Embedded Files
Camille B.
Jones, Leslie. "Bird's eye view toward Custom House and United Shoe Machinery from building on Atlantic Ave. near South Station." Photograph. September 1930. Digital Commonwealth, https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/5h73r9549 (accessed May 08, 2021).Atlantic Avenue as the setting for successful business, wealth accrual, and criminal activity including larceny.
The parcel of Atlantic Avenue from 549-629 acted as the setting for three major characters in New England during the 19th and 20th centuries. For the Wentworth and Hemenway families, Atlantic Avenue brought them revenue and power in their real estate careers, and for a young Louis Wright, Atlantic Ave. was the setting for a crime that put him in headlines and behind bars. This parcel was occupied by a wide variety of businesses, some of which leased buildings from Hemenway or Wentworth; however, during the early 20th century, the area faced many fires that destroyed some of these businesses. Louis A. Wright intentionally set fire to one of these buildings, landing himself in jail and damaging the landscape of Atlantic Ave.
Who are the characters?
Augustus Hemenway
Augustus Hemenway was a wealthy philanthropist who owned the Hathaway Building on the corner of Summer St. and Atlantic Avenue. Hemenway leased the property to a variety of businesses including shoe manufacturers and truck companies to gain appreciable profit and recognition within the city.
Arioch Wentworth
Arioch Wentworth was another well-known philanthropist in Boston who gave frequent donations to his home town of Dover in New Hampshire. He owned the Wentworth on Atlantic Avenue, across from the Hathaway building and leased it to Wood, Pollard & Co. for many years to make a profit.
Louis A. Wright
Fires plagued Atlantic Avenue in the early 20th century but not all were incidental. Louis A. Wright was arrested and put in prison for setting fire to the Hathaway Building in 1891, before Augustus Hemenway owned the property. Wright went on to commit many more crimes and was frequently incarcerated.
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