“They said it was going to be a model city. It was not... It was complete chaos over here.”
Interviewed by Sarah Barca on March 9, 2004.
Theresa Argento
Theresa Argento, like many of her neighbors in Wooster Square, was the daughter of Italian immigrants. Her parents owned Carrano’s, a fruit market, on Chapel Street. Though the Redevelopment Agency rehabilitated many of the neighborhood’s historic buildings rather than demolish them, the Argento’s home and business were both targeted for redevelopment. Argento remembers life in Wooster Square and the difficulties associated with relocating her family.
Theresa Argento’s father pictured in front of Carrano’s, the family’s produce store, c. 1905. Courtesy Theresa Argento.
Wooster Square during redevelopment, 1961. Courtesy NHCHS.