Returning to the City of Champions
A few years ago I decided to make a trip through Brockton, Massachusetts after being away for nearly 30 years. Brockton is a city that, despite the questionable reputation that it has recently gained in the eyes of some, is a place that was alive and vibrant when I was a kid. Known as the City of Champions, Brockton is the home and training grounds of both Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Brockton had movie theaters at the Westgate Mall, Brockton East, and the Sack Cinemas. You went to Brockton to buy Nike sneakers when they first arrived on the commercial scene in 1980. The low-cut canvas version went for $9.00, the high-top model of the same sneaker sold for $11.00, and if you were a big spender you could get the low-cut leather with the red stripe for around $13.00. And there was the Brockton Fair, where on summer nights a bunch of us would make the trip from the small neighboring town of East Bridgewater piled in the back of a pickup truck. After the truck was parked in the area just inside the fences of the fairgrounds we would be set loose and told to be back by midnight or just after the fireworks. Suffice it to say, we had the ability and the streetsmarts back then to be more independent than kids today could ever dream of.
Brockton is now lacking that same energy. Gone are the landmarks that once characterized the Brockton East area: the famous Greek restaurant Christo’s, the Brockton East Twin Cinemas, Bradlees, Burger King, Friendly’s, Red Lobster, the Fernandes supermarket, and even the old Jack-in-the-Box. They have been replaced by a handful of less than notable stores, places with comparatively little character. There is now a Home Depot where Bradlees once was and there was formerly an annex to Massasoit Community College at the old location of Christo’s. Although I’m sure it contributed value in some way, the displaced building belonging to Massasoit did not bring the community together quite the same way that Christo’s once did. The vibe that once permeated the downtown area of Brockton is also gone. Main Street once featured thriving businesses like the Brockton Enterprise, Romm & Co. Jewelers, and a variety of department and furniture stores. Legion Parkway, the onetime location of A.C. Grady Sporting Goods and Central Music is now just a cut through, an uncelebrated turn that allows drivers to travel between Main Street and Warren Ave., no longer providing the storefront options that once made this parkway a place to visit.
Shopping mainstays such as Almys, Sears, and King’s Department store have long since vanished, and although the Westgate Mall is still in existence technically, its retail landscape has changed. The Westgate Lanes bowling alley is still in operation, but the Putt-Putt miniature golf course and Anderson-Little are both gone from the Westgate entryway. The mall itself hasn’t changed much in terms of layout, but you won’t find Wrangler Wranch, Thom McAn, Woolworths, Child World, Chess King, Jordan Marsh, or Musicland. The Westgate Cinema is gone as is the York Steak House along the upper perimeter of the mall parking lot. Brockton South, once lined with car dealerships on both sides of the road, no longer invites you to stop in and drive a new Pontiac, Honda, Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, or Datsun. The new car dealerships left Brockton South long ago. The K-Mart on South Main Street survived for a while but recently closed for good, a store that highlighted a busy shopping district with not only retail stores, but a supermarket, a Friendly’s restaurant, and a Gloria Stevens workout salon.
I ducked into a local Brockton landmark, George’s Café, one of the surviving local spots that I hoped would still reverberate the once thriving soul of the city. Almost immediately, I was drawn into a conversation with Pat Moynihan, an 80-year-old man with “the same birthday as Tom Brady, Dennis Eckersley, and Dave O’Brien,” he quickly informed me. Noticeably, Moynihan walked with only one leg, employing the use of crutches. “I was a professional athlete,” said Moynihan. “I’m pretty nimble, believe it or not. I was a professional skier of all things. Got hit by a car. I grew up in Brockton, on Summer and East Streets,” he exclaimed proudly. Moynihan talked at length about the working class character of Brockton and the different families that have played influential roles in the city. He spoke of the now nonexistent factories downtown where heavy machinery once pounded out the soles of new shoes, how the windows to those buildings had to be left open due to the heat created by the machines. “I admire how hard these people worked,” said Moynihan, detailing the typical life of a Brockton worker who might “earn a living making boxes for shoes.”
“It’s a city,” said Donald Coward leaning over from the bar explaining that he couldn’t help but listen in on our conversation. “I was born and raised in Brockton, but it’s getting ridiculous. The city has changed so much, spending all that money downtown. It is not going to help. They spent money trying to improve it with housing, with a brand new garage, a brand new police station, and a brand new courthouse in the heart of the city, but across the street there is an unemployment office, welfare, and people that are homeless. Are you going to make an investment in that?”
Indeed, Brockton had put together a commission a few years prior to my visit releasing two reports, a Downtown Brockton Urban Revitalization Plan and a Downtown Action Strategy. “More than 50 people took part in a planning workshop to review and provide input. The ball is indeed rolling,” claimed the commission’s leadership, but “the Action Strategy’s main purpose is to get it rolling faster and with more community participation. Positive changes are taking place in downtown Brockton.” Approached by the city for feedback, residents were quick to cite reasons why they no longer visited the downtown area. “There's nowhere to do errands or grab a slice of pizza,” according to one response. “I used to go there 40 years ago when it was a 2-way street. Now I go around the downtown area,” said another. Residents were consistent with the message that over the course of the past few decades the once busy area of downtown Brockton has now fallen out of favor. According to one displeased resident, “I just do not go downtown anymore and that is a shame!”
When asked to describe what a successful downtown area should look like, respondents were forthcoming. “There is a strong desire for a diverse variety of dining options, including outdoor dining, ethnic cuisine, pubs and sports restaurants. They should be family-friendly, fit for young professionals and walkable,” said a contributor. “Downtown needs an infusion of shops and businesses, ranging from unique boutiques and independent retail shops to urban necessities like grocery stores, drug stores and hardware stores,” according to another. Some community members cited the lack of cultural activity necessary to revitalize the city. “Downtown needs a variety of arts and entertainment including music, theatre, art, dancing, festivals, live music, trivia night, films and art shows.” But the overall tenet was that Brockton needs to create a situation that is more welcoming in general. “Downtown should be a clean, well maintained and well-lit environment for locals and visitors. The town center should feel safe, vibrant and inviting.”
The commission determined that a celebration of Brockton’s history should be central to its urban renewal with a plan to create a historic district. They put forth a program to “facilitate the use of federal and state historic tax credits,” funding that would assist the city in its efforts to redevelop. Historic buildings with cultural value like the old Petronelli Gym, the location where middleweight boxing champion Marvin Hagler trained, would become a main focus of Brockton’s revitalization. The commission set out to “define and promote the city by integrating Brockton’s history into its new urban identity.” The Frederick Douglass Avenue location was designated as a major component of this plan, scheduled to undergo a complete renovation creating an entire section of the city that would be dedicated to walking and dining. The city’s report referenced successful examples of the same strategy used in other New England locations such as Lowell, New Bedford, and Northampton, Massachusetts as well as Providence, Rhode Island. In addition, both reports suggested adding entertainment and cultural venues to the downtown area. “Entertainment destinations bring visitors, who in turn create demand for other businesses, like restaurants, coffee shops, and stores. A smaller venue could host local and regional music groups, while a larger venue could become a shared space for the Brockton Symphony Orchestra and other cultural groups.”
At George’s Cafe, Moynihan and Coward continued to be focused on the one thing that they agreed best represented the city of Brockton: the pizza, and specifically the pizza that originated across town at the Cape Cod Cafe on Main Street, still in business after 72 years. “Brockton pizza! You can’t get it anywhere else in the country,” said Coward. “You just can’t do it. People try to replicate it, but they can’t!”
As Moynihan and Coward continued discussing their hometown and the changes that have transformed the city of Brockton over the course of the passing decades, I finally told the two that it was time for me to hit the road and began making my way to the door. Before I left I turned and yelled that I might try to catch a movie at the old Skyview Drive-in theater on my way out of town. “Can’t!” they shouted together in predictable amusement. “It’s closed!”
Maybe the solution to Brockton’s revitalization doesn’t require city commissions, detailed reports, or a new urban identity. Perhaps the answer is far less complicated. Maybe the future of this city should be discussed over a pizza.
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Loved your story about Brockton. I grew up in Stoughton and we hung out in Brockton all the time. I know all the places you talked about and George’s Café was one of my favorites.
Unfortunately, Brockton has become a dangerous place I would not take my family to a downtown restaurant there. The fabric of the city has changed. It’s no longer about hard-working people, but rather those looking for the government to provide for them. I don’t know what the solution is but new parking garages is not the answer. It’s what John F. Kennedy said ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.