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Boston Globe
2 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Portuguese library in New Bedford lives to see another day
Advertisement But on Tuesday the Mayor's office The library has a deep history in the community. Founded in 1971 out of a store front, 'It was a very unique thing for the community to have a municipally funded library dedicated to a particular community, a language speaking community,' Melo said. 'And this was a cornerstone of the community, it was a gathering place.' Advertisement The library's collection, now half in Portuguese and the other half in English, has grown to 24,000 volumes from the few thousands it started with. It also hosts archives of Portuguese cultural and historical life in the city, Melo said. Books on shelves at Casa da Saudade Library in New Bedford. The library has been serving the Portuguese-speaking community in the city since the 1970s. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Melo's connection to the library goes way back to when she was a new immigrant in New Bedford. It was at Casa da Saudade that she fell in love with literature. 'I started to visit the library because we were not a family with money to purchase books,' she said. She discovered she could borrow and read as many books as she wanted — in Portuguese at first and eventually in English. The library became so important to her that she went to work there. 'My first job was here as a substitute library assistant,' Melo, who is turning 60 this year, said. 'Here I am, almost 40 years later, as the library director. Because this place showed me the magic of libraries and what it means.' Melo said that part of the challenge the library has faced in recent years is that locals are not using it like they used to in the past. 'It still means a lot to a lot of people and it is still being used. But not to the extent that we're seeing with the other branches,' she said. Going forward, the library will open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and close on Mondays. It was already not available on Fridays. It will also go back to its original mission of focusing on Portuguese content and act as a research center for Portuguese-American life in New Bedford. Advertisement '[To] make sure that our new generation understands the value of the collection that's there,' Melo said. For some, public libraries serve a special role for communities. Sara Slymon, president of the Massachusetts Library Association and the Executive Director of The Thomas Crane Public Library in Quincy, said libraries should not be valued in the same way that a society does a corporation. 'We're not meant to generate revenue. . . . We are a free service to provide lifelong learning and literacy opportunities for every person in our Commonwealth equally,' she said. 'You can never go wrong funding a public library, whether it is the heaviest use public library or the lightest use public library in the state.' Casa da Saudade operates like any other public library across the US. The only difference is things tend to have a Portuguese flavor to them there. An American flag flies alongside a Portuguese flag outside Casa da Saudade Library in New Bedford. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff In front of the building an American flag flies alongside its Portuguese counterpart. Inside, on a shelf next to Portuguese cook books, sits a crochet of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo in his Portuguese team's red and green jersey knitted by a member of the crochet club that meets at the library on Tuesday afternoons. Also on the shelves, visitors can find Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs, Michelle Obama's autobiography 'Becoming' and the African writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novels — all available in Portuguese. There were books in English too but a lot of visitors come to Casa da Saudade for the Portuguese collection. Antonieta Lucas, 81, is Portuguese and has been coming to Casa da Saudade since it was out of a store front nearby. She likes the library because she can get books in Portuguese for herself and some to read to her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Advertisement She was shocked to learn that it might close. 'Stupid idea. It's a long time, this is open,' she said on a recent afternoon. Melo said that the reaction of the impending closure of Casa da Saudade showed that the community valued the library and its place in the city. 'That was definitely a driving force that led to the conversations of how can we do this,' she said. Melo said that she will have to reduce some hours from other branches in the system to help keep Casa da Saudade open. New Bedford has one main library and four other branches. But she was glad that the library will stay open. 'We are so lucky that we have this institution. It is unique in the United States for being a publicly funded library with an initial mission to serve a specific community,' she said. 'We have to support it and we're going to develop it with a collection that will continue to make it unique.' Omar Mohammed can be reached at
Boston Globe
13-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
For sale: the only house left in downtown Boston that was built in the run-up to the American Revolution
'The interior detail that's survived, you can't replicate it,' said Dave Killen, a commercial real estate broker for LandVest who is selling the property for the owners, the Swartz family. Some of the original ceiling beams in the Ebenezer Hancock House on Marshall Street. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff The law firm of Swartz & Swartz bought the Hancock House after 'it was left vacant following a serious car accident in the 1970s, which nearly destroyed the storefront at the corner of the building,' according to the book 'Boston's Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them,' by Joseph M. Bagley, a city archeologist. The house is the 27th oldest building of any kind in Boston, according to Bagley. Advertisement Given the inevitable vertical build-out of downtown, which is more and more being defined by urban canyons of steel and glass, the property and the surrounding historic 'We're looking for an owner occupant that loves the building and loves the history and is enthusiastic about being the steward of a landmark site like this,' said Killen during a recent walk-through of the 5,700-square-foot structure. 'And the highest and best use for that owner occupant is likely to be some version of mixed use.' Advertisement That could mean retail and office, but the sellers also think the third floor could be converted into a residence, he said. The brokers selling the property declined to detail the asking price; Boston has the property assessed at $1.6 million. It's been on the market for about nine months, and Killen said he could not speak to why Swartz & Swartz is now selling the building. According to Bagley's book, John Hancock, a founding father who would become most famous for his eye-catching signature on the Declaration of Independence, inherited a parcel of land on Marshall Street from his uncle in 1763. Four years later, he bought more land nearby. He built a home that would be occupied by his brother, Ebenezer, who once was derided by one writer as a The house, a three-story home featuring Flemish bond brickwork, would serve as the Continental Army paymaster's headquarters during the Revolution. Ebenezer Hancock was a deputy paymaster general of the army, a gig he may have secured because of his brother's influence in the Continental Congress. (John Hancock served as the president of the Continental Congress and governor of Massachusetts during his lifetime.) The Ebenezer Hancock House at 10 Marshall St. is one of the oldest buildings in Boston. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff According to one city document, the house was an important military rendezvous during the Revolution, the place where money was disbursed to troops fighting for independence. 'A loan of 2 million silver crowns from Louis XVI of France for the financing of the Army, negotiated in Paris by Benjamin Franklin, is reported to have been stored in the house in 1778,' the Boston Landmarks Commission said in 1977. Advertisement 'It must have been a pretty busy street,' said Peter Drummey, chief historian with the Massachusetts Historical Society, recently outside the house. It remains a bustling thoroughfare in modern Boston. Just off the Freedom Trail, it's close to other major historic tourism attractions including Faneuil Hall and the Union Oyster House. John Hancock sold the home to a merchant in 1785; it remains the last home still standing associated with him in Boston. After Hancock's home on Beacon Hill was razed to make way for new development in the 19th century, some locals were furious that such a historic property could be destroyed, said Drummey. Local preservationists did not want the same fate for 10 Marshall St. Exterior of the Hancock House on Marshall Street in 1961. Built by John Hancock, the house was occupied by his younger brother, Ebenezer, deputy paymaster general of the Continental Army. From 1798 to 1963, the first floor of the building was occupied by a shoe store. Joe Runci/Globe Staff A shoe dealer occupied the first floor in 1798, and the shoe business would have a presence there until the 1960s. The building also hosted a glass and ceramic store, restaurant, tavern, boarding house, officers club, and privately operated museum, according to the city report. The building is designated as a Boston landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it stands within the Blackstone Block Overlay District. Under such historic preservation designations, the exterior and certain interior details must be preserved in their original architectural detail, said Killen. That means no vertical development, he said, and any renovations require Landmarks Commission and Boston Office of Historic Preservation input. The East India Trading Company, inside the Hancock House in 1973. Joe Dennehy/Globe Staff Killen said the original building was L-shaped and that after an addition, more than half of the structure today constitutes the original house, which during Colonial times would have had large barn doors to accommodate freight brought in on carriages. Advertisement Inside, Killen gestured toward beams thought to be from the original construction, their surfaces scored by tools that Colonial era builders would have used. He pointed out the beveling of a window casing, which he said was designed to maximize light in a time before electricity. In another room, there is an enormous hearth with an antique mantel piece and beehive oven. The original hearth in the Ebenezer Hancock House. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff 'The house has one of the best preserved early interiors in Boston,' Bagley wrote in his book. 'In the middle of this ongoing glass-steel development that is an inevitable historical trajectory here, it's something that we're all excited about preserving,' said Killen. Danny McDonald can be reached at
Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
‘That's a risk for me': Health system woes force a R.I. hospital to cancel routine women's care for hundreds of patients
Advertisement These cancellations are part of a wider problem within Rhode Island's health care system, where a primary care shortage is Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up Spurgas is one of at least 300 women with annual OB-GYN appointments scheduled at the Newport Women's Health Services at Newport Hospital is owned and operated by the largest health care system in the state — Advertisement The exterior of Newport hospital where hundreds of women have had their OB/GYN appointments cancelled. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Brown Health spokeswoman Jessica Wharton told the Globe that Newport Women's Health Services was down to just two practitioners, and a new gynecologist wasn't expected to begin working until October. 'We made the difficult decision to temporarily reschedule annual OB-GYN wellness visits originally scheduled for July through September to ensure that we can continue to provide timely and essential care to those with urgent, complex, or high-risk medical needs, including pregnant patients and those with active or serious gynecological concerns,' Wharton said in a statement. Related : Spurgas said she was told that she would be placed on a waitlist in October. But she may seek out care sooner, by finding a new provider in Massachusetts. 'I was in shock. They wouldn't explain at all what was going on,' said Spurgas. 'They just kept saying that it was because of Rhode Island's health care crisis. It was very vague.' Earlier this year, Brown Health's executives were considering closing down a dental center, halting major facility projects at Rhode Island Hospital, and discontinuing labor and delivery services at Newport Hospital in order to save money, according to an email sent by top Brown Health leaders to its managers in May that was obtained by the Globe. Related : The budget problems are not unique to Rhode Island's hospitals, and could become more critical in the coming months. Healthcare providers throughout New England will be affected by impending cuts to Medicaid through the ' Advertisement Many women who do not have an OB-GYN, or cannot afford one, seek reproductive care at Planned Parenthood clinics. But Related : 'Defunding is an attempt by lawmakers to make Planned Parenthood stop caring for patients and stop caring about reproductive freedom,' said Gretchen Raffa, chief policy and advocacy office of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, during a virtual press conference on Monday. 'Make no mistake, this is a covert attack.' At Newport Women's Health Services, visits for new and existing prenatal patients, as well as those with high-risk pregnancies or other medical concerns, are unaffected. Experts say those whose routine checkups were postponed should not be worried about the delayed appointments, but should make sure to reschedule them. Advertisement 'Anyone who has an appointment for a Pap or HPV test that is cancelled should just be clear on what the follow-up plan might be, in terms of why it was taken off the books and if they should reschedule, either with their current provider or someone else,' said Fred Wyand, a senior advisor for the American Sexual Health Association/National Cervical Cancer Coalition. Cervical cancer tends to develop over a number of years, and not all women need to be screened annually, he said. 'If you have a Pap scheduled for Tuesday and for whatever reason you can't receive it, you won't develop cancer on Wednesday, but you don't want to fall out of the system.' 'That's what can happen, we lose the consistency and the regular screenings, and that's really when it can become risky,' he added. Alexa Gagosz can be reached at
Boston Globe
09-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Eleven coffee shops that are elevating Boston's cafe culture
.bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } 1369 Coffee House 1369 Coffee House in Inman Square. Maura Intemann/Globe staff There's a reason 1369 remains a fixture of the coffee scene. Since its opening in 1993, 1369 has focused on quality, from carefully selected roasts, to specialties such as the malted cold brew, to the impressive tea menu. Both its Inman and Central Square locations epitomize the quintessential Cambridge coffeehouse: people-watchers will spot plenty of awkward first dates and local authors writing away. Address: 1369 Cambridge Street, Cambridge Phone: 617-576-1369 Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Broadsheet Coffee Roasters Broadsheet Coffee in Cambridge. Ev Fox This sleek, modern Cambridge cafe has become a go-to destination for coffee aficionados. Its deliciously balanced, small-batch roasts — made at its Somerville roasting and training facility — are a favorite among cafe offerings near and far. Ever-changing featured brews, barista specials such as a Nitro Shandy, and seasonal homemade syrups make it worth a weekly — or daily — pilgrimage. Address: 100 Kirkland Street, Cambridge Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Caffé Vittoria Caffé Vittoria in the North End. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff This cash-only cafe crammed with antique espresso machines and faded photos feels like something from a bygone year. And it is: It was established in 1929, to be exact. In the morning, get a whisper-light cappuccino, generously dusted with cocoa. In the evening, order an amaro on ice and watch the crowds outside on Hanover Street, or retire to the hushed cigar bar in the basement for some Godfather -esque ambiance. Whatever time of day, try the tiramisu, barely sweet and spoon-ready. Address: 290-296 Hanover Street, North End Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Cicada Coffee Bar Cicada Coffee Bar. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff This Central Square spot is easy to find: Look for the bustling crowd through the ivy-covered windows. The coffee drinks — made Vietnamese style, with condensed milk — come rich and creamy (try the Sea Salt Shaker, with its hint of saline and sweet, thick froth). Don't miss out on the perfectly balanced rice bowls and pho salads, with toppings such as lemongrass chicken confit and charred eggplant. On nice days, head to the back patio for a tranquil urban oasis. Cicada closes at 3 p.m. but reopens at 5 p.m., offering entrées and natural wine. Address: 106 Prospect Street, Cambridge Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Flat Black Coffee Everything about this Dorchester gem screams 'serious coffee': the industrial-sized grinder near the counter, the giant tubs of beans stacked behind it, the sign noting that it 'nano-roasts' everything onsite. In addition to beans from around the world, Flat Black sells gourmet spices and a variety of French presses and frothers. Oh, and lattes, flat whites, and other strong yet smooth – and life-affirming – espresso drinks. Address: 1170 Washington Street, Dorchester Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } George Howell Coffee Coffee from George Howell Coffee. The caffeine connoisseur has plenty to choose from at George Howell's Downtown Crossing storefront, with beans sourced from across the globe and roasted in Acton, delicious cold brews and pour-overs, free tastings, and a shop with quality home coffee brewing supplies. The location in Boston Public Market is a great option for to-go orders; the one in Harvard Square's Lovestruck Books, includes a wine bar. Other shops can be found at Logan Airport and in Newtonville. Address: 505 Washington Street, Downtown Crossing Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Gracenote Coffee Gracenote Coffee Davina Tan This isn't your father's cup of Joe. Squeezing into Boston's boutique Gracenote Coffee is a java connoisseur's equivalent of boarding the Orient Express. Perched on the edge of the Leather District, Gracenote roasts beans sourced from countries such as Colombia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. (Its Alpha espresso blend has notes of milk chocolate and lavender.) Find another location at the High Street Place food hall. Address: 108 Lincoln Street, Leather District Phone: Not available Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Greystone Café, Bakery, and Provisions Greystone Cafe, Bakery, and Provisions. Nestled among the brownstones of the South End, you're likely to recognize Greystone by the line that regularly snakes down the block from the walk-up window. But the line moves fast enough to grab a cold brew for your morning commute. Have time to lounge? Snag a comfy seat inside, or out on the small, shaded patio, and nibble on a homemade pastry. There's a rotation of seasonal specialties to keep even the most devoted regulars surprised. Address: 123 Appleton Street, South End Phone: 857-350-4629 Find online: Related : .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Madhouse Cafe Coffee from Madhouse Cafe. Adam DeTour for The Boston Globe. Food styling by Sheila Jarnes. Cozy seating under a canopy of plants. The aroma of freshly pulled espresso. The rumble of a V-twin engine in the air. There's no atmosphere quite like that of Madhouse Cafe in Roxbury. Relax, sipping a sweet tahini latte over a good book. Or, gaze longingly at a custom motorcycle through the large back window dividing the cafe from its adjoining repair shop and showroom, Madhouse Motors. Address: 24 Blue Hill Avenue, Roxbury Phone: 617-620-1501 Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Recreo Coffee and Roasterie Christie Raymond Coffee lovers won't be able to walk this neighborhood block without being seduced by the aroma of roasting beans. Inside Recreo Coffee and Roasterie, you'll be struck by the exposed-brick walls and the shop's red and chrome roaster, flanked by bags of beans. Owners Héctor and Miriam Morales import their sustainable, single-origin product from a family farm in Nicaragua. The result is a uniquely fruity, balanced brew. Address: 1876 Centre Street, West Roxbury Phone: Find online: .bofbpic img { width: 100%; height: auto; } Yego Coffee Yego Coffee Silky smooth, bold in flavor, and perfectly balanced. An espresso drink from Yego Coffee invites you in and keeps you coming back, sip after sip. The neighborhood vibe and friendly staff are known to do just the same. Since opening their shop in 2023, husband-and-wife owners Francois and Fatuma Tuyishime have brought new depth to the area's coffee scene, importing beans from his family farm in Rwanda and roasting them to perfection. Even the cafe's name inspires: Yego translates to 'yes' in Kinyarwanda. Address: 1212 Broadway, Somerville Phone: Find online: Boston Globe Best of the Best winners for 2025 were selected by Globe editorial staff and correspondents, and limited to Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline. We want to hear from you: ? 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Boston Globe
23-06-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Welcome to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, the store with no sticker shock
Elsewhere on Harvard's sprawling campus, administrators are battling countless crises threatening the elite university's bottom line. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But here — among the foragers hauling away all the lamps, rugs, and T-shirts they can carry — that war over dollars feels very far away. Advertisement 'Harvard will outlast all of them,' said Garnett, who has tried to come to the center most weeks since 2005, back when it was located in an Allston parking lot. An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors. He wasn't yet sure if he would try to flip it, or keep it to decorate his Chelsea condo. An antiques dealer with a warehouse in Lynn, Wayne Garnett generally seeks out small furnishings to resell, but on this visit to Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center, he stumbled across a geometric painting in a rainbow of colors. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff 'It has helped me make a living, that's for sure,' he said of the center. 'It's been a central part of that.' Advertisement The idea behind the center, which has existed in various forms for more than two decades, is to minimize the waste generated by students, professors, and administrators on the sprawling campus. When undergrads want to offload their mini-fridges at the end of the semester, a dorm wants to discard hundreds of air purifiers, or the Divinity School wants to ditch their pews, it all comes here. The takers are many: Resellers like Garnett looking to make a quick buck. Do-gooders passing the donations on to nonprofits. And, of course, people squeezed by 'I still get a lot of people that will come by my office before they leave, and they're like, 'Do I need to check out? How much are these things?'' said Dailey Brannin, Harvard's recycling services supervisor and overseer of the center. 'And I'm like, 'Nope, it's all free.'' That's a boon for people like Miriam Nussbaum, who stopped by on a Thursday in late May — the height of the frenetic undergraduate move-out season. Nussbaum, who receives Supplemental Security Income, has enough money to cover her basics — rent, groceries, phone. But it's more of a stretch to afford 'things that make a space a home,' she said, like the rug and fake plant she unearthed to bring back to her studio apartment in Brookline public housing. 'A lot of people who are higher earners don't really think about the cost of the little…' She paused. 'The little everythings.' Advertisement Mountains of books, a hockey stick, and a balloon inflater were all on offer at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff And the center's got an embarrassment of everythings. On that Thursday in late May, a cat tree, balloon inflater, and baby grand piano were all on offer. A small library's worth of books, and bins upon bins of clothes — some of it with labels like Zara, Brooks Brothers, and Levi's — were also up for grabs. Not everything was a gem, though, including a single boxing glove, an opened box of tampons, and a spiral notebook filled with math problems. 'If you can buy it in a store, or order it online, or have it fabricated, we've seen it,' said Rob Gogan, Harvard's onetime recycling and waste manager, who retired in 2020. The selection wasn't quite this eclectic when the center got its start under Gogan. The way he tells it, 'It started because of carpal tunnel syndrome.' Around the turn of the millennium, he said, many students were beset by the ailment — a result of using desktop computers on dorm-room desks not designed for keyboards. So when the school ordered new desks, Gogan was tasked with disposing of several hundred old ones. He put them in the parking lot behind his office and let people know they were available to snag. Pretty soon, more furniture started coming his way, and the parking-lot setup turned into a full-fledged operation. A cluster of lamps at Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Today, the center is staffed by Brannin and another full-time employee, some volunteers, and two box truck drivers who make their way around Harvard's campus to pick up unwanted goods and shuttle them back to the center. In the last year, Brannin estimated, the drivers picked up more than 15,000 items. Those items are as diverse as the cast of characters ransacking them. An Ebay merchant poring over the book bins, clutching a gadget that tells him the resale value of each title. A new mom starting a remote software engineering job, grabbing as many computer monitors as she could find. A nonprofit volunteer lugging away a scad of lamps for people in need. Advertisement 'It's a good day,' said Marty Blue, the nonprofit volunteer. The crowds are nothing compared to pre-COVID, Brannin said, when the center had a lottery system to manage the throngs of people. (In addition to welcoming the public on Thursdays, the center is open to nonprofits and Harvard affiliates on Mondays.) The sparser attendance is just fine by regular patrons, who have fostered good-spirited 'community vibes,' Brannin said — so long as people stick to their own piles. 'We do get a lot of newcomers, still, and the people that have been coming for years will show them around, tell them how things work,' said Brannin. 'Or they'll say, 'Don't tell your friends, because we want to keep it to ourselves.'' People line up with shopping carts to enter Harvard's Recycling and Surplus Center on a recent Thursday. Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff Dana Gerber can be reached at
