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Beyond that my friend from DC referred to some of the housing in Roxbury and Dorchester as "shacks" that looked "unsafe"(area near Dearborn School) Another friend of mine from Nashville said, "why is everything here covered in a layer of dust and rust? (generally)" One friend from Springfield Virginia said she "hated Bostons ugly architecture" (referring to residential areas).
A lot of Boston homes arent renovated and modernized
A lot of them aren’t and a lot of them are. And it’s virtually impossible to tell from the outside.
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What passes for nice to us MA natives is considered pretty ugly/low quality in some other places due to age/wear.
It’ll be interesting to see how the new construction in places like Charlotte looks after 50-60 years. I’m assuming it will hold up better than older houses in the Boston areas due to newer construction materials and techniques. But only time will tell.
A lot of them aren’t and a lot of them are. And it’s virtually impossible to tell from the outside.
It’ll be interesting to see how the new construction in places like Charlotte looks after 50-60 years. I’m assuming it will hold up better than older houses in the Boston areas due to newer construction materials and techniques. But only time will tell.
It should be noted the woman from Springfield Virginia now lives in the city of Boston. Moved here in late in HS.
I think it won’t hold up as well, newer construction doesn’t seem as intentional and “serious” as some of the stuff in the 1920s and before.
I do wonder how long old Boston wooden homes can last- say 60 years from now:
I do wonder how long old Boston wooden homes can last- say 60 years from now:
I dunno. As much as I might like to see them replaced, there are a lot of wood houses in the city and metro area (like Paul Revere’s house in the North End) that have lasted since the 1600s. I don’t necessarily think that large swaths of Dorchester are actually ready to topple over at a strong gust of wind like in 3 little pigs.
I do not think this is true. Its that house and one in Dedham but not "many" from the 1600s.
I don't think many buildings in Boston or the metro go back before 1830.
This isn’t unique to Boston. Most people vastly overestimate how old cities are. Even London is something like 75% post-Edwardian (1910-present). Most every major city is almost entirely ~1870-1920 in “old” neighborhoods” with older landmark buildings. Because cities grow and change and historical preservation in terms of residential vernacular is a pretty new (post war) concept
I’m pretty certain Marblehead has more colonial architecture (over 200 homes) than Boston proper for example even then I think that’s mostly the late colonial period. Salem only has like 6 or so houses from the 1600’s.
Myhe biggest limit by far on the amount of colonial architecture is like Malden has about as many people as Massachusetts had in 1770
Last edited by btownboss4; 02-07-2022 at 05:41 PM..
I do wonder how long old Boston wooden homes can last- say 60 years from now:
Wooden dwellings can last centuries. House around the block from me was built in 1702. Looking mighty fine. Lots of homes on my street are 130+ years old. These are not mansions. They were all working-to-middle class homes until only the most very recent years. All but one are wood construction; one is wood framed but partly refaced in brick in the last 50 years. Old, fine-grained cedar clapboards can last generations if maintained.
The best way to understand pre-WW1 wooden house construction locally is that, in its origins, it's best likened to an upside down ship. These kinds of houses could be moved off their foundations, and some were. (The most famous examples may be the houses in Provincetown that were floated on barges across the harbor from the former hamlet in Long Point; the houses are denoted by blue and white Portuguese-style tiles showing a house on a barge.)
I don’t think having most homes post 1830 is unique to Boston. I’d be shocked if that weren’t the case save for some older European (maybe Asian?) villages or the Middle East.
As someone who is moving from Charlotte to Boston, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have! We have lived in Charlotte since 2010 and feel we have a pretty good view of the city and how it is expanding.
To answer your questions OP - it would help if I knew your age and what your living situation would potentially be like - Family? Young professional?
Among these two Metro areas which provides better opportunities in the Financial sector and which offers better quality of life??
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