The 19th century 'Up' house in Boston with Mafia links stands alone

October 2024 ยท 4 minute read

In the shadow of a sports arena, a high-rise and a highway there is as a lone survivor of a neighborhood with more than a hundred years of history.

Built at the end of the 19th century, 42 Lomasney Way in Boston has seen generations of residents pass through and the buildings around it knocked down.

After years of battling to flatten it, and challenges to have it stay put from owners linked to the Mafia, officials gave in and allowed the developments to go up around it.

And it has remained standing and has become a landmark in the city's historic West End neighborhood - and prospective residents can rent it for around $3,000 a month.

Sole survivor: Built at the end of the 19th century, 42 Lomasney Way in Boston has seen generations of residents pass through and the buildings around it knocked down - but it has remained standing 

Sole survivor: Built at the end of the 19th century, 42 Lomasney Way in Boston has seen generations of residents pass through and the buildings around it knocked down - but it has remained standing 

It has billboards plastered on either side and is always pointed out on Boston duck boat tours. 

Immigrant families were the first tenants, but now it is sought-after by young professionals and those looking to be a part of folklore.  

Casey Claude, 25, from Indiana lives in the basement and pays half the rate of living upstairs.

The transportation planner told The Boston Globe she fell to the buildings charm when she was apartment hunting.

'It made me think of Up, when the old man is living in this little house and the city goes up around him. It's a little piece of history.'

The houses surrounding it were knocked down in the 1950s while developments grew around it. 

But when Boston Redevelopment Authority knocked on the door, the owners said they were not leaving.

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Share 124 shares Solitary: After years of battling to flatten it, city officials gave in and allowed the developments to go up around the small patch of land

Solitary: After years of battling to flatten it, city officials gave in and allowed the developments to go up around the small patch of land

Landmark: It has billboards plastered on either side and is always pointed out on Boston duck boat tours

Landmark: It has billboards plastered on either side and is always pointed out on Boston duck boat tours

Potential home: It has remained standing and has become a landmark in the city's historic West End neighborhood - and prospective residents can rent it for around $3,000 a month

Potential home: It has remained standing and has become a landmark in the city's historic West End neighborhood - and prospective residents can rent it for around $3,000 a month

It is not exactly known why, but some believe it is because residents had some lucrative links. 

According to the Globe, William 'Skinny' Kazonis, a low-level Mafia associate, bought the address and another forlorn building for a combined $20,000 in 1972. 

He was an associate of Gennaro Angiulo, a well-known New England mob boss who was jailed for racketeering in 1986. He was released in 2007 but died two years later. 

Some argue his influence could have saved it.  

By the 1980s the street was made up of shuttered storefronts and vacant lots.

The mayor at the time, Kevin White, lobbied for it to be knocked down to make way for federal offices.

The building still went up but a few houses remained, including number 42.

Residents in the street, pictured on the left, witnessed the construction of the city's elevated railway system in 1911. Most of the neighboring properties were knocked down in the 1950s

Residents in the street, pictured on the left, witnessed the construction of the city's elevated railway system in 1911. Most of the neighboring properties were knocked down in the 1950s

William 'Skinny' Kazonis, a low-level Mafia associate, bought the address and another forlorn building for a combined $20,000 in 1972. He was an associate of Gennaro Angiulo (left), a well-known New England mob boss

In 1990, when the old El train was being demolished so the Green Line could run through, but the house remained.

When construction began in 1991 on the Big Dig, the city's sprawling tunnel system, it was feared it may fall victim, but when they finished the building was still standing. 

In 2001, the Globe reported, Kazonis sold for less than $100 and continued living there.

The units were gutted last year after Yensamol Realty Trust (Lomansey spelled backwards) sold the property for $1.5million. 

 

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