Scollay Square is a pictorial history of the infamous Boston entertainment district that was wiped away by urban renewal in the 1960s. Now Government Center, this twenty-two-acre area was once an entertainment hub where entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians, performers, and even con artists worked side by side. Inside are dozens of never-before-published photographs of the Old Howard and Ann Corio, the Crawford House and Sally Keith, Joe and Nemo, and the Casino Theater, along with the many characters and landmarks that made this area a favorite of high-school truants, businessmen, and sailors on leave.

A look at the notorious place that was demolished in 1961 to clear the way for the Government Center urban renewal project.

Scollay Square in Boston was a favored entertainment district that disappeared in the 1960s. Read of the characters and landmarks that made this are a huge draw. Scollay Square is a pictorial history of the infamous Boston entertainment district that was wiped away by urban renewal in the 1960s. Now Government Center, this twenty-two-acre area was once an entertainment hub where entrepreneurs, scientists, politicians, performers, and even con artists worked side by side. Inside are dozens of never-before-published photographs of the Old Howard and Ann Corio, the Crawford House and Sally Keith, Joe and Nemo, and the Casino Theater, along with the many characters and landmarks that made this area a favorite of high-school truants, businessmen, and sailors on leave.

"Here is one of the great stories in American urban history told by a great historian. In 1949, Boston was 'a hopeless backwater' . . . by 1970, a 'New Boston' had been created . . . Thomas O'Connor, the dean of Boston historians, brings to this tale of transformation rich learning, intimate familiarity with his subject, and a lucid sometimes witty pen." -- Jack Beatty, Senior Editor, Atlantic Monthly

The Other Red Line is literally the connecting point between Scollay Square and the Combat Zone, the two preeminent adult entertainment districts in Boston. With burlesque houses such as the Old Howard and the Crawford House, movie palaces began to open, showing silent films accompanied by a pianist, news reels and comedy acts. The New Palace Theatre, the Star Theatre, the Theatre Comique and the Scollay Square Olympia offered vaudeville as well as silent films, which were a novelty at the time. With so many people seeking entertainment in Scollay Square, restaurants, bars and sandwich shops offered an entertaining evening out, and it became a destination. Burlesque was King, and the anointed Queens of Burlesque danced at both the Crawford House and the Old Howard, as well as smaller clubs, which were renowned not just in Boston, but incredibly even around the world, and had well-known performers who were beloved by their audience. However, so too was the Combat Zone, a vibrant area that beckoned Bostonians and service men for lurid entertainment. As Scollay Square's allure waned in the late 1950s, that of the Combat Zone took on a new shine in the 1960s, albeit a tawdry and garish shine that tried to emulate the other, but quickly devolved into a seedy, gritty place that offered vulgar and graphic entertainment. With bars, strip clubs and theaters beginning to show adult X-rated movies, the area increasingly became a place that one either went out of his way to avoid or found so alluring that the inevitability of joining in the irreverent fun of it quickly overcame one's reservations. The Other Red Line is a fascinating glimpse into the adult entertainment districts of twentieth-century Boston.

Rare vintage views document oldest major American city: Boston Common, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall, Scollay Square, Bunker Hill, many more. Informative introduction, detailed captions. Maps.