Join us for The Brutalist Library: Rereading Its Legacy and Reimagining the Future

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How does a building’s history inform its use? What do the design movements of the past have to do with our daily lives in the present? UMass community members use brutalist buildings every day—meeting, studying, and working in spaces designed decades ago, often in need of renovation and reimagining, but also worthy of preservation and appreciation.

The Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston is one such idiosyncratic building. Designed by Harry Weese, a Chicago native and a prolific architect of the mid-twentieth century, the library is the tallest building on UMass Boston’s Columbia Point campus. Construction began in 1972, just four years before the opening of Weese’s most famous creation—the Washington, D.C., metro system. The Healey Library shares the D.C. Metro’s iconic waffle slab ceiling design.

Construction of the Joseph P. Healey Library, 1972.

The Healey Library is at home in Boston, where brutalist architecture defines our cityscape. Boston’s brutalist landmarks include Madison Park High School (designed by Marcel Breuer and Tician Papachristou), the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts at Harvard University (the only building in North America designed by pioneering modernist architect Le Corbusier), and, of course, Boston City Hall. Brutalist DC offers a helpful definition of this controversial architectural style.

Individuals at the top of the stairway that connects the second and third floors of the library at UMass Boston, circa 1978-1979.

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners across the University of Massachusetts system established UMass BRUT in 2019 as a way to celebrate, preserve, and reimagine the mid-century brutalist public architecture on our campuses. UMass BRUT is bringing a one-day symposium to UMass Boston on Friday, October 24, 2025, which will offer community members the opportunity to reflect on the challenges and joys of the built environment of our campus.

The Brutalist Library: Rereading Its Legacy and Reimagining the Future will explore the significance, technical challenges, and future adaptation strategies of the modernist public library. The event will feature three panels: historians will examine the design and development of campus libraries, librarians will discuss the evolving role of libraries in the digital age and their spatial needs, and architects will address technical challenges and innovative solutions for renovating iconic structures. The symposium will feature tours of the UMass Boston campus and the Healey Library as well as an open discussion between attendees and panelists.

The UMass Boston campus master plan and recent renovations of existing campus buildings offer a unique opportunity to elevate the role of public architecture and how it adapts to the changing context of academia. Attendees will include students, faculty, librarians, historians, and members from allied professions such as architects, engineers, and contractors, along with the broader campus community and the general public. The symposium will foster cross-disciplinary conversation among all participants on how we may celebrate, conserve, and provide stewardship for our modernist and brutalist buildings now and in the future.

Join us on Friday, October 24, 2025, at UMass Boston. Learn more and register on the UMass BRUT website.

A view of the celebratory cake for the 1977 UMass Boston open house, featuring the Healey Library and surrounding buildings rendered in cake form.

Remembering Suzanne Gall Marsh

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Suzanne Gall Marsh with her husband, George Marsh, on Little Brewster Island, 2007

We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Suzanne Gall Marsh last month. Suzanne has been a pioneering advocate for the Boston Harbor Islands since her first visit to Gallops Island in 1978. In 1979 she founded the Boston Harbor Islands Volunteer Corps, later called the Volunteers and Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, Inc., to provide direct services to the Boston Harbor Islands State Park (now the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park) and conduct public education programs, including boat trips and advocacy efforts. She facilitated the donation of that organization’s records to the UMass Boston Archives in 2012, and has worked with us over the years to bolster our growing collections in this area—including collecting community stories about the Harbor Islands.

Faculty, staff, and community members observe the Boston Harbor Islands as part of the university’s 20th anniversary celebrations, 1984. Suzanne Gall Marsh is second from the left.

Suzanne worked for the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park as an interpreter and ranger and for Boston Harbor Cruises as a narrator. She conducted tours on different islands and was involved in starting trips to Boston Light on Little Brewster Island in 1986. In an administrative capacity, Suzanne was a member of the Advisory Council for the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership, an organization comprised of multiple government and nonprofit agencies that manage the islands. Beginning in 2010, Suzanne became an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) member and later Program Facilitator at the University of Massachusetts Boston, teaching the course “Exploring the Boston Harbor Islands.” Suzanne received a BA from UMass Boston and participated in the university’s Women in Politics and Public Policy Program. 

Explore the records of the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, Suzanne’s papers related to the Harbor Islands, and a short interview with Suzanne about her connection to the Harbor Islands from our Mass. Memories Road Show program. Contact library.archives@umb.edu for more information about these materials.

In the Archives: Boston Urban Gardeners

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Author: Amanda McKay, Archives Assistant and graduate student in the English MA program at UMass Boston

Samuel Kaymen demonstrates gardening techniques to urban farmers Martha Walker and Sue Naiman, circa 1978-1986.

In the 1970s, Charlotte Kahn watched the Black school-aged children in her neighborhood integrate with previously white-only schools. Many of the children faced violent and verbal abuse. Kahn, inspired by the young children’s bravery during this time, decided to plant beautiful gardens in hopes of uplifting their spirits as they walked to their bus stops. This act by Kahn led to the Boston Urban Gardeners (B.U.G.) organization. In 1976, the organization was run by volunteers in Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, and the South End. Soon after, the organization grew and had a number of paid employees with various funding sources. However, the organization’s focus wasn’t just gardening, it was also the community. University Archives and Special Collections houses the Boston Urban Gardeners records, which include insightful information on the organization. Records relating to administration, projects, photographs, and other various media are available in the collection. Healey Library’s Open Archives website provides access to digitized photographs from the collection, showcasing the incredible work that B.U.G. was doing in the different Boston communities.

Charlotte Kahn and Governor Michael Dukakis speak at an Earth Moving event, 1985.

As B.U.G. grew, so did their community impact. They worked in partnership with low-income community members, the Boston Housing Authority, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, among many other state organizations, in order to provide resources for families and members of Boston neighborhoods. While working on the wellness of their community, there was a bonus of the beautification of the neighborhoods. According to Boston Urban Gardeners: Grassroots Community Development (1996), the organization had a large range of accomplished projects, such as “community gardens, playlots, wildflower meadows, a job training program in landscape contracting and management, studies for the landscape of public housing, low maintenance landscapes for highway rights-of-way, and an open space study for Roxbury.” While there was a lot of support for B.U.G., finding consistent funding was a large problem and called for a need of creativity among members in order to fundraise.

Domingo Fernandez stands besides “Handicapped Garden” sign, 1991.

In 1990, the organization merged with Southwest Corridor Community Farm (SCCF), becoming Boston Urban Gardeners at the Community Farm. SCCF has very similar values and mission to B.U.G., which made the merger easier for both organizations. Their everlasting impact on the Boston communities in which they worked can be researched through their records in Healey Library. View the collection’s finding aid or browse the digital photographs to get a sense of the work they were doing and the community they were building.

Contact library.archives@umb.edu to schedule an appointment to view this collection.

References:

“Boston Urban Gardeners: Grassroots Community Development.” The West Philadelphia Landscape Project. August 20, 1996. https://web.mit.edu/wplp/plan/bostonur.htm.

Boston Urban Gardeners photographs. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll31.

Boston Urban Gardeners records, SC-0043. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://archives.umb.edu/repositories/2/resources/238.

“Dare To Be Naive: Boston Urban Gardeners.” 12 Degrees of Freedom. Accessed August 8, 2025. http://12degreesoffreedom.org/bostonurbangardeners.html.

Sörbom, Caroline. “A History of Boston’s Community Gardens.” Blue Dot Living. April 2024. https://bluedotliving.com/a-history-of-bostons-community-gardens/.

“The Southwest Corridor Farm.” The West Philadelphia Landscape Project. August 20, 1996. https://web.mit.edu/wplp/plan/swcorfrm.htm.

In the Archives: The Mass Media

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Author: Amanda McKay, Archives Assistant and graduate student in the English MA program at UMass Boston

The Mass Media is UMass Boston’s only independent student-run newspaper. In print since 1966, the newspaper aims to publish “a reliable, relevant and factual paper every week” (The Mass Media 2025). UMass Boston’s Founding Day Convocation ceremony took place in December 1966. This date aligns with the newspaper’s founding, making the newspaper a strong part of UMass Boston’s history. University Archives and Special Collections houses copies of past issues of the newspaper. Issues ranging from 1966 to 2011 are digitized and available through the Open Archives website, and more recent editions are available on the Mass Media website. As a student and active member of the UMass Boston community, diving deep into past issues is very interesting and reveals a lot about UMass Boston’s students, faculty, campus, and culture as a whole.

A letter to the editor from a UMass Boston library worker. Volume 1, issue 1, 1966.

One interesting section from the first issue of the newspaper is the “Letter to the Editor” section, allowing students and faculty to get the word out about something important. In this issue, a library worker sent in a letter regarding students leaving unattended items in the library in order to reserve a study spot while they go somewhere else. This issue also features advertisements from local businesses and organizations, showcasing how the newspaper not only connects UMass Boston students to each other, but also to the surrounding community of Boston as a whole. The image below shows an advertisement for the Charles Playhouse in Boston. By including advertisements like these, the newspaper allowed for students, especially those new to the area, to get acquainted with Boston, while also supporting local organizations.

An ad shown in volume 1, issue 1 of The Mass Media for The Charles Playhouse.

Looking at more recent editions of the newspaper, it is clear that The Mass Media’s vision and dedication to the community has stayed strong and consistent. In Volume 59, Issue 15 from April 2025, articles highlight world and local news as well as aspects of student culture and events. Now there is even a humor and puzzle section, allowing readers to connect with the newspaper in different ways. As a student here at UMass, I have a deep appreciation for the commitment to honesty and integrity in reporting by our student newspaper. Be sure to pick up the most recent copy of The Mass Media at any time by visiting the newsstands throughout campus, or by visiting The Mass Media’s website. Email library.archives@umb.edu for an appointment to view the collection in person at Healey Library, or visit Open Archives to view the issues virtually.

An article from The Mass Media, volume 59, issue 15.

References:

“About.” The Mass Media. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://umassmedia.com/about.

“Mass Media Student Newspaper Collection.” University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/p15774coll18.

“Print Archive.” The Mass Media. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://umassmedia.com/category/pdf-archive.

“The University of Massachusetts Boston.” Wikipedia. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Massachusetts_Boston.

University of Massachusetts Boston, The Mass Media newspaper collection, UAPUB-0008. University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed August 8, 2025. https://archives.umb.edu/repositories/2/resources/456.

In the Archives: Joiner Institute Writers’ Workshop Photographs

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Author: Amanda McKay, Archives Assistant and graduate student in the English MA program at UMass Boston

Participant with Marilyn Nelson, 2000. Photo by Melissa Shook.

In the early 1980s, UMass Boston’s William Joiner Institute for the Study of War and Social Consequences launched a writers’ workshop focused on war and its aftermath. The workshop included classes, discussions, readings, and much more. Since the start of the workshop, the Joiner Institute has worked to transform thoughts, feelings, and experiences relating to war into artistic expression through writing, but these workshops soon became more than that.

After a lecture at the Yenching Library in Cambridge, Mass., circa 1996-2000. Photo by Melissa Shook.

Digitized photographs of the writers’ workshop are available through Healey Library’s Open Archives website. These photographs, taken by long-time UMass Boston faculty member Melissa Shook between circa 1996-2001, reveal the personal and collaborative efforts of the writers’ workshop, and of the Joiner Institute as a whole. The workshop became more than it set out to be; it created connections among members and provided a sense of community. Shook’s long-standing connection to and intimate documentation of the university program show how art and memory were powerfully intertwined. Shook’s life and legacy live on through Healey Library’s Melissa Shook papers.

Four women, seated on a couch, are having a conversation, 2000. Photo by Melissa Shook.

The Joiner Institute’s writers’ workshop series was incredibly important for participants, but it was only one part of the institute’s mission, which is “to inform, develop, and implement equitable policies, programs, and pathways to help ensure the health, safety, well-being and success of veterans, their families, and others impacted by war or military service, without exception.” Be sure to check out the Joiner Institute website to learn more, and visit the University Archives and Special Collections department to view the Joiner Institute records and learn about their fascinating history and writers’ workshop.

Contact library.archives@umb.edu to schedule a research appointment.

References:

“Joiner Institute Writers’ Workshop Photographs.” University Archives and Special Collections, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed July 17, 2025. https://openarchives.umb.edu/digital/collection/joiner.

Nelson, Caleb. “How Can We Save The Joiner Institute?” Veteran Art Movement. June 17, 2018. https://www.veteran-art-movement.net/evam-blog/can-we-save-the-joiner-institute.

“William Joiner Center Writers’ Workshop.” ShawGuides. Accessed July 18, 2025. https://writing.shawguides.com/joinercenter.