Jamaica Plain

Jamaica Plain, commonly known as "JP," is a historic neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It was originally part of Roxbury, Massachusetts, and then part of the town of West Roxbury, Massachusetts when that was established in 1848. West Roxbury (including Jamaica Plain) was annexed to Boston in 1874. According to an official city estimate, it had a population of 38,196 in October, 2003.

History

"Jamaica" may be an Anglicization of the name Kuchamakin, sachem (chief) of the Massachusett tribe.

Jamaica Plain was settled by the Curtis family, circa 1640. A number of the still-extant streets date to this era, including Centre Street, Day Street, and Perkins Street. Jamaica Pond is a spring-fed kettle pond and at one time was a major source of water and ice.

By the 1850s Jamaica Plain included massive summer "cottages" near Jamaica Pond belonging to Boston's oldest families, middle-class single-family homes, and immigrant worker "triple decker" housing. In the 1880s, philanthropist Robert Treat Paine (1810-1905) pioneered affordable housing concepts for lower- and middle-class workers with his Workingmen's Building Association and a 114-house development between Round Hill and Sunnyside streets. JP was the home of almost a dozen breweries which relied on the relatively pure water of Stony Brook. By 1896, the Thomas G. Plant Shoe Factory at Centre Street and Bickford Street proclaimed itself to be the largest women's shoe factory in the world.

Streetcars played a significant role in the neighborhood's growth by providing access to downtown along Centre Street and Columbus Avenue (then Pynchon Street) via Roxbury Crossing.

File:VictorianHouseJamaicaPlain20040313.jpg

A Victorian-era house in Jamaica Plain

By the end of the 19th century, the annexation by Boston had provided municipal services to the neighborhood, and it began to experience a rapid growth in population. This was fostered by the creation of Forest Hills Cemetery, the Arnold Arboretum, Franklin Park and the Emerald Necklace -- a series of parks and parkways designed by Frederick Law Olmsted on the western and southern sides of Jamaica Plain.

During the 20th century Jamaica Plain transformed from a streetcar suburb to a more urban neighborhood, with a heavily Irish-American population. Prohibition brought an end to the breweries and the Depression launched a significant public housing development effort on Heath Street and later at Bromley Park, eventually creating over 1,000 government-subsidized housing units for the poor.

Urban Renewal

Significant portions of the neighborhood adjacent to the Boston & Providence Railroad were demolished in the 1960s, in preparation for bringing I-95 through the city. Many poor families were displaced and left homeless and sick. Eventually, public opposition shut the project down, and the areas demolished for the interstate right-of-way were rebuilt as the Southwest Corridor linear park. The MBTA Orange Line reopened through this corridor in 1987, replacing an elevated train along Washington Street.

Steeple of Blessed Sacrament Church towers above Hyde Square

In the 1970s JP was better known for its arson and petty crime than for its parks, but had become a more diverse and aging community. A dramatic fire in 1976 destroyed the Plant Shoe Factory and its adjacent park, creating a crater of rubble that remained for nearly two decades.

The 1990s brought significant redevelopment to JP. Residents began to take back the parks, and Jamaica Pond became a rallying point with the Jamaica Pond Project's restoration efforts. Nonprofit housing groups bought up rundown houses and vacant lots to create low-income rental units. The Plant Shoe Factory site was redeveloped as JP Plaza, a strip mall, and later a supermarket and a new facility for the Martha Eliot Health Center completed the site's redevelopment. Boston Main Streets districts sprouted in three corners of the neighborhood (Hyde/Jackson Square, Egleston Square, and Centre/South), bringing city funds and tools of neighborhood revitalization to local business owners.

Present day

By the turn of the century, the neighborhood was experiencing rapid gentrification during a citywide real estate boom, and had attracted a large community of political activists, artists, and young families– while also experiencing a loss in low- to moderate-income housing.

Modern JP is diverse: a melting pot of races, ethnicities, and family types. The area has become home to blacks, latinos, and members of several Asian populations, as well as several families of various European descent, and a growing gay and lesbian presence. Hyde and Jackson Squares have significant Spanish-speaking populations from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. JP is a popular area among Boston lesbians, including older couples, and increasingly attracts young gay men and women. This blend of multiple cultures is reflected in local businesses, such as the many eating and drinking establishments which line Centre Street.

Although some see Jamaica Plain as relatively isolated from the rest of the Boston metro area, the Green Line "E" Branch at Heath Street, the Orange Line, and the #39 bus (one of only two buses whose fare is covered by the purchase of a monthly subway pass) provide easy access to Back Bay, the South End, and Downtown; as well as the Amtrak trains and most southbound commuter rails. Low rents and a funky, populist feel have helped popularize the area with post-GenX youth, artist, professionals, and students.

A hot real estate market has driven conversion of older buildings into condominiums, particularly in historic areas such as Hyde Square, Pondside, and Sumner Hill. Some believe this has sped up gentrification, to the dismay of renters and long-time residents. A large number of formerly vacant sites are being now being converted to residential use, among them the ABC Brewery, the Gormley Funeral Home, the Eblena Brewery, 319 Centre Street, Jackson Square, JP Cohousing, Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Way, and 80 Bickford Street.

JP is also home to The Footlight Club, which is the United States oldest, continuously running community theatre since 1877. The Footlight Club resides in Eliot Hall, on Eliot street, just off of Centre street.

Notable Natives

• Emily Greene Balch, co-winner of the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize (130 Prince Street)
• James Michael Curley, four-term mayor of Boston, later governor of Massachusetts (350 Jamaicaway)
• James Dole, founder of Hawaiian Pineapple Company which became Dole Food Company (14 Roanoke Avenue)
• Sylvia Plath, poet (birthplace at 24 Prince Street)
• Ellen Swallow Richards, first woman admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (and other notable accomplishments) (32 Eliot Street)
• Joey McIntyre, former member of boy band New Kids on the Block, grew up in JP and performed in community theater at The Footlight Club

Transportation

JP is served by the MBTA's bus and rail services. Major roads are Centre Street, the Jamaicaway (formerly US 1), the Arborway (MA 203), Washington Street, and Columbus Avenue (MA 28).

Bicycle Paths

Two major bicycle paths serve JP. Along the Southwest Corridor Park is the Pierre Lallement Bicycle Path, which runs from Forest Hills to Back Bay. To the west are the Emerald Necklace bicycle paths, which run through the parks along the Jamaicaway and Riverway. Jamaica Plain is home to the only bike lane in a Boston street, along one block of Perkins Street at Jamaica Pond.

Subway

The Green Line "E" Train terminates at Heath Street in Mission Hill. This line used to continue along South Huntington Avenue, Centre Street, and South Street to its terminus at the Arborway Yard across from Forest Hills Station. Service beyond Heath Street was suspended by the MBTA in 1985.

The Orange Line runs through the middle of JP with stops at Jackson Square, Stony Brook, Green Street, and Forest Hills. The Orange Line carries as many passengers as the #39 bus, on which ridership is steadily declining.

Forest Hills Station is a major transportation hub and is walking distance to the Arnold Arboretum and Forest Hills Cemetery.

Green Line controversy

Proposed restoration of the "E" Train extension to Forest Hills (part of the promised environmental mitigation measures relating to the Big Dig) has caused considerable tension in the area. Some residents and commuters are eager to embrace what is seen as a reconnection with the rest of the city, while many others cite the #39 Bus along the old route and the Orange Line just a few blocks away as easy travel solutions. Opposition is mainly based on this availability of transport, and fears that restoration of the trolley service would eliminate on-street parking and create traffic snares in an area already plagued by a shortage of the former and abundance of the latter. Advocates on both sides of the issue, including the Arborway Committee and Better Transit Without Trolleys, present compelling arguments for improved service while the MBTA has not yet committed to a permanent transit solution.

Commuter Rail

The Needham Line of the Commuter Rail stops at Forest Hills Station, and many other lines are easily accessible by riding the Orange Line subway train to Ruggles and Back Bay.

Buses

The #39 Bus (Back Bay to Forest Hills) is a replacement service for the "temporarily" suspended Green Line streetcar from Heath Street to Forest Hills. It, along with the #1 bus, is one of only two MBTA bus routes that the subway-only monthly pass may be used for the fare. All other bus routes require a separate bus pass or a combination subway & bus pass.

The #41 bus carries passengers from JP Center to Dudley Square.

The #48 bus runs a loop around the neighborhood, tying together the Washington and Centre Street corridors.

Green Line - Heath Street

• 14 Roslindale Sq.-Heath St. Sta.
• 39 Forest Hills Sta.-Back Bay Sta.

Orange Line - Jackson Square

• 22 Ashmont Sta.-Ruggles Sta. via Talbot Ave.
• 29 Mattapan Sta.-Jackson Sq. Sta. via Seaver St.
• 41 Centre & Eliot Streets-JFK/UMASS Sta.
• 44 Jackson Sq. Sta.-Ruggles Sta. via Seaver St.
• 48 Jamaica Plain Loop Monument-Jackson Sq. Sta.
• 66 Harvard Sq.-Dudley Sta. via Harvard St.

Orange Line - Stony Brook

• 48 Jamaica Plain Loop Monument-Jackson Sq. Sta.

Orange Line - Green Street

• 48 Jamaica Plain Loop Monument-Jackson Sq. Sta.

Orange Line - Forest Hills

• 16 Forest Hills Sta.-Andrew Station or JFK/UMASS Sta.
• 21 Ashmont Sta.-Forest Hills Sta.
• 31 Mattapan Sta.-Forest Hills Sta. via Morton St.
• 32 Wolcott Sq. or Cleary Square-Forest Hills Sta.
• 34/34E Walpole Center or Dedham Line-Forest Hills Sta. via Washington St.
• 35 Dedham Mall/Stimson St.-Forest Hills Sta.
• 36 Charles River Loop or V.A. Hospital-Forest Hills Sta. via Belgrade Ave.
• 37 Baker and Vermont Sts.-Forest Hills Sta.
• 38 Wren St.-Forest Hills Sta.
• 39 Forest Hills Sta.-Back Bay Sta.
• 40 Georgetowne-Forest Hills Sta.
• 42 Forest Hills Sta.-Ruggles Sta. via Washington St.
• 50 Cleary Sq.-Forest Hills Sta.
• 51 Reservoir (Cleveland Circle)-Forest Hills Sta.

Cars and parking

Shared car service Zipcar once had a number of cars stationed throughout the neighborhood. In January 2006, the number of shared cars was sharply reduced to five (four at a former Citgo station on Centre Street and one at Forest Hills). Municipal parking lots are located off Centre Street at Burroughs Street in JP Center, across from the Mary Curley School on Centre Street at Spring Park Ave., and across from Blessed Sacrament Church in Hyde Square. There are no parking meters in JP; on-street parking is free. Many streets near the MBTA Orange Line stations are posted "resident permit only" during working hours (8 AM to 6 PM). This is intended to discourage commuters from using residential streets as parking lots during the day.

External links

• Jamaica Plain Gazette -- Free neighborhood newspaper
• JamaicaPlain.com -- neighborhood information and links
• Jamaica Plain Historical Society -- Jamaica Plain Historical Society
  • Sumner Hill -- Sumner Hill Historic District
• Historic Hyde Square -- Historic Hyde Square
  • Gas Lamps of Jamaica Plain -- photos of gas street lights
• Franklin Park Coalition -- Franklin Park Coalition
• Arborway Committee -- Arborway Committee, Advocates for light rail
• Southwest Corridor Park

Further reading

• Local Attachments : The Making of an American Urban Neighborhood, 1850 to 1920 (Creating the North American Landscape), by Alexander von Hoffman, The John Hopkins University Press (1996), ISBN 0801853931.
• A Home in the Heart of a City: A Woman's Search for Community (Hardcover), by Kathleen Hirsch, North Point Pr (1998), ISBN 0374280797.