
By adamg on Wed, 04/27/2016 - 10:46am
The folks at the Boston City Archives wonder if you can tell what's happening in this photo, when and where. See it larger.
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Comments
Subway?
I can't quite make it out clearly, but I think the big pillared building in the background might say "East Boston" and it may be the East Boston Savings Bank. So I'll go with a guess that it's subway construction in Eastie? Maybe 1905?
Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com
Give 'em a cigar
Indeed you got the locale.
It looks like it could have been around the time of the subway tunnel construction (1904/5ish).
I think they were still using
I think they were still using horses and wagons in 1905...
That photo looks like 1920s by the looks of that truck, and the clothes they are wearing , I would say 1922-1929
pump or concrete mixer?
Argh. I was first going to say that it looks like a PTO powered by the engine on the truck (see near the broom) is being used via a pulley system to power the "thing" mounted on the back of a the truck with the "thing" being a mixer or a pump of some kind.
But on second thought I don't think the truck has a PTO. Looks like a winch and it's being used to drop the unit into the street. The unit may be a mixer, pump or maybe even just a steam engine?
Some sort of steam engine
It looks like it's some sort of steam engine on a skid being either loaded or unloaded from that truck.
Definitely East Boston. You can make out the pillars of the savings bank in the background.
Somewhere between these two streetviews:
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3700414,-71.0387241,3a,75y,354h,94.84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sP1YoVcNDRb09vrCt0w52jg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3699894,-71.0386002,3a,75y,338.46h,83.05t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfCSnrVnBH6rA0FXigIb0GQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Location is...
Location is East Boston at the corner of Maverick Street and Chelsea Street. The buildings are still than sans fire escapes and some windows.
https://goo.gl/maps/mC7NFxyfGVv
As for the device being moved, looks like some sort of boiler.
Maverick street and Meridian
Maverick street and Meridian st. Their converting a 6 unit building (without deeded parking spaces) into luxury condos for the yuppies coming in, I may recall they ended up selling each 800 sq ft unit for $600k each the units sold within a week.
Truck Owner Places Space
Truck Owner Places Space Saver Before Leaving For Work circa 1928
The Answer
Thanks for playing folks! This photo shows Chelsea Street on June 29, 1922. It was taken to document alterations to the East Boston Tunnel.
We have more photos documenting the East Boston Tunnel that we are in the midst of digitizing, so more will be available soon.
Maverick Square
Street at far right is Chelsea Street. Street in background, in front of the building with the pillars, is Meridian Street. The set of buildings in the center have addresses on Maverick Square, but they face onto Maverick Street. The construction was for the conversion of the East Boston Tunnel from streetcars (like the Green Line) to rapid transit (as it is today). Although Maverick was the last stop after that conversion was made, there was a dead-end tunnel under Chelsea Street where trains could be stored. That tunnel was extended in the early 1950s so the Blue Line could get to Airport station and beyond.
Like to see old photos of
Like to see old photos of Olmsted designed Wood Island park, if the city of Boston has any photos of the park in their vault I would like to see them.
Nothing Sexual
Nothing Sexual, but do most or all the guys in this photo are well built, strong and big arms. It reminds me how hard people worked for a living, how difficult the work environment was. And todays sissies and ungrateful miserable un-happy workers of today.
Your right , remember growing
Your right , remember growing up the roofers used hot tar on roofs on neighborhood houses, they did it in 90 degree weather, these days every house in the neighborhood especially multi family buildings have rubber roofing. I also remember men in their 50s and 70s city of Boston public employees the " street sweepers " with their little 2 seater 3 wheel truck , city should bring back the 3 wheel street sweeper truck.