Boston's Combat Zone Relived In New Exhibit

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One photo shows a working guy walking past a working girl on Lagrange Street.

BOSTON (WBZ) ― Mention the words "Combat Zone" in Boston and you'll probably hear more than a few snickers.

View: The exhibit online

But today, this area of the city looks nothing like it did decades ago.

An X-rated movie house is now a Dunkin' Donuts and the streets have more pedestrians than prostitutes.

But, you can now take a walk down memory lane, straight to the Combat Zone.

"This is kind of fun," said photographer John Goodman. "This is amazing."

Goodman, a Boston native, is one of three photographers taking part in a new exhibit at the Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston. The exhibit chronicles the people and places of Boston's Combat Zone from 1969 through 1978.

View: The exhibit online

"I was a young kid with a camera and it was all there for me and I photographed it," said Goodman.

30 black-and-white photographs by Goodman, Roswell Angier and Jerry Berndt are on display.

Gallery owner Howard Yezerski says it's not just baby boomers taking a look.

"I'm really surprised at the amount of young people who are interested."

The neon sign that used to beckon patrons to the Naked I strip club, now welcomes gallery patrons.

Sean Callahan, 36, came to see the exhibit. He used to live in the combat zone.

"I had a loft in Chinatown which is now One Lincoln… but the Naked I…was still there."

While a few businesses remain, most are gone.

The pictures show not only just how much this area has changed, but also a glimpse into the lives of the people who used to live and work on these streets.

One shows a working guy walking past a working girl, a prostitute on Lagrange Street.

Another shows the youthful faces of a carload of guys, armed with a six-pack of Schlitz beer headed to the Zone for the night.

And then there's the wistful look of Lorrain Gail, a stripper at the Two O'Clock Club, who would end up murdered by an ex-boyfriend.

"Every single picture tells a story in and of itself," said Katie O'Brien, 33, who came to see the exhibit.

It was a time and place, now taking its place in Boston history.

"It was amazing in its own way," said Goodman.

The exhibit runs through March 16th at the Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston.

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