In the lovely town of South Boston there have been some un-ignorable changes being made with our new neighbors-- the Yuppies. Long are the days of playing until the streetlights come on. Now, Yuppies wait until everyone is asleep before they go out and play. It’s a different group of people living here making it a completely different town. The yuppies are young, loud and buying up all the available space in our beautiful family centered town. Let me rephrase that, these aren’t changes, they’re skyscrapers -- 40, 50, 60 foot buildings with four loft apartments going for millions of dollars. Town meetings no longer revolve around kids and simple updates, instead they are about building heights, construction permits and codes. Our rows of three story single-family houses are being overcrowded and overpriced for young post-grads using mommy and daddy’s money to pay for everything.
Not only are the single-family houses being sold and renovated, but so are the elementary schools. St. Peters, which used to be a catholic elementary school, is now a condo. It was the first school in Southie to be renovated into apartments and most certainly not the last. Gate of Heaven has been the property contractors have wanted to build on for years. Gate of Heaven, known as Gatey, has been around since the 1920's. It was where my sister and I went to elementary school along with many others. It closed in 2009 for reasons I won't get into. The convent that used to stand there was torn down, the gym was remodeled into apartments and the battle over the school to be renovated has been ongoing. Gatey is more than just a school to Southie natives.
Gate of Heaven was a great school where you met your best friends and teachers who were more than just teachers. It’s where I learned to read, write and count. I made reindeer food at Christmas time and released butterflies in the spring. We even dressed up as pilgrims and Native Americans and had Thanksgiving dinner in November. The floors turned into lava and in the schoolyard we raced to play foursquare and off the wall. Gatey was not just a school to it's students and Southie residents. It was so much more. Gatey is not meant for 20-somethings to live in and complain about the lack of parking. If you ask a real Southie resident, they’ll say Gatey needs to stay a school. There’s no more room for yuppies.
It’s sad that there is even a debate over this property. A committee was formed and bumper stickers were made saying “Kids Over Condos.” The whole idea of renovating schools to turn into apartments is crazy! If you’re not from Southie (Yuppies included), then I hope you see how ridiculous this all is. I hope you understand that Southie residents are trying to hold onto the old South Boston. The one where kids raced down the streets and went to the corner store to pay with quarters for an after school snack. This is not a post-grad town. It’s a town built on Irish pride and its sense of community.
If you are from Southie, then keep voicing your opinions about this because it’s been nine years of us fighting it and there’s still not a condo there. Be proud of that victory!
