Boston Cleans Up 'Combat Zone'

BOSTON--On a night in late November 1976, a few days after a disappointing loss in The Game, about 16 football players followed a team dinner at the Harvard Club with an outing to the Naked-I lounge, where they spent the wee hours of the morning watching female exotic dancers bare their bodies for cash.

The players were heading to their cars after the strip club's 2 a.m. closing when prostitutes approached them and stole one student's wallet.

The students pursued the prostitutes only to run into their pimps--three men armed with knives who stabbed Thomas Lincoln' 77 in the abdomen and, after a chase, stabbed Andrew Puopolo ' 77 in the heart and lungs.

Puopolo arrived in the New England Medical Center emergency room just two minutes after the altercation, but he never regained consciousness and he died in the hospital after a 31-day coma.

In the wake of Puopolo's tragic murder, the mayor's office and the Boston Redevelopment Association (BRA) initiated and effort to completely rid the city of its X-rated businesses.

The Naked-I has since been bulldozed to make room for a parking lot, and a combination of economic forces and initiatives by the BRA are working together to spell the end of Boston's centers of sin.

Feeling the Squeeze

Pornography peddlers are restricted by Boston law to sell their wares only along a stretch of Washington Street between the Downtown Crossing and Chinatown subway stops, a section of the city known as the "Combat Zone."

When the Combat Zone was first designated as the city's headquarters for immoral pursuits in 1974, it was "sort of a no man's land" separated from most of the city by stretches of barren lots, according to Kelly Quinn, spokesperson for the BRA.

Times are changing, though, and the expansion of shopping centers near DowntownCrossing coupled with Chinatown business "growingby leaps and bounds" has put the squeeze on theCombat Zone from both sides, driving up rents forthe strip clubs and erotic shops, Quinn says.

"There are market factors at play," she says."Those building owners are finding other tenantswho can afford the higher rent."

Family Values?

Although Quinn says that Boston under MayorThomas M. Menino is making no effort to "curbthese people's [First Amendment] rights" anddenies any concerted effort by the city to removethe X-rated element from the Combat Zone, the BRAhas a history of conflicts with the sin industryon Washington Street.

In 1993, then-Mayor Raymond L. Flynn announceda comprehensive plan for terminating the remainingadult-entertainment centers in the Combat Zone.

BRA Director Paul Barrett told The BostonGlobe at the time that the city would "put thelast nail in the coffin of the Combat Zone,"predicting an end to the Naked-I Lounge andPilgrim Theatre, whose buildings have since beentorn down to accommodate a parking lot.

Barrett also predicted the closing of The GlassSlipper lounge, which, five years later, is stillopen for business.

The Glass Slipper, a theater for exoticdancing, sits just two blocks east of the WangCenter for the Performing Arts.

Male and female patrons converse over vodkamixers in the dimly-lit establishment while a nudewoman dances erotically on the bar.

A regular crowd still frequents the La GrangeStreet strip bar on most early evenings. Theowners of The Glass Slipper attribute theirstaying power to the invisible hand that guidesall capitalist markets.

"There's a need for it," says William, one ofThe Glass Slipper's owners, who refused to givehis last name. "If there wasn't a need for it, noone would come in, and we'd have to close down."

William, who owns three other clubs around thecountry and has operated the La Grange Streetfixture for 27 years, says Boston's pastbelligerence toward his industry was unusual.

"Every major city has them," he says. "Most ofthe cities condone it."

He says he did not think establishments likeThe Glass Slipper foster criminal activity andsuggests they may even promote family values.

"Two of my sons work here, and my wife workedin another club for many years," he says.

Good Neighbor Policy

Many store and restaurant owners on WashingtonStreet say the close proximity ofsexually-oriented industries does not harm theirinvestments.

"They do their business. Our customers don'tcomplain about it," says James C. Toh, the managerof Penang, a Malaysian restaurant located nextdoor to the Erotic Entertainment Center onWashington Street.

Toh, whose 14-month-old, family-orientedrestaurant has garnered Best of Boston accoladesfrom Boston Magazine, says he went into businessdespite the presence of a neighboring X-ratedstore.

"This type of business before us was alreadyestablished," he says of the adult book, video andaccessory seller next door. "Before we opened up,we thought about what effect it would have."

Since moving in, Toh has grown to accept thenearby source of fantasy flicks.

"The city has already cut down" the number ofpornography vendors in the area, he says,defending the Erotic Entertainment Center's rightto stay in business. "They should not cut out toomany more."

Urban Renewal

In recent years, the city's focus has been onfostering the growth of Asian-American-ownedbusinesses like Toh's rather than just excludingsexually-oriented industries from the Combat Zone.

In 1993, the city purchased and renovated theChina Trade Center, which used to be known as theBoylston Building, on the corner of Boylston andWashington Streets.

Former Mayor Flynn told The Globe thatthe real-estate deal signaled the start of anintensive plan to convert the Combat Zone into anew Asian-American business center.

Today, the China Trade Center, which housesover a dozen Asian-American-owned businesses,ranging from barber shops to travel agencies,sticks out as the only modern office structure ina stretch of graffiti-covered, run-down buildings.

Quinn says the city purchased the "gateway intoChinatown" under its urban renewal plan, but doesnot actively seek out Asian-American-ownedbusinesses to occupy it.

Chinatown's expansion into the Combat Zone ischanging the role of the ethnic center as well asthe pornography zone, according to Paul H.M. Lee,a member of the Chinese Economic DevelopmentCouncil, the first federally-funded organizationthat supplies affordable housing and office spaceto Asian-American businesses.

"Chinatown will be the hub for Asian activityin Boston," Lee says. "Agencies and organizationsare locating there."

Lee says Liberty Bank & Trust, the Grand Chinarestaurant and many more restaurants and shops arein the process of opening on lower WashingtonStreet, in the heart of the Combat Zone.

The area is becoming a large meeting place forAsian commerce, socialization and worship, Leesays.

"The Boston Chinese Anglican Church draws 1,000people to Sunday mass," Lee says. "People wouldrather come into town than have the church moveinto the suburbs."CrimsonHector U. VelazquezTHE GLASS SLIPPER: This theater forexotic dancing is one of the few remaining adultentertainment businesses.

"There are market factors at play," she says."Those building owners are finding other tenantswho can afford the higher rent."

Family Values?

Although Quinn says that Boston under MayorThomas M. Menino is making no effort to "curbthese people's [First Amendment] rights" anddenies any concerted effort by the city to removethe X-rated element from the Combat Zone, the BRAhas a history of conflicts with the sin industryon Washington Street.

In 1993, then-Mayor Raymond L. Flynn announceda comprehensive plan for terminating the remainingadult-entertainment centers in the Combat Zone.

BRA Director Paul Barrett told The BostonGlobe at the time that the city would "put thelast nail in the coffin of the Combat Zone,"predicting an end to the Naked-I Lounge andPilgrim Theatre, whose buildings have since beentorn down to accommodate a parking lot.

Barrett also predicted the closing of The GlassSlipper lounge, which, five years later, is stillopen for business.

The Glass Slipper, a theater for exoticdancing, sits just two blocks east of the WangCenter for the Performing Arts.

Male and female patrons converse over vodkamixers in the dimly-lit establishment while a nudewoman dances erotically on the bar.

A regular crowd still frequents the La GrangeStreet strip bar on most early evenings. Theowners of The Glass Slipper attribute theirstaying power to the invisible hand that guidesall capitalist markets.

"There's a need for it," says William, one ofThe Glass Slipper's owners, who refused to givehis last name. "If there wasn't a need for it, noone would come in, and we'd have to close down."

William, who owns three other clubs around thecountry and has operated the La Grange Streetfixture for 27 years, says Boston's pastbelligerence toward his industry was unusual.

"Every major city has them," he says. "Most ofthe cities condone it."

He says he did not think establishments likeThe Glass Slipper foster criminal activity andsuggests they may even promote family values.

"Two of my sons work here, and my wife workedin another club for many years," he says.

Good Neighbor Policy

Many store and restaurant owners on WashingtonStreet say the close proximity ofsexually-oriented industries does not harm theirinvestments.

"They do their business. Our customers don'tcomplain about it," says James C. Toh, the managerof Penang, a Malaysian restaurant located nextdoor to the Erotic Entertainment Center onWashington Street.

Toh, whose 14-month-old, family-orientedrestaurant has garnered Best of Boston accoladesfrom Boston Magazine, says he went into businessdespite the presence of a neighboring X-ratedstore.

"This type of business before us was alreadyestablished," he says of the adult book, video andaccessory seller next door. "Before we opened up,we thought about what effect it would have."

Since moving in, Toh has grown to accept thenearby source of fantasy flicks.

"The city has already cut down" the number ofpornography vendors in the area, he says,defending the Erotic Entertainment Center's rightto stay in business. "They should not cut out toomany more."

Urban Renewal

In recent years, the city's focus has been onfostering the growth of Asian-American-ownedbusinesses like Toh's rather than just excludingsexually-oriented industries from the Combat Zone.

In 1993, the city purchased and renovated theChina Trade Center, which used to be known as theBoylston Building, on the corner of Boylston andWashington Streets.

Former Mayor Flynn told The Globe thatthe real-estate deal signaled the start of anintensive plan to convert the Combat Zone into anew Asian-American business center.

Today, the China Trade Center, which housesover a dozen Asian-American-owned businesses,ranging from barber shops to travel agencies,sticks out as the only modern office structure ina stretch of graffiti-covered, run-down buildings.

Quinn says the city purchased the "gateway intoChinatown" under its urban renewal plan, but doesnot actively seek out Asian-American-ownedbusinesses to occupy it.

Chinatown's expansion into the Combat Zone ischanging the role of the ethnic center as well asthe pornography zone, according to Paul H.M. Lee,a member of the Chinese Economic DevelopmentCouncil, the first federally-funded organizationthat supplies affordable housing and office spaceto Asian-American businesses.

"Chinatown will be the hub for Asian activityin Boston," Lee says. "Agencies and organizationsare locating there."

Lee says Liberty Bank & Trust, the Grand Chinarestaurant and many more restaurants and shops arein the process of opening on lower WashingtonStreet, in the heart of the Combat Zone.

The area is becoming a large meeting place forAsian commerce, socialization and worship, Leesays.

"The Boston Chinese Anglican Church draws 1,000people to Sunday mass," Lee says. "People wouldrather come into town than have the church moveinto the suburbs."CrimsonHector U. VelazquezTHE GLASS SLIPPER: This theater forexotic dancing is one of the few remaining adultentertainment businesses.