MGH Celebrates West End Neighborhood

MGH neighbor and West End staple, The West End Museum, is once again open to the public this summer after being closed for more than two years because of a burst pipe. The newly renovated and reimagined space formally reopened in May. The museum focuses on the rich and diverse neighborhood history, telling the stories of immigration, industry and urban redevelopment.

“MGH is proud to be part of the West End neighborhood,” says Nick Haney, public coordination and initiatives director, MGH Office of Planning and Construction, and The West End Museum board member. “We are deeply committed to elevating the area as well as preserving its character, and as such we substantially invest in the neighborhood, including The West End Museum.”

One of these recent investments was a $1 million endowment to the museum, plus $250,000 per year in operating support for the next ten years, as well as a few physical pieces of history. During the ongoing construction of the Phillip and Susan Ragon Building on Cambridge Street, MGH preserved flooring, thousands of bricks and a large chalkboard from the former Winchell School — later and more recently known as Ruth Sleeper Hall — and donated to the museum. The bricks are now a wall in the museum, with the flooring and chalkboard also on display.

“We are giving pieces of history to The West End Museum, but we are also bringing some history to the new Ragon Building,” Haney says. “We also saved 20,000 bricks from the Winchell School and will install them into the new building’s façade, to reflect the history of the West End community.”

Mass General is also funding and creating a West End Neighborhood Center and food bank at 75 Blossom Street, which is expected to open in early 2025.

“Paying homage to the West End is important to us,” says Haney. “It is a vibrant community, past, present, future.”

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Celebrating 60 Years: Another MGH neighbor and West End staple Regina Cleri celebrated its 60th anniversary in June. The residence is home to senior priests for the Archdiocese of Boston. The idea for this space was championed by Cardinal Richard J. Cushing who wanted a place for priests when they reach retirement age. The home allows them to continue their vocations in the company of fellow priests and be cared for as they age.