Set to open this summer (2023), View Boston is a new three-story observation deck at the top of the Prudential Tower. The venue will feature dining options, an open-air roof deck, and an immersive theater showcasing some of Boston’s most iconic locations—including your favorite secondhand book shop. We’re honored to be included, and to play our small part in the unique and character-rich life of this historic city, especially in a time of increasing cultural homogenization across the US. Listen to learn about our other favorite local spots on an elevated new #brattlecast.
Brattlecast #78 - The Brattle and the City
A radio interview with Lizabeth Cohen, author of the new book, Saving America’s Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America in the Suburban Age, reminds Ken of the Brattle’s own struggle with urban renewal. Logue was head of the Boston Redevelopment Agency when, in the 1960’s, the city demolished most of Scollay Square, a vibrant but increasingly seedy entertainment district - and original home of the Brattle Book Shop. Most of the area was replaced with the I.M. Pei designed Government Center, a monumental plaza of modernist buildings which many consider cold and alienating. Although Ken’s father, George Gloss, together with the Boston Athenaeum, raised enough of an outcry to save a few historic buildings from the wrecking ball, the Brattle itself was displaced. It would be the first of seven moves for the plucky book shop, one of which was occasioned by a catastrophic fire, but the Brattle endured, with a great deal of personality and help from the community; eventually landing in the West Street location where it thrives today.