First, watch this video from The Boston Globe.
Then read Andrew Ryan’s story about the station.
Do we really need to say anything else here?
Well, we will.
This is ridiculous. The City of Boston, The Hub, the birthplace of the American Revolution — a place that prides itself so much on history, should forget the need to save every nickel and dime in this economy for one second and take a bold step toward preservation within the city limits.
The East Boston immigration station should be declared a historic landmark. It should be preserved. The city (and the federal government) should restore it and re-open it as a museum.
With all this talk floating around the city about the future of East Boston, the rebirth of East Boston, the safety of East Boston, what could be better for Boston and East Boston than to create our own touristy version of Ellis Island?
It is unfathomable that this city would not do everything in its collective power to step in and work on the side of history. The social and economic benefit of having this waterfront location modernized is unmeasurable. But if we must quantify it: restaurants, stores, gift shops, tourist dollars, and safer homes all add up simply to good things for the city and for the East Boston neighborhood.
Preach it! As an Eastie resident, I couldn’t agree more. What a treasure we have here. One fact that was left out of the story was that 1 in 6 Americans had a relative of theirs come through the East Boston immigration building. Amazing!
Let’s make some noise, and maybe they’ll listen.