4. Allegro

Thunderstorm

The post-war period was a very successful and expansive time for the middle class in North America, but at the same time, was a devastating period for the preservation of the historical city. The so-called "American way of life," (in opposition to "European way of life") did not include the enjoyment of urban life. This fact was rather destructive, especially in the case of Boston, with its strong European background of small-scale neighborhoods. The mass scale transportation projects during the fifties also affected radically the way the center of the city was used. The population started to move to the suburbs and the old neighborhoods fighted to survive.

This period was a time of depression for the Fenway, at that time the area lost most of its vitality and several urban renewal projects pretended to change the character of the neighborhood. In the sixty's the Boston Redevelopment Authority, together with private developers, announced its urban renewal project for the East Fenway, along Huntington and Massachusetts Avenue. Fortunately the West Fenway was preserved, perhaps because of its protected condition, being shielded by a park.