Explore the hidden world of Boston’s lodging houses and learn how they shape work, wages, and daily life.
This non-fiction study surveys the South End’s lodging-house districts, focusing on mercantile employees, skilled workers, and the rooming-house system that houses much of Boston’s middle class in the early 20th century. It sets a clear baseline with definitions, scope, and the social and economic forces at play, offering readers a grounded view of urban housing and its challenges.
The book examines how lodging-houses function, who lives in them, and how rents and living costs affect everyday choices. It combines historical context, statistical data, and narrative detail to trace the evolution of boarding and lodging, the economics of rent and board, and the broader implications for families, labor, and city life. The material draws on registry data, case examples, and district maps to illuminate the dynamics of urban housing during this period.
What you’ll experience
- Practical portraits of lodgers, landladies, and the economics of room-rent and board
- Insights into wages, occupations, and how income interacts with housing costs
- The social and urban studies methods used to document a developing housing problem
- A historical view of how lodging houses fit into the fabric of city life and policy
Ideal for readers of urban history, housing policy, and early 20th-century social science, this edition provides a detailed, data-informed lens on a pivotal chapter in Boston’s urban development.