Museum President Jim Campano calls the West End “the greatest neighborhood this side of heaven.” The museum catalogues the West End’s history from the 1880s to the 1950s, ending with a failed urban renewal project displacing thousands of poor immigrants. The museum features photographs and paintings of the old neighborhood, a video about the area’s development and informational plaques. Campano said the museum serves as a place where the remaining West Enders could gather and reminisce about a piece of Boston’s urban history. The city and developers profited off the ruined lives of displaces residents, he said.

The "Tip O'Neill Building" stands on the site formerly occupied by the Hotel Madison. The Madison in its day was one of the finest hotels in Boston. The hotel, adjacent to Boston's North Station, was opened in August 1930 and was named the Manger, for Julius Manger, head of the New York hotel. The name was changed to the Madison in 1958. The Madison closed its doors in 1976 and was destroyed by implosion on Sunday, May 1, 1986 to make way for construction of the "Tip" O'Neil Federal Building. This is where you go when you need to get a foreign visa. However, if you need to renew your passport, you should do it by mail. This building houses the Passport Agency, Social Security Office, Peace Corps, and a bunch of other Governmental Offices.

The West Church was founded in 1737. For the next 150 years it was one of the most socially active congregations in Boston. When the demographics of a changing city scattered its congregation to the Back Bay and the suburbs, the 1806 building was deeded to the City of Boston in 1894 to serve as the West End Library. In 1962, when a new library was constructed, the congregations of the First Methodist Church and Copley Religious Society merged and acquired the building. The new congregation took the name of its new home, now known as Old West Church. Historically, churches were meeting houses that served their community in many capacities, not only for Sunday services. Our congregation has continued and strengthened this tradition. The doors of Old West Church are open to all who serve others, welcoming many religious, educational, and performing-arts organizations throughout the year.

Once the location of cigar-making shops. Along with garment 'finishing', cigar-making was a major occupation for Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe around 1900.