Recognition

Making history

by Kristen Lombardi

The South End subsidized-housing complex Villa Victoria is a testament to city life in the turbulent '60s, to people united in a cause, and to the way activism can shape a neighborhood. That's why it's just been inducted into Boston's historical hall of fame.

The Bostonian Society, the city's historical association, unveiled its finest distinction, a historic marker, in the heart of Villa Victoria last week to commemorate the "model of community empowerment and neighborhood preservation."

For the Villa community, the plaque recognizes struggle. "It says individuals matter and have made Boston better," says David Cortiella of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (Spanish for "Puerto Rican tenants in action"), which owns the Villa.

The development was just a dream in the 1960s. After the city targeted 16 acres known as Parcel 19 for its urban-renewal plan, residents, many of them Puerto Rican, took to the streets. "For us," Cortiella recalls, "that [targeting] meant `Let's remove people who have lived in the neighborhood.' "

Taking back Parcel 19 became a rallying cry for 30 families. They appealed to then-mayor Kevin White. They staged enough protests that officials backed down. As Cortiella puts it, "Puerto Rican bandits in the South End were a thorn in Mayor White's side." He had, after all, been elected on a neighborhood-friendly platform.

Out of this, IBA was born. It created an affordable-housing project complete with stores and services before the words "sustainable community" had entered the urban-planning lexicon.

Today, Villa Victoria is home to 3000 residents, many of them leaders of the '60s revolt. Cortiella is especially proud that the Villa remains affordable in one of the city's hottest real-estate markets.

"Even poor people," he says, "have a say in their destinies."