photographs from the South End

We began our tour with Luis Aponte-Pares at Villa Victoria. Luis is speaking in front of a mural created in the neighborhood.

Villa Victoria is the heart of Puerto Rican culture in Boston, plainly exhibited in a walk through the neighborhood. The front of this home has two Puerto Rican flags outside.

Villa Victorian is a well maintained neighborhood that incorporates the architectural styles of Puerto Rico.

In contrast to the homes of Villa Victoria is the lifeless public housing building across that street.

The Tent City housing is the site of the tent city protests for affordable housing in 1968. At the time the site was a parking lot.

The view from Tent City is of the Hancock and Back Bay Station, a hub of commuting and business.

We came across the South End Technology Center @ Tent City, where we got a tour of their computer lab, Fab Lab, and computer repair workshop.

Susan, of the South End Technology Center, shows us their Fab Lab where neighborhood youth learn to use design software and create what they design. In the foreground are 3D printers and router for shaping lumber is in the background.

We ended our tour at the United Settlements of the South End, a unification of the settlement houses that had been working in the South End.