Featured Archives - Neighborhood View

Historic Ferry Street building in danger of being demolished has ties to one of the first Malden daycare facilities

December 18, 2024 NeighborhoodView 0

By Maria Membreno For the past 100 years, it has been used as offices for lawyers, for the Tri-City Mental Health and Retardation Association, and for the Industrial Aid Society which, as far back as 1894, ran a day nursery for working factory women. Now, the historic M. Ida Converse building stands vacant on 15 Ferry Street and is in danger of being demolished. The developer who owns the building, and the vacant lot next to it, wants the building removed so he can build a 7-story commercial/residential structure on the two lots, but some city officials and residents are still hopeful the building can be saved, perhaps by moving it to another nearby location. “We want to make sure that we preserve this site and this building wherever it is in order to be able to teach the next generation not only about Malden history but about the importance of philanthropy in our community, as a way to move forward that people give back to their community,” Malden Public Library Director Dora St. Martin […]

Paula Terenzi’s Dance Complex: Four decades of dance, discipline, and dedication

December 12, 2024 Jack Drees 0

By Jack Drees Paula Terenzi has been dancing since she was two. As an adult, she runs the Paula Terenzi’s Dance Complex in Malden where she has spent years instructing the dancers of tomorrow. Terenzi opened her dance studio 41 years ago inside of Byrne’s Karate Studio on Pleasant St., the martial arts school run by her late husband Richard Byrne. Initially, she began teaching on his off days. As more students arrived, she moved into her current studio at 101 Pleasant St. where she has been teaching dance for the last three and a half decades. Paula Terenzi’s Dance Complex offers students the opportunity to learn a variety of dance disciplines across all ages, ranging from two and a half to sixty. Terenzi is the face of this place, responsible for building professionals who carry their talent from Malden to professional sports teams like the Boston Celtics or New England Patriots. Some will even bring their knowledge to global stages in Las Vegas, New York City, and even as far as Japan. Some stay behind in […]

A pocket-sized forest in Malden brightens a neighborhood

December 6, 2024 NeighborhoodView 1

By Christian Carapucci Amid the hustle and bustle of everyday Malden citizens getting to work, school, or going out on the town, and the naturally ingrained on-the-go mindset of city living, it’s nice to stop, breathe, and commune with nature. And where better to do that than in the newly created “pocket forest” on Goodwin Avenue? A pocket forest is a small densely planted area of native trees and shrubs. Malden’s first pocket forest was created with the planting of 21 trees on a vacant lot on Goodwin Avenue in the Forestdale section of the city in October. This is the first one in the state paid for by a new Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) grant from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The idea originated on January 5, 2024, when Malden resident Ashley Kolodziej reached out to newly appointed City Council member of three days, Ari Taylor, saying she would like to see a community garden on a small piece of city-owned land that abuts her property. However, some […]

From Malden to Hudson Valley: Two strangers discover shared family legacy and hidden history of enslavement in New York

December 3, 2024 Kami Nguyen 1

By Kami Nguyen Eleanor Mire, a lifelong Malden resident, wanted to learn about her family’s past after she watched the Ken Burns documentary series, The Civil War. “I always point to that because there was so much he put into that that I absolutely didn’t know, and I thought I knew about the Civil War,” Mire said. “That pushed me to start looking into my family and how they related to the Civil War, and that opened the floodgates.” Mire’s ancestors are part of a myriad of individual family histories that have shaped the past, present, and future of the United States. Some stories are waiting to be told, truths yet to be discovered. In her new book, A Hudson Valley Reckoning, Debra Bruno reckons with her family history of slaveholding and the realities of slavery in northern states. At the center of this story are Mire’s ancestors, who were enslaved in the 1800s by Bruno’s ancestors in upstate New York. Mire’s great-grandparents on another side of her family moved to Malden in 1906 from Boston. […]

Malden Public Schools employees living outside district can now enroll their children in Early Learning Center

November 22, 2024 NeighborhoodView 0

By Annie Sarlin The Malden School Committee passed a new policy that allows teachers and other school department personnel living outside the district to enroll their children in the Early Learning Center preschool program. At their meeting on Oct. 18, the committee voted unanimously to create the policy, officially titled “JFE4 Preschool Early Learning Center Admission of Children of School Department Personnel.” The motion took effect immediately. According to committee member Keith Bernard, the new policy will help make scheduling easier for school employees. “We’ve got teachers that are coming from another district… allow[ing] them to go and enroll their kids in our Early Learning Center so that, at the end of the day… [they] don’t have to jump out of school to go running back to their home and…pick up their kid,” said Bernard. The Early Learning Center, a preschool program in Malden for students ages 3-5, offers full and half-day programs. Parents and caregivers can also select if they wish to send their children in two, three, or five days a week. When […]

Malden’s first Haunted Woods event was a spooky success

November 20, 2024 NeighborhoodView 1

By Emily Champagne There were more tricks than treats at Malden’s first Haunted Woods event. Organized by Ward 5’s City Councillor Ari Taylor, the event attracted Malden families and residents alike who wanted to revel in the spirit of the spooky season. The October 26 event was inspired by “Spooky World,” a haunted amusement park Taylor remembers visiting when she was younger. She wanted to bring a similar captivating experience to Malden. While the event was hosted for people of all ages, Taylor wanted this to be the first of many Halloween events catering especially to teenagers and adults. “The event was geared towards an older audience because it was something that Malden hadn’t really seen,” Taylor said. The event occurred at Pine Banks Park, a 20-minute walk from Malden Center, which was decked out with cobwebs, “beware” signs, and an inflatable ghost at the entrance. Ghoulish “tour guides” led small groups of 10 through the twists and turns of a small forest where participants met zombies, vampires, and witches. All supernatural creatures, including the […]

Malden City Council Members host new “Pumpkin SMASH” event

November 15, 2024 NeighborhoodView 1

By Annie Sarlin Going to school on a Saturday might be a nightmare to many students, but the opportunity to smash their Halloween pumpkins motivated many to return to the Linden STEAM Academy on Saturday, Nov. 2. The air smelled faintly of overripe produce as families and Malden residents gathered in the school parking lot to throw their jack-o’-lanterns into a compost truck for the city’s first “Pumpkin SMASH.” Malden City Council members Jadeane Sica and Craig Spadafora, in coalition with the city of Malden, hosted the event to encourage people to compost their pumpkins instead of throwing them away. “Councilor Sica and I, we do these events throughout the year, we do a clothing drive, we do Community Safety Day, so we try to do new and fun things,” said Spadafora. “Not only is it [the “Pumpkin SMASH”] a fun event, but it also helps us take pumpkins out of the waste and… recycle in a proper way.” The truck came from Black Earth Compost, a company that collects waste from homes, schools, and […]

Future of Malden Center for Arts and Culture uncertain two years after Courthouse acquisition

November 12, 2024 Maria Yulikova 1

By Maria Yulikova After the city acquired the Malden District Courthouse in 2022, excitement brewed among government officials and residents alike about a potential conversion of the historic building at 89 Summer St. into the Malden Center for Arts and Culture. The Mayor’s office formed an Advisory Committee to develop a detailed proposal laying out finances, renovations and how spaces should be used. In July 2022, Malden authorities published the comprehensive Concept Plan. A Feasibility Study for the proposed Malden Center for Arts & Culture was published in September 2023. However, things have been at a standstill ever since. “We had a very tough budget year,” said Amanda Linehan, Malden Ward 3 City Councillor. “But we stay optimistic about this project. We don’t want to see it frozen anymore and our residents offer their expertise on fundraising.” Linehan says that State Representative Paul Donato has put money into the state budget for the rehab but what is needed is actually much higher. Linehan said that she was “surprised” to learn how extensive the project would […]

Large Retail/Condo building planned for demolished Teen Center site but fate of historic building is at stake

November 7, 2024 NeighborhoodView 0

By Mark Micheli The large hole in downtown Malden created by the demolition of the Malden Teen Center four years ago could be replaced with a 7-story building with retail on the first floor and about 60 residential condominiums above that. But first, the city and the developer have to decide the fate of a historic building next door. The historic M. Ida Converse building at 15 Ferry Street will likely be demolished if the city is unable to move it to another location. And that’s because the developer, Alpha Business Center LLC, has permission to demolish it to make way for its plans to construct a large building over that lot, as well as the lot next door at 1 Salem Street. Even if the historic building is demolished or moved, the developer would still need special permits from the city to carry out its building plans on the prominent downtown corner of Ferry, Salem and Main Streets, according to Ward 4 City Councilor Ryan O’Malley. High School Site Eyed For Historic Building A […]

City eliminates upper age limit to become a Malden Police Officer

November 1, 2024 NeighborhoodView 1

By Emma Siebold Previously, if you were 32 or older, your hopes of becoming a Malden police officer would be a distant dream. Until now. There is no longer an upper age limit for one to become a Malden Police Officer, thanks to a petition proposed by a Malden resident and backed by Mayor Gary Christenson and Police Chief Glenn Cronin. Bill H.2546, signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey on August 23, removed the upper age limit of 32 years to apply as an entry-level police officer, specifically for the city of Malden. Many surrounding communities, such as Revere, Everett, Medford and Somerville have no upper age limit for entry-level firefighters or police officers. The provision in Malden also previously blocked transfers from other public safety groups; a sheriff or corrections officer could not transition to the Malden Police Department if they passed the age cap. Cronin hopes that less restrictions will open the door to a more diverse and experienced candidate pool. “Things aren’t black and white, it’s about making decisions in the […]