Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books

Brattlecast #78 - The Brattle and the City


Listen Later

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.
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand BooksBy Brattle Book Shop

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

77 ratings


More shows like Brattlecast: A Firsthand Look at Secondhand Books

View all
Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,477 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,773 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,727 Listeners

The NPR Politics Podcast by NPR

The NPR Politics Podcast

25,871 Listeners

The Book Review by The New York Times

The Book Review

3,887 Listeners

All Songs Considered by NPR

All Songs Considered

3,143 Listeners

Sound Opinions by Sound Opinions

Sound Opinions

1,973 Listeners

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over by Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett. Produced by Stefanie Levine.

A Way with Words - language, linguistics, and callers from all over

2,291 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,751 Listeners

Antiques Roadshow Detours by GBH

Antiques Roadshow Detours

702 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,038 Listeners

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart by Comedy Central

The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

10,896 Listeners

Honestly with Bari Weiss by The Free Press

Honestly with Bari Weiss

8,760 Listeners

Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson

Letters from an American

5,766 Listeners

The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

The Opinions

565 Listeners