Officials celebrate facelift at South Boston’s Old Colony development
It was a sunny day on a spot that has seen its share of darkness.
[fragment number=0]The Old Colony Housing Development, one of the icons of the old South Boston, is undergoing a dramatic facelift, and officials today celebrated the completion of the first phase of the redevelopment — which includes a large new apartment building, a new learning center, and three-story townhouse homes that Boston City Councilor Billy Linehan said “look like they should be in a seaside resort.’’
Old Colony has long been celebrated for its village-like atmosphere and large families, while simultaneously maligned for a shadowy underbelly of crime and substance abuse. The liquor store that was the alleged headquarters for Whitey Bulger’s organized crime ring is just across the street.
The celebration, attended by Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino, and various local officials, drew a huge crowd from the neighborhood on a first day of spring that felt like the first day of summer.
Boston Housing Authority Administrator William McGonagle, who grew up in the Mary Ellen McCormack housing development just across the street, said the new designs were part of an effort to get away from the “projects’’ feel of many housing developments.
“We eliminated as many common hallways as we could because they create security problems,’’ McGonagle said. “And most people have their own front door, their own back door, and a strip of grass in the front and back that they can take ownership of. And we find that makes a world of difference.’’
The ceremony also honored the late Boston City Councilor Joseph Tierney, who grew up in the development and for whom the learning center was named. Menino, in a speech, called Tierney his mentor when he first entered government. Tierney’s family, including his daughter, actress Maura Tierney, who is known for her roles on the television shows “E.R.’’ and “NewsRadio,’’ attended the ceremony.
Bob Juliano, a longtime resident of the development who has already moved into one of the townhouses, said the transformation is incredible.
“That’s the ‘before,’’’ Juliano said, pointing to the low squat “bricks’’ that are slated to be demolished and rebuilt as part of the project’s second phase. “Then the ‘after’ is a total flip-side. It’s the same people, the same faces, but it’s just so, so different,’’ he said, pointing to the newly manicured lawn in front of the learning center. “You feel like you’re in the country.’’
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