Storied E. Boston immigration hub to be demolished

This 90 year old building will be torn down, although the stories about its history will live on. - - Donna Poisl

By Steve Holt, Globe Correspondent

In a matter of weeks, a nearly century-old relic of Boston’s rich immigration history will be rubble. Demolition of the former East Boston Immigration Station — which processed an estimated 23,000 immigrants between 1920 and 1954 — began in mid-November and is expected to wrap up after Martin Luther King Day. At one time considered Boston’s Ellis Island, the now-dilapidated yellow brick building has for years sat empty, becoming a fire hazard and home to skunks and feral cats.

Last year, the Boston Landmarks Commission ruled that the building — which the Massachusetts Port Authority has owned since 1987 — should not be protected as a historic landmark. Its condition and lack of original artifacts make it a poor candidate for adaptive reuse, the commission said in a 41-page report. The report came 10 years after neighborhood residents filed a petition to have the building protected as a landmark.
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