| A
lifetime of memories
Many of the
North End's older Italian residents, like Francis Tomosino and Anthony
Magaletta, now live in subsidized retirement housing such as Casa
Maria on Endicott Street. It's more affordable, and unlike other
apartments in the North End, Casa Maria is equipped with ramps and
elevators that make it easier for the older residents to get around.
Not that it
was easy for residents here, many of whom lived in the community
40 to 60 years before moving, to give up their longtime homes. But
with rents always rising they needed affordable housing. So they
opted to stay in the community rather than leaving to live with
a relative in the suburbs or moving to a retirement home elsewhere.
|
"It
was a great time to live here" |
|
Anthony
Magaletta, resident |
|
Tomosino said
she likes the kitchen in her apartment. "And at least I have
hot water," she says. "When I was a little girl there
were cold water flats in this neighborhood."
Tomosino, 85,
grew up on Salem Street and has seen many changes to the old neighborhood.
"There
used to be a lot of Jewish stores when I was a little girl. They
are all gone now and replaced with too many restaurants," she
said. "Plus, everyone who lived here used to be Italian; it
is not that way anymore." [hear Tomosino's voice: clip
1, clip
2]
Magaletta remembers
playing stickball at the end of Endicott Street. "There used
to be a lot more kids around when I was a boy and everybody was
Italian," he said. Magaletta loved playing out in the street
and remembers fondly how this neighborhood was a great place to
raise a family. "It was a very close neighborhood; you knew
everyone."
| "There
is so much to worry about now" |
|
Francis
Tomosino,
resident |
|
Magaletta remembers
shop owners sitting outside on a warm summer day shelling peanuts.
"It was a great time to live here," he said. [hear
Magaletta's voice]
Tomosino and
Magaletta are happy at Casa Maria, and glad to still be a part of
the North End community today. Tomosino is shocked to hear the prices
the new breed of North Enders are paying for housing.
She remembers
a time when rent was $40 a month, and that included heating. "I
feel sorry for this generation," said Tomosino. "We didn't
have to pay for so many things. There is so much to worry about
now."
EMILY
BERG
|
