Cassandra Rochon
Current name: Cassandra Rochon Chase
Age when this tile was made: 7
Where did you live when you made this tile?20 Malvern Ave Somerville, MA. 02144
Where else have you lived in Somerville?Gilman Terrace. I forget what number...
Where do you live now?Manchester, NH.
Do you consider Somerville your hometown? Yes
What is your earliest Somerville memory?Davis Square. We were ALWAYS walking to Davis Square for something!
How would you describe Somerville in the 1980s?Very family oriented. I could name all of the families on my street, and the 3 neighboring streets down; including Cameron Ave. Several generations of families in each house (double or triple deckers) grew up with one another. Also, families were big!
How would you describe Somerville today?Not as many of the original families live there anymore. It seems a bit more mid-twenties, young and professional.
Some changes are just strange to see. Like the old electric bus barn not being gigantic on the corner of Mass and Cameron. I have spent much of my time waiting for buses at the bus barn. They had the BEST heat in the winter! Also, the Boy Scouts would have a big tree lot there at Christmas time. That was always so nice to walk by on the way home.
How has Somerville changed?It is definitely way more hip to live there. Ha, ha. It really was not a hip place to live in the early 80's. It is the new Cambridge. Ha,ha.
I remember making the Davis Square T tile. It is one of my first memories. I remember drawing it, and going on a field trip to where it would be made. I also remember when the Red Line was built in Davis. It was a big deal. Before that we had to take the bus to Harvard to get "into town."
I have two very fond memories growing up in Somerville.
1. The Somerville Public Library College Ave branch. God, how I loved that library. I remember the first time my Mom let me ride my bike there alone.
2. Taking the train into Boston with my Nana. We would spend the day shopping at Filene's and end the day with an ice cream sundae at Bailey's. It was the best day of the year!
