Boston: United Moments in History
In Boston, one of the clearest intersections of the past, present, and future is at the Old North Church. The church's developmental history indexes a strong nostalgia for the past and shows how the city's built environment is a manifestation of the contemporary attitudes, memories, and perspectives from each era. Moreover, the Old North Church continues to define Boston's urban imagination today through its historical significance.
Today, the Old North Church is most commonly known as the launching point of the American Revolution. Perhaps the most poignant intersection of time at the Old North Church is the poem ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. This poem was written in 1860, describing an event that occurred in 1775. Longfellow wrote the poem with the intent of encouraging more people to sign up to be part of the Civil War Movement.
This shows that in 1860, the contemporary view of the American Revolution was already one of awe. There was an intent to take the bravery of those who fought for America a century ago and carry that bravery forward to the contemporary issue: the Civil War. Through Longfellow’s words, the built environment of the city became a time capsule of attitudes and perspectives: a fighting spirit, bravery, and camaraderie to succeed in a time of war. The city became powerful because its built environment was a way for contemporary actors to invoke a certain spirit that is still felt today. Modern-day readings of the poem typically centre around its American Revolution story, yet the creation of the poem inherently connects each of these moments in time.
Additionally, the Old North Church was constructed by the Church of England and still contains many fixtures from the Old World today. In spite of the church’s later importance as the starting point of the American Revolution, the preservation of these Old World items has been a priority (2). This reflects the positive contemporary attitude towards the Old World and America’s original ties to England, reflecting the constructive relationship that the two nations have today.
Lastly, in contrast to Longfellow’s poem, Edward Bellamy’s book, Looking Backward 2000-1887, captures the tension between different moments in time. Instead of connecting two moments through a united cause, Bellamy contrasts a hypothetical future to his present-day in order to highlight values that are missing in his contemporary world. He juxtaposes a dystopian Boston of year 2000 and the year 1887 (1) in order to reveal his dissatisfactions about the contemporary as well as his hopes for the future. Bellamy uses the city and the intersection of time as a means to convey certain attitudes, beliefs, and perspectives. He leverages the urban imagination in order to deliver a message that is tangible to readers through the images that he paints of the urban built environment. Without the city as his starting point for his writing, Bellamy would be unable to situate, contextualize, and share his messages about how the city could – and perhaps ought to – be.