Jerome Lyle Rappaport
Encyclopedia
Jerome Lyle Rappaport was a lawyer, developer, political leader, and landlord. Today, he is best known for his philanthropy in Boston, Massachusetts, and as the general partner of one of the most successful and maligned developments of the urban renewal
era, the West End Project from which he created a 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) urban neighborhood known as Charles River Park.
, being the son of a clothier of Romania
n extraction.“Controversy is Rappaport’s Middle Name.” Boston Globe, April 11, 1990. Rappaport entered Harvard University
at 16 years old and received his Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Laws
at 21 in 1949. He earned a Masters of Public Administration from the Littauer School (today the Harvard Kennedy School) in 1963.
As a student Rappaport founded the Harvard Law School
Forum, which was originally dedicated to the memory of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
and 102 other Harvard Law School graduates and former students on leave who had died in World War II
. The Forum’s Friday evening radio broadcasts on WHDH
in 1946 garnered positive press and inspired the participation of Harvard’s then President, Law school Dean, faculty members and student peers.
in receiving the Massachusetts Jaycees “Distinguished Service” award as Massachusetts’ most Outstanding Young Leader for 1952. Kennedy's award was one of many stepping stones on the road to his becoming a United States Senator. Rappaport’s acceptance speech in January 1953 was mostly geared towards inspiring wealthier and more seasoned local businessmen to invest everything they could in Boston’s then-languishing economic development
program, and "to give more time, energy, and thought to community affairs."
Prior to that his efforts helped John Hynes
beat James Michael Curley
in the watershed city elections of 1949. The following year Rappaport started to become a centerpiece of Boston’s political reform movement
when he created the New Boston Committee (NBC). Rappaport received national attention while Curley’s popularity spiraled downward. The NBC reached its highest point when ten of the fifteen elected officials
who served the city from 1952-1954 had been endorsed by the NBC. After Curley's unsuccessful attempt to dismiss the NBC, as a reincarnation of the so-called "Goo-goos
" that he had rallied working class Bostonians against for years, Curley said that he quit the 1951 mayor’s race because it was “imperative that...all the candidates endorsed by the New Boston Committee be defeated.” Six years later, Rappaport was one of the so-called "enemies" Boston’s Rascal King aimed to bury through disparaging remarks published in Curley’s autobiography, "I'd Do It All Again."
During this period Rappaport also worked in the John Hynes
Administration, established a private law office, and taught a political science
class at Boston University
. He earned public praise for creating the short-lived Greater Boston Area Council (GBAC), which indirectly led to the creation of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Greater Boston’s first public television
station, WGBH-TV
Channel 2.
) began a forty year business partnership
by acquiring the rights to redevelop Boston’s West End neighborhood, as part of the national urban renewal program launched by the Housing Act of 1949. After a sixteen-year construction phase the West End Project was ultimately successful. It launched a long era of luxury housing construction in Boston that slowed decades of decentralization
. Throughout the 1960s Charles River Park symbolized the critical early successes of the "New Boston," the city’s political and economic rebound during the last half of the 20th Century.
and Greater Boston Real Estate
Board for being an accomplished real estate pioneer and industry leader, a generous philanthropist, and one of the principal architects of the New Boston. He received an honorary Doctor
of Laws degree from Suffolk University
in 1998, for "his career of outstanding accomplishments and public service and for his role in reshaping the city's West End neighborhood."
His reputation has also been negatively impacted by a chorus of scholarly and non-scholarly opinions about urban renewal and, in particular, his signature development which resulted from the City of Boston’s decision to gentrify a working class
neighborhood. The most widely known book on the subject is "The Urban Villagers," Herbert J. Gans
critical analysis of the old area's clearance as an alleged "slum
" and the West Enders' displacement from their neighborhood. The West End-Charles River Park experience has been covered thousands of times in books, magazine articles, newspaper columns, and undergraduate and postgraduate papers.
Today, urban planning
students are still asked to consider if the positive value of the thriving 50 year-old community that Rappaport and his partners created—consisting of 2,300 units of skyscraper housing, 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of retail and office space, 3,400 parking spaces, and an affordable housing
building for senior citizens—is outweighed by the destruction of the old West End, and the negative experiences of many whom the City evicted prior to this seminal political, economic and urban planning event.
For years the West End controversy cast a shadow over Rappaport’s successful law practice
, and profitable developments in New Haven, Connecticut
and Brighton, Massachusetts
. It is not widely known that he was the first developer to rebuild a section of the then-decrepit and now-flourishing Charlestown Navy Yard
, or that he served on the Boston Fair Housing
Commission and the boards of numerous non-profits
and corporations for a period spanning more than half a century. Even after the real estate investment company he formed with two sons, New Boston Fund Inc. became one of the richest and most powerful in New England
during the late 1990’s, nearly every major article about Rappaport mentioned the West End Project and cast it in a mixed light.(Source: “Controversy is Rappaport’s Middle Name.” Boston Globe, April 11, 1990)
, health, and the arts. The bulk of the money has gone to the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston
at Harvard Kennedy School, and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service
at Suffolk University Law School
.
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
era, the West End Project from which he created a 48 acres (194,249.3 m²) urban neighborhood known as Charles River Park.
New York and Harvard Roots
Born and raised in the Bronx and Manhattan’s Upper West SideUpper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
, being the son of a clothier of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n extraction.“Controversy is Rappaport’s Middle Name.” Boston Globe, April 11, 1990. Rappaport entered Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
at 16 years old and received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Laws
Bachelor of Laws
The Bachelor of Laws is an undergraduate, or bachelor, degree in law originating in England and offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree...
at 21 in 1949. He earned a Masters of Public Administration from the Littauer School (today the Harvard Kennedy School) in 1963.
As a student Rappaport founded the Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
Forum, which was originally dedicated to the memory of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy, Jr. was an American bomber pilot during World War II. He was the eldest of nine children born to Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Elizabeth Kennedy....
and 102 other Harvard Law School graduates and former students on leave who had died in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Forum’s Friday evening radio broadcasts on WHDH
WHDH
The call letters WHDH may represent:* WHDH : a television station in Boston, Massachusetts that currently exists...
in 1946 garnered positive press and inspired the participation of Harvard’s then President, Law school Dean, faculty members and student peers.
Early Success in Politics
In the early 1950’s Rappaport quickly emerged as one of Boston’s most well-known political leaders. The peak occurred when Rappaport succeeded Congressman John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
in receiving the Massachusetts Jaycees “Distinguished Service” award as Massachusetts’ most Outstanding Young Leader for 1952. Kennedy's award was one of many stepping stones on the road to his becoming a United States Senator. Rappaport’s acceptance speech in January 1953 was mostly geared towards inspiring wealthier and more seasoned local businessmen to invest everything they could in Boston’s then-languishing economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
program, and "to give more time, energy, and thought to community affairs."
Prior to that his efforts helped John Hynes
John Hynes
John B. Hynes , a Massachusetts politician, was mayor of Boston 1950-1960.Family backgroundHynes was the son of Bernard Hynes, Abbey Street, Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland, who emigrated to Boston about 1890...
beat James Michael Curley
James Michael Curley
James Michael Curley was an American politician famous for his four terms as mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. He also served twice in the United States House of Representatives and one term as 53rd Governor of Massachusetts.-Early life:Curley's father, Michael Curley, left Oughterard, County...
in the watershed city elections of 1949. The following year Rappaport started to become a centerpiece of Boston’s political reform movement
Reform movement
A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes...
when he created the New Boston Committee (NBC). Rappaport received national attention while Curley’s popularity spiraled downward. The NBC reached its highest point when ten of the fifteen elected officials
Official
An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...
who served the city from 1952-1954 had been endorsed by the NBC. After Curley's unsuccessful attempt to dismiss the NBC, as a reincarnation of the so-called "Goo-goos
Goo-goos
The goo-goos, or good government guys, were political groups founded in an era when urban municipal governments in the United States were dominated by machine politics. Goo-goos supported candidates who would fight for political reform...
" that he had rallied working class Bostonians against for years, Curley said that he quit the 1951 mayor’s race because it was “imperative that...all the candidates endorsed by the New Boston Committee be defeated.” Six years later, Rappaport was one of the so-called "enemies" Boston’s Rascal King aimed to bury through disparaging remarks published in Curley’s autobiography, "I'd Do It All Again."
During this period Rappaport also worked in the John Hynes
John Hynes
John B. Hynes , a Massachusetts politician, was mayor of Boston 1950-1960.Family backgroundHynes was the son of Bernard Hynes, Abbey Street, Loughrea, County Galway, Ireland, who emigrated to Boston about 1890...
Administration, established a private law office, and taught a political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
class at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. He earned public praise for creating the short-lived Greater Boston Area Council (GBAC), which indirectly led to the creation of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Greater Boston’s first public television
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
station, WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV
WGBH-TV, channel 2, is a non-commercial educational public television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WGBH-TV is a member station of the Public Broadcasting Service , and produces more than two-thirds of PBS's national prime time television programming...
Channel 2.
Urban Renewal builder
Less than two years after the NBC and GBAC disbanded during the summer of 1954, Rappaport, Seon Pierre Bonan (a Connecticut and New York City-based developer) and Theodore Shoolman (a Boston Realtor whose late father had built The Wang TheatreWang Center for the Performing Arts
The Citi Performing Arts Center is located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It consists of two theatres, Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, both of which are neighbors, on Tremont Street, in Boston's Theatre District...
) began a forty year business partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
by acquiring the rights to redevelop Boston’s West End neighborhood, as part of the national urban renewal program launched by the Housing Act of 1949. After a sixteen-year construction phase the West End Project was ultimately successful. It launched a long era of luxury housing construction in Boston that slowed decades of decentralization
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
. Throughout the 1960s Charles River Park symbolized the critical early successes of the "New Boston," the city’s political and economic rebound during the last half of the 20th Century.
Mixed legacy
Rappaport has been commended publicly and received lifetime achievement awards from the American Jewish CommitteeAmerican Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
and Greater Boston Real Estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
Board for being an accomplished real estate pioneer and industry leader, a generous philanthropist, and one of the principal architects of the New Boston. He received an honorary Doctor
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of Laws degree from Suffolk University
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-sectarian, university located in Boston, Massachusetts and with over 16,000 students it is the third largest university in Boston...
in 1998, for "his career of outstanding accomplishments and public service and for his role in reshaping the city's West End neighborhood."
His reputation has also been negatively impacted by a chorus of scholarly and non-scholarly opinions about urban renewal and, in particular, his signature development which resulted from the City of Boston’s decision to gentrify a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
neighborhood. The most widely known book on the subject is "The Urban Villagers," Herbert J. Gans
Herbert J. Gans
Herbert J. Gans is an American sociologist who has taught at Columbia University since 1971, retiring in 2007.One of the most prolific and influential sociologists of his generation, Gans came to America in 1940 as a refugee from Nazism and has sometimes described his scholarly work as an...
critical analysis of the old area's clearance as an alleged "slum
Slum
A slum, as defined by United Nations agency UN-HABITAT, is a run-down area of a city characterized by substandard housing and squalor and lacking in tenure security. According to the United Nations, the percentage of urban dwellers living in slums decreased from 47 percent to 37 percent in the...
" and the West Enders' displacement from their neighborhood. The West End-Charles River Park experience has been covered thousands of times in books, magazine articles, newspaper columns, and undergraduate and postgraduate papers.
Today, urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
students are still asked to consider if the positive value of the thriving 50 year-old community that Rappaport and his partners created—consisting of 2,300 units of skyscraper housing, 500000 square feet (46,451.5 m²) of retail and office space, 3,400 parking spaces, and an affordable housing
Affordable housing
Affordable housing is a term used to describe dwelling units whose total housing costs are deemed "affordable" to those that have a median income. Although the term is often applied to rental housing that is within the financial means of those in the lower income ranges of a geographical area, the...
building for senior citizens—is outweighed by the destruction of the old West End, and the negative experiences of many whom the City evicted prior to this seminal political, economic and urban planning event.
For years the West End controversy cast a shadow over Rappaport’s successful law practice
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
, and profitable developments in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
and Brighton, Massachusetts
Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts
Brighton is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located in the northwest corner of the city. It is named after the town of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove...
. It is not widely known that he was the first developer to rebuild a section of the then-decrepit and now-flourishing Charlestown Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
, or that he served on the Boston Fair Housing
Fair housing
In the United States, the fair housing policies date largely from the 1960s. Originally, the terms fair housing and open housing came from a political movement of the time to outlaw discrimination in the rental or purchase of homes and a broad range of other housing-related transactions, such as...
Commission and the boards of numerous non-profits
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
and corporations for a period spanning more than half a century. Even after the real estate investment company he formed with two sons, New Boston Fund Inc. became one of the richest and most powerful in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
during the late 1990’s, nearly every major article about Rappaport mentioned the West End Project and cast it in a mixed light.(Source: “Controversy is Rappaport’s Middle Name.” Boston Globe, April 11, 1990)
Philanthropy
In 1997 Rappaport and his wife established the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Charitable Foundation. It has since donated more than $30 million to efforts focusing on public policyPublic policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
, health, and the arts. The bulk of the money has gone to the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston
Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston
The Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston is a research and policy center housed at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
at Harvard Kennedy School, and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service
Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service
The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service is a privately endowed public interest law center administered by and located on the grounds of Suffolk University Law School in Boston, Massachusetts...
at Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School
Suffolk University Law School, also known as Suffolk Law School or SULS, is one of the professional graduate schools of Suffolk University. Suffolk University Law School is a private, non-sectarian, law school located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Suffolk University Law School was founded in...
.