A redevelopment sell is threatening the tear down of the historic Harriet Tubman House located at the South End of Boston. Boutique real estate and housing development firm New Boston Ventures is in the process of buying the land that the house sits on in order to build condos.
The United South End Settlements owns the Harriet Tubman House and says the redevelopment plan will bring more jobs to the community. However, some members of the community argue that the sale will further gentrification in Boston.
The Harriet Tubman House is an important stable and landmark in the community. Julia O. Henson, a close friend of Harriet Tubman, used the house as a safe place for black people that migrated from the South. The house was used as a way to combat discrimination and prejudice targeting black people as they moved into new communities.
Today, more than 80 percent of the families that benefit from the house are people of color. Early education and job training programs that are offered at the house help over 70 percent of this population.
Residents of the South End are upset that the building will be torn down if the redevelopment sale is finalized.
“You don’t get to tell me, ‘Oh, we’ll build another building,’” Arnesse Brown, Tenants Development Corp. representative, told the Boston Herald. “You can’t tell me what to do with my memories. Black people’s memories shouldn’t just be relegated to a plaque somewhere.”
On the United South End Settlements website, the organization states that they are at a crossroads in which they only have two options, “Sell our location at 566 Columbus Avenue and preserve our legacy of service, or keep it and continue with a business model that will eventually put United South End Settlement out of business.”
The organization, which was established over 127 years ago, has been plagued by leadership changes, difficulty obtaining non-profit funding and high building maintenance costs.
“We’ve gotten to a place where we have to make some difficult decisions and changes,” President of the United South End Settlements Maicharia Weir Lytle said. “We need to sell this building so USES can continue to serve children and families.”
Pending the sale, the organization will move to a new location at 48 Rutland Street in the South End of Boston.
Founded in 1986, New Boston Ventures is a real estate developer with 50 housing developments under its belt. Based in Massachusetts, the boutique firm is responsible for developing several condominium style residences in the South End.
