April 23, 2010 by Chinatown Blogger.

Disclaimer: The term “gangs” is used figuratively in this post and refers to the 2002 movie “Gangs of New York”.

New York Streets
In the Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York, Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day Lewis) led the Nativist Bowery Boys to fight against the Irish Dead Rabbits led by Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film was based loosely on conflicts between American Nativists and Irish immigrants during time of the New York Draft Riots. Today, there is another potential fight brewing over an area called the New York Streets between a group with historical claims to the area and a growing immigrant community.

The New York Streets is bounded by Herald Street to the north, Albany Street to the east, East Berkeley Street to the south, and Shawmut Avenue to the west. The New York Streets moniker was given because before urban renewal the area’s streets were named after places in New York (ex. Albany Street). Historically, this area was created by the filling of the tidal flats on Washington Street and was originally a narrow neck that connected to Boston. In the late 20^th century, the area underwent substantial urban renewal as tenements and dilapidated structures were demolished and cleared for industrial and office uses between 1955 and 1957. The New York Streets is one of four planning areas identified by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) for future potential growth. The other three planning areas are: SOWA, Back Streets, and Institutional/Medical. Together these four planning areas formed the core of the Harrison-Albany Corridor Strategic Plan which stretches from Herald Street to Massachusetts Avenue.

Initially, a 27-member advisory committee was formed to help shape the study with 2 members representing Chinatown. The 27-members were appointed by the City and were selected from neighborhood groups, landowners, stakeholders, and institutions. The first introductory meeting was held on April 15^th 2009 in the 9^th floor of City Hall and nominations were requested to vote on who would serve as chair of the advisory group. At the second meeting of the advisory group held on May 6^th in the South End (all the meetings were open to the public), a public attendee with ties to Chinatown loudly objected to the process and that the New York Streets planning area should be removed from the Harrison-Albany Corridor study. The question became: what is it that makes the New York Streets so important?

View of the New York Streets area along Harrison Avenue and Washington Street.

Described as a “transitional area” by BRA staff members, the New York Streets straddles and connects two proud neighborhoods separated by history, culture, land use, and the I-90 Mass Turnpike. The area is dominated by large land parcels such as the Boston Herald and the former Teradyne building (1000 Washington Street), parking lots, and a mix of light industrial, commercial, and residential uses. To the north is Chinatown, a community that is still predominantly Chinese and immigrant. South of the Turnpike is the South End, a community that has changed dramatically the past 20 years particularly with the growth of SOWA. Both communities experienced disruptions and upheaval during urban renewal when construction of the highways and redevelopment displaced residents and demolished tenements. In Chinatown, many residents moved to nearby South End with some eventually settling in Castle Square, a 500-unit mixed-use housing development built as a result of urban renewal. The Berkeley Street Gardens, another legacy of urban renewal, was started by Chinese gardeners who planted on land left vacant due to urban renewal. The New York Streets area was also where the elevated Orange Line ran along Washington Street and connected Dover Station at the corner of Washington/East Berkeley St. to Essex Station in Chinatown. Today, the New York Streets offer many redevelopment potential but also comes with many challenges.

Zoned as part of the South End district, in 1987 during Mayor Raymond Flynn’s administration, the City established the Chinatown Neighborhood Council (CNC) and the council’s boundaries were extended into the New York Streets to East Berkeley, in recognition of the Chinese population in the area. However, the City did not change the zoning and the New York Streets is still zoned as part of the South End with claims by both the CNC and the Old Dover Neighborhood Association and the rapid growth of both communities has placed the New York Streets under a microscope.

Harrison-Albany Corridor Strategic Plan study area. By BRA/Stull & Lee

Five Out of Thirty
After the May 6^th public meeting, a private meeting was held between BRA staff and a Chinatown contingent. The Chinatown contingent laid their argument on why the New York Streets should be removed from the Harrison-Albany study: 1) the New York Streets is within the boundaries of the Chinatown Neighborhood Council, a body officially recognized by the BRA; 2) there is already a significant Chinatown presence such as the C-Mart supermarket, Ming’s Market, South Cove Manor Nursing Home, Waterford Place, Ho Kong Bean Sprouts, and Castle Square housing development. The contingent argued that most of the future developments in the Harrison-Albany Corridor study will be in the New York Streets area — Boston Herald was purchased by National Development, Graybar Electric has a new owner, the Holy Trinity Church is for sale, 275 Albany is proposed as a hotel, and there are several parking lots with potential for redevelopment – and if this was the case Chinatown should put forward a vision for the area especially as the community updates their master plan.

The BRA staff explained their process on how the advisory members were selected. One staff member took out a map of the Harrison-Albany study and said, “Here’s Chinatown, Old Dover, Rollins Square, Worcester Square, Washington Gateway Main Streets, etc… we selected 2 representatives from each of these groups. The rest were filled with South End business owners, stakeholders, and institutions and that’s how the 27 members were selected.” The BRA held their ground and said no, we can’t take New York Streets off the study but offered, “What if we added 3 more members from Chinatown to make the advisory into 30-members?” So, Chinatown ended up with 5 representative on what became a 30-member advisory group for the Harrison-Albany Corridor Strategic Plan.

Need for a Shared Vision
For the New York Streets to realize its full potential, both Chinatown and South End would need to work together but so far this is missing and the dialogue antagonistic. In a public meeting held in October 2009, some members from the South End questioned why the BRA allowed 3 additional members from Chinatown to be added after the nomination process was closed and claimed the New York Streets as part of their association’s boundaries. This set-off accusations and shouting where one Chinatown attendee said out loud, “Let’s battle this out now.” The attendee meant this figuratively. Other possible points of contention include renaming East Berkeley Street to Dover Street, the 275 Albany Street hotel proposed by Normandy Partners, and suggestions to install “Welcome to South End” signs on Herald Street. The BRA has put the Harrison-Albany advisory group on hold for now to work on the plan internally and there is an impact advisory group for the 275 Albany St. hotel with members from both Chinatown and South End. In the end, all parties would agree that the New York Streets holds just as much potential and challenges. However, to unlock potential, a shared vision is necessary that must include respect and mutual understanding of each groups needs and priorities. Otherwise, we may be trapped into watching a re-runs of the Bowery Boys vs. Dead Rabbits.

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April 15, 2010 by Adam.

On Saturday April 17th 1pm the Community Music Center of Boston will have a piano recital of western music.
However, instead of the audience sitting in chairs, I will lead them in various meditation and Chi Gung Excercises.
My chi gung background is White Crane that I learned from my Sifu Woo Ching. I studied and teach at that school which is on 90 Tyler Street.
Traditionally we use drums when we perform, but don’t practice with music. In fact my Sifu told me not to mix dance with Kung Fu, as they are two separate things.

So the event at the Community Music Center on 34 Warren Ave, will not be Kung Fu Ballet.
The excercises will all be quite simple and the people doing them will not be performing, they will in fact be the audience.
This event is about a different way of listening to music, combining diffenet senses and endorphins with the experience.

You would expect Chinese or more stereotypically meditation music to be played for this music, but again that is not what the event is about.
I wanted to take limits away from the concepts about what meditation and Chi Gung are about. The idea came from a concert that I went to that was a wine tasting, and from my own Chi Gung Practice, where sometimes I would play music (even though its better not too.) The music ranged from Holst’s “The Planets”, to “take Five” to Jimi Hendrix’s “Along the Watch Tower” and “Purple Haze”. For this concert, there is a lot of Chopin and only the pianbo is used. But I hope to open this up to more types of music in the future.
In many ways this event is an experiment for future concert events of its kind. It is my reinterpretation of what I have learned in this world of the European American Culture and the Chinese American Culture and everything else I have been exposed to. It is a mixed culture event the way I am a product of “mixed” culture, being Half Chinese and Half white, part of the multi-Cultural world village we are all part of on this earth.

This event is absolutely free. If you have time, come down and I would love to hear your feedback afterward either in person or through
an e-mail.

Again, the event is Saturday April 17th 1pm, at the Community Music Center of Boston on 34 Warren Ave. This is in the South End right near Chinatown.

-Adam Cheung

Posted in AROUND C-TOWN, CHINATOWN CALENDAR, LIFE AND STORIES OF ASIAN AMERICANS | Print | 1 Comment »