Malden Archives - Page 19 of 26

Davenport Memorial Home serves seniors and keeps the past alive

March 15, 2019 ditikohli 0

Story by Diti Kohli After stepping into the Davenport Memorial Home, guests are greeted by smiling porpoises laid into the tile on the floor of the entrance and an intricate red rug in the foyer. Decades-old A.H. Davenport Company furniture and antiques furnish every visible corner of the building. Nestled prominently between the public library and the high school, the Salem Street mansion does not hide from Malden residents. But the senior living facility’s brick exterior and perfectly manicured lawn do not attract questions from locals. Rachel Burke, Davenport’s assistant administrator, said it is Malden’s best kept secret. “A lot of people know the building, but not what’s in the building,” she said. For 73 years, the Davenport has been a non-profit residential home for Malden senior citizens, while preserving the mansion’s centuries-old architecture and the culture it represented. The Salem Street mansion was once the family home of the Davenports, Malden natives with vast political influence who opened the First Baptist Church near the home. Patriarch A.H. Davenport founded the Davenport Furniture Company, which supplied furniture to famous clients, […]

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Work proceeds on Malden’s new city hall

February 28, 2019 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli As the reconstruction of Malden City Hall enters its its final year, details on time of completion, parking, and security are now emerging. The exact finishing date of the new Malden city hall cannot be confirmed until the city acquires the building’s shell, according to a city official. The goal is to open the building by late 2019 or early 2020. Ron Hogan, director of the parking department and member of the municipal building committee, said the city “anticipates taking possession of the building sometime in the early April time frame.” Until then, individual offices cannot be built. Initially, the city reported they would acquire possession in March with the goal to finish construction by November 2019. The demolition of the previous city hall, which was built in the 1970s, will reconnect the two ends of Pleasant Street and provide access to the MBTA Station at Malden Center. The new buildings, developed by Jefferson Apartment Group, will be an eclectic mix of commercial, residential, and civic sections. Retail stores will occupy 22,000 […]

MATV to host Arts and Culture Summit March 9th

February 26, 2019 ditikohli 1

Story by Diti Kohli MATV, Malden’s Media Center, calls on community members to celebrate and encourage artistic expression in the city at the Arts and Culture Summit on March 9 2019. At the event, artists and supporters will gather to meet each other, hear guest presenters, and participate in a conversation about Malden’s arts and culture ecosystem. Anne D’Urso-Rose, associate director of MATV and one of the summit’s hosts, said the objective of the summit is to connect residents, artists, businesses, and officials with each other and MATV. Watertown City Councilor Vincent Piccirilli, who has served the city for 11 years, will deliver a featured presentation about the creation of The Dorothy and Charles Mosesian Center for the Arts in his city. Decades ago, the building operated as a military arsenal and then as a mall until 14 years ago when the Mosesian was founded. Now, the performance space includes a theatre, as well as multiple restaurants and shops. “I think we can be inspired and learn from the collaboration and contributions of different entities […]

Lunar New Year celebration kicks off Malden Reads 2019

February 24, 2019 NeighborhoodView 0

By Frances Hui This year’s selection for Malden Reads 2019, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See, was feted last month during a celebration of Lunar New Year and the coming of the Year of Pig in a day-long event that featured Asian cultural performances, workshops, artwork exhibitions and refreshments at Malden High School. The Jan. 26 event, sponsored by the Chinese Culture Connection (CCC), Malden Reads and the high school’s Asian Culture Club, drew more than 100 people, including Mayor Gary Christenson and other Malden officials. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane is about a journey of a Li-yan, a young woman from a minority tribe in China, who gives up her child for adoption. At times, the story cuts between her life and her adopted child’s life in California. Li-yan eventually moves beyond the limited education of the rest of her community, leaves her traditional village, and begins to experience the modern world in the cities of China, where she becomes an integral part of the tea trade. The book is about many things: […]

Homeless find refuge in Malden Warming Center

February 18, 2019 ditikohli 6

Story and photos by Diti Kohli Age 54, diabetic, and newly homeless, Rosa spent her first night in the Malden Warming Center on a frigid February evening. In late January, she lost her job as a live-in evening manager of a disabled veterans care facility that gave her only two weeks to vacate her home. Rosa does not receive unemployment benefits from her non-profit ex-employer. She survives off food stamps and has only procured enough insulin to last another month. Without the center, she would be spending her nights on the street. “I’ve always said if people are homeless, there has to be a reason they’re there,” said Rosa. “This is my reason.” According to a report from the Department of Housing and Development, Rosa is among the estimated 20,000 homeless individuals in Massachusetts. Citizens and officials in Malden, alarmed at the number of homeless in the city, have worked together to open a warming center, a place where the homeless can find respite from the winter. The center opened for the winter on Jan. […]

We have more to go: Luncheon honors Dr. Martin Luther King

January 31, 2019 ditikohli 0

By Diti Kohli U.S. Senator Ed Markey, a Malden native, captivated the crowd with his speech Jan. 19 at the North Shore Black Women’s Association’s 26th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon on the weekend of Dr. King’s birthday. “Oh, how we still miss his wisdom, his position, his integrity,” Markey told participants at the luncheon, held at Anthony’s restaurant, which commemorates Dr. King and his contributions to peace, justice, and equal rights in the 1950s and 1960s. “Donald Trump tries to use hate to tear our country apart. We are reminded of why Dr. King warned us ‘There comes a time when silence is betrayal,’” said Markey. “That time is now.” The NSBWA honored Markey and three other community members during the annual event: children’s author Lesa Cline Ransome, state senator Jason M. Lewis, and business owner Allen Levine. Malden Recovery Court Judge Benjamin B. Barnes served as keynote speaker. Markey focused many of his comments on the government shutdown, then in its fifth week. At that time, multiple government organizations were closed and […]

Could Malden become a “pocket of civility” in an uncivil country?

December 27, 2018 NeighborhoodView 0

The recent midterm elections have highlighted prime examples of the dark side of American politics — the lack of civility in political discourse. Today, political debates among candidates, pundits and even around the dinner table too often turn into shouting matches, name calling and insults. Social media has become a new frontier for ever-more-appalling insults. Compromise, once the backbone of American politics, has gone the way of the passenger pigeon. As long-time Malden resident Pamela DeGroot lamented on a Facebook post, “First time in my 69 years that I am scared about the future of America …” Citizen journalists for Malden’s Neighborhood View decided to examine the issue of civility and and explore the question: Just what does it take to be polite or kind in uncivil times? MATV reached out to the community via Facebook by posting a question: “How do YOU feel about the tone of civil discourse today?” Maldonian Adam Goodwin responded: “It certainly feels like civil discourse is a lost art…discussion of any political or sensitive topics and can only be strengthened […]

Malden hosts 8th Annual New Citizens Ceremony

December 6, 2018 annedr 0

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom, or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen … “ So begins the Oath of Allegiance that is recited at every Naturalization Ceremony for new citizens of the United States. These ceremonies can take place in nondescript federal office buildings, large convention centers or symbolic places like Ellis Island, a national park, or a national historic site. But here in Malden, there is an annual tradition of naturalization, begun in 2011, and spearheaded by The Immigrant Learning Center, Inc. (ILC). The annual ceremony was first held at the Malden Senior Community Center, but has since moved to Malden High School. On Nov. 19, 2018, the annual ceremony naturalized 171 new citizens, who filled the center section of rows in the Jenkins Auditorium. “This ceremony allows us to make an important contribution to our community,” said Diane Portnoy, ILC Executive Director. “Even though more than one-third of Malden […]

Malden temple honors Tree of Life victims with word and song

November 14, 2018 NeighborhoodView 0

On Saturday, Nov. 10, Fern Remedi-Brown stood up to address fellow members of Congregation Agudas Achim-Ezrath Israel as well as community leaders and other guests. Just two weeks earlier, on Oct. 27, 11 men and women were gunned down at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, in what is considered the deadliest massacre of Jews on U.S. soil. Sadly, she told the crowd, “This reminds many of us of Germany in the 1930s.” Remedi-Brown, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, was part of a Sabbath of Remembrance and Reflection, held at the congregation’s temple on Bryant Street in Malden, to honor the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. The mood of the event was somber, yet deeply respectful and caring in tone. The event began with a service honoring veterans, especially members of Malden Post 74, led by Sexton Wayne Freedman, and continued with a “Service of Reflection” with special readings and reflections from local faith and community leaders. A stream of people came to the bimah (pulpit) to speak, including Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, […]

Cruising and Cleaning the Malden River

October 18, 2018 karenbuckmalden 1

, By Karen Buck Photos by Anne D’Urso Rose and Kelsey Menon On the eve of the 2018 Autumnal Equinox during the mystical moment of twilight, two launch boats from the Gentle Giants Rowing Club (GGRC), towed 10 canoes from the Blessing of the Bay up the Malden River. Aboard were Pastor Edwin Menon of Highrock Malden Church and his wife, Kelsey Menon. They were preparing for what would be one of the largest community cleanups in Malden River’s recent history on the next day. The mostly obedient canoes snaked behind the motor boats as Rich Whelan of GGRC told stories of his youth teams traversing the Mystic River and the Malden River. The return trip to the Blessing of the Bay Boathouse was under a waxing gibbous moon and guided by city lights. At the end of the ride, Menon said, “Now, I really know why you love this river.” By 8:15 a.m., Sept. 22, more than 71 people mingled in the parking lot of 188 Commercial St. in Malden. The group was organized by the Menons. […]