1973 Simeon Bruner pays $50.00 for the building; govt. gives him $3,000,000+, limited partners (including Leland Cott, current president of the Boston Society of Architects and a former Peace Corps volunteer) give him $88,000+ to renovate. He brags about throwing out of a window one artist's materials.

August, 1995 Bruner contacts his limited partners and offers to buy them out; he "anticipates a fight and devaluation of the property and will do them a favor by buying them out now."

NOVEMBER 5, 1995 Simeon Bruner prepays his Massachusetts Housing and Finance Authority mortgage, against their wishes.

NOVEMBER 7, 1995 After business hours, management slips under the door of 174 apartments a notice their lease is cancelled.

November 9, 1995 The first panicked meeting of the tenants at the Piano Factory. The story covered by the Boston Globe, the South End News, and TV channel 4.

November 21, 1995 Legal Committee Meeting in Community room.

Early December, 1995 Tenants hire noted lawyer Harvey Shapiro to represent them.

December 15, 1995 The arbitrary deadline for signing the illegal new leases "or face eviction proceedings". Tenants refuse to sign; attempt to hold a party in the building Gallery (public space) and are illegally refused entry. Hold a lease shredding party in the Beau Jest theatre in the North Wing. Hold a candelight vigil in front of the building, covered by TV channel 56. Twenty tenants also picket in front of Simeon Bruner's home in Cambridge.

December 17, 1995 Fundraising party at Mama Kin on Lansdowne Street, organized by Jon Rosbrook and Adam Lewis. Many stars turn out to help, including Angry Salad, Ramon de los Reyes and Clara Ramona, and Jack Powers of the Stone Soup Gallery.

December 27, 1995 Shoreline returns security deposit checks to tenants with a note saying it needs to be signed over to Shoreline along with additional funds for the new lease rates. Tenants through their lawyer return the security checks to management en masse saying they believe security deposit checks are necessary for the leases; if management chooses to return the checks again to the tenants the tenants will assume Shoreline no longer requires security deposits. Management eventually returns the checks.

January, 1996 The bylaws of the Piano Craft Guild Tenants Association are adopted by the general assembly.

January 22, 1996 Protest in front of Simeon Bruner's Cambridge office. The police are called; they ignore us except for the warning to keep moving. Protests continue several times weekly every week for the next year.

January 28, 1996 Fundraising in Beau Jest Theatre: professional massage therapy from the staff at the Four Season's Hotel. Proceeds donated to PCGTA.

February 24, 1996 Fundraising party at the Middle East Cafe organized by Adam Lewis.

March 6, 1996 Boston Housing Authority sends a letter to Shoreline detailing Shorelines violations of leases. The BHA is suing Shoreline and is on the same side (for the first time in history) as the Greater Boston Legal Services.

March 17, 1996 Formal elections are held for members of the Board of Directors of the PCGTA.

April 9 and 10, 1996 First of ongoing series of "Vintage Stuff to Go" rummage sales organized, held in front of the building.

April 20, 1996 PCGTA members confront Chris Greer, assistant deputy director of HUD, to see what assistance his agency might be. Little resolution.

April 24, 1996 Leland Cott gives speech at the Boston Architectural Society. Tenants hold protest in front, giving the security personnel the jitters. Two tenants are escorted politely from the meeting after confronting Cott.

April 29, 1996 More than thirty PCGTA tenants turn out to sit in Boston City Hall's Council Chambers to listen to debate on the Home Rule Petition for expiring use housing-- which would reinstate rent protections for the Piano Factory and nearly 200 other buildings in Boston.

May 1, 1996 Boston Housing Court Judge Daher renders a verdict stating the leases were improperly terminated and the tenants shall retain possession of their apartments. It was a forty-one page decision.

May 1996 The PCGTA is officially incorporated in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a non-profit corporation.

June 22, 23, & 24, 1996 Two PCGTA tenants participate in a National Alliance of HUD Tenants Conference in Washington D.C., giving workshops on prepayment issues and tenant organization, and getting HUD to agree to issue a blanket statement of support for local rent protection issues (if we'll write it. Policy statement forwarded to HUD on November 23, 1996.)

July 16, 1996 The Boston TAB newspaper runs a front page story on housing; the PCGTA is prominently featured in a photo and in the article.

July 24, 1996 PCGTA tenants march on Beacon Hill to lobby for the Home Rule Petition proposed by the City of Boston.

July 21, 1996: PCGTA member Dottie Guild organizes an event in the building's courtyard honoring local activist and founder of Rosie's Place Kip Tiernan. Management unsuccessfully attempts to prevent the proceedings.

July 24, 1996: PCGTA tenants march on Beacon Hill to lobby for the Home Rule Petition.

July 28, 1996: Seven months after tenants requested the resignation of building manager Irene Miller, Shoreline announces a new transition team, citing Ms. Miller's "extraordinary contribution to the company," adding "we will miss her indomitable spirit and sense of humor." Much humor is evidenced in the hallways at this phrasing. Tenants throw a small impromptu celebration in the courtyard. Enraged, Ms. Miller reports the celebration as a "disturbance", complete with false accusations of arson attempts and fire hazards. Hoodwinking the Boston Fire Department Arson Squad leads to a court hearing where no one from Shoreline appears. With all charges dropped against the tenants, Shoreline's accusations - considered malicious persecution and abuse of process - backfire on them, becoming instead another victory for tenants.

July 30, 1996: Installation of new building entry system frustrates visitors and residents alike.

August 1996: PCGTA member Marjorie McDermott distributes WHO'S WHO IN THE PIANO FACTORY, an exhaustive biographical listing of most everyone who has ever lived in the building.

September 1996: Ignoring Judge Daher's May 1 decision, Shoreline files new eviction complaints.

September 20, 1996: In a Housing Court hearing, Judge Daher dismisses Shoreline's second motion for summary judgement that would permit three Piano Factory evictions, noting "Shoreline did not even have any affidavits to support the motion, and failed to give the tenants adequate notice," adding "the leases have not been lawfully terminated and have not otherwise expired."

September 23 - 25, 1996: Thirty resident artists show sixty pieces of artwork in the Gallery's annual Group Show, organized by David Mynott. Twenty PCG artists participate in the annual South End Open Studios.

October 1996: A Shoreline affidavit from Thomas Travers, executive vice president of 791 Tremont Inc., states that tenants have posted "insulting and threatening" messages around the building leading to a "hostile" and aggressive atmosphere", alleging a poster encouraged "PCGTA members to wipe out plantings in the building courtyard." Mr. Travers further complained that since January 1996, the tenants have regularly picketed the homes and offices of the president and vice president of the Piano Craft Guild Associates, and demonstrated at speaking engagements of persons affiliated with the PCGTA. He may have been, in part, referring to a demonstration at the Hancock Tower where residents picketed Leland Cott's presentation on "Humanity in Architecture".

October 1996: PCGTA conducts a building-wide survey of all tenants to determine what direction our future plans for the building should take. Results: 92% say they are maintaining their tenancy in hopes that a long-term solution can be found. 80% care strongly about the struggle for affordable housing, and 94% believe there is strength in numbers.

November 7, 1996: Two dozen people picket in front of Bruner's Cambridge office to commemorate the first anniversary of the Piano Factory struggle. Car, bus and truck horns blast their support amid chants of "One Year - We're Still Here!"

November 18, 1996: At the invitation of its executive producers, Piano Factory residents see "RENT", a musical that chronicles a year of struggles by a group of artists facing eviction.

December 11, 1996: A second hearing held in Housing Court; tenants seek damages for unfair and deceptive business practices on the part of Shoreline.

December 1996: A weekend Vendors' Sale in the Gallery, organized by PCGTA member Kevin Scorgie, is a big fundraising success.

January 1997: In collaboration with Greater Boston Legal Services, PCGTA member Dottie Guild helps draft new legislation which would place a two-year moratorium on the loss of subsidized housing across the state.

January 1997: New tenants begin to express increasing dissatisfaction with Shoreline's lack of response to complaints about conditions in the building, some moving out in disgust. Turnover of apartments reaches a record high. Management installs dishwashers in apartments as they're vacated, in direct violation of its own Resident Handbook which clearly states on Page 19: "Dishwashers are not allowed."

March 3, 1997: Bob the Chef s owner Darryl Settles opens his restaurant's doors for a gala PCGTA benefit, organized by David Mynott. Many celebrities appear, including cast members of "RENT" and State Representative Gloria Fox.

MARCH 5, 1997: In a strongly worded, 103-page decision, Housing Court Judge Daher delivers a powerful blow to landlord Bruner and associates, leaving little to the imagination as to the Judge's opinion of how Bruner has waged war on the Piano Factory's tenants. "'The landlord persists in attempting to circumvent the law, first by claiming to have had the right to terminate the lease upon prepayment of the mortgage, and then by claiming an extraordinary implied right to terminate the tenancy for any reason on the anniversary date. The Court rejected these theories in the first round of cases. Rather than confronting the problem candidly, the landlord has instead subjected the tenants to waves of threats, termination notices and baseless claims... The efforts of the tenants in organizing opposition to the landlord is protected activity; the efforts of the landlord to defeat that organization is not. Thus, under the rulings made by this Court, the tenants are entitled to an award of three months rent in damages, plus reasonable attorney's's fees and cost, on account of the landlord's violation of law..." Tenants victory celebration is covered by TV Channel 4, the South End News and the Boston Globe. Within days of the decision, Bruner hires lawyer Dick Bluestein to open negotiations with the PCGTA.

April 3, 1997: Hearing held at the State House on the Home Rule Petition, Moratorium Bill, and the State-wide Enabling Act. PCGTA is well represented. The bills go to Executive Committee.

April 22, 1997: PCGTA Raffle winners are drawn. Three lucky ticket holders win free meals at six local restaurants.

April 1997: Huge signs appear on nearly every door in the building, warning prospective tenants of the ongoing struggle and advising them to "read the fine print". Bruner is reportedly incensed by this.

April 16, 1997: The first negotiation session takes place at the offices of Attorney Harvey Shapiro. Representing The Landlord are attorney Dick Bluestein and Melanie Nordquist. Representing PCGTA are Mr. Shapiro, Ms. Achtenberg, Jeff Purcell of GBLS, and tenants from BHA, moderate and high income categories.

May 1997: At Bruner's request, PCGTA proposes Judge Edward Hennessey, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, as Negotiations Mediator. He accepts the job. Though Bruner and PCGTA had agreed to halt all legal and protest activities, Shoreline serves tenant Nora Carmichael with eviction papers.

June 1997: PCGTA is awarded a $20,000 development grant from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC).

June 6, 1997: Judge Hennessey requests a memo from both negotiating parties answering two questions: Is mediation viable? And, if so, what are our goals? The responses convince him that this is a mediable situation.

June 20,21,22, 1997: PCGTA members Reno and Faust attend the second annual National HUD Tenants Alliance Conference in Washington, D.C.

June 16, 1997: At a ceremony attended by Senator Dianne Wilkerson, BHA Director Sandra Henriquez and Community Activist Maya McAdoo, the PCGTA is given the Tent City Community Builders Award, in recognition of our "hard work and commitment to preserving culturally diverse, multiracial, multi-income housing in the South End."

July 13, 1997: PCGTA is asked to "cater" the first annual Pet Pride Day by Susan Gross of the Pilot Block Neighborhood Association. PCGTA Fundraiser Fritz Winegardner organizes a profitable smorgasbord.

August 1997: Negotiations continue with Judge Hennessey. PCGTA's Media/Political Committee sends a letter of welcome to all new Piano Factory tenants.

September 1997: Red T shirts are everywhere this month. The PCGTA attends a " Request for Proposal" meeting to respond to the request of Northeastern to build 861 student-housing units in the South End. Along with Sen. Wilkerson, Rep. Rushing, Mel King, and many other church and neighborhood organizations, the PCGTA endorses a full-page ad in the Bay State Banner criticizing the BRA's handling of the RFP Group's recommendations. The PCGTA also attends the first Boston 400 Forum, a community outreach series representing the city's first comprehensive city planning process since the 1960's, concluding with an up-close and personal talk with Mayor Menino, who pledges to help our cause. PCGTA participates in the 11th Annual South End Open Studios, and in its own Group Show in the Gallery (entitled "WE'RE NOT MOVING"), spearheaded by Kevin Scorgie and Gallery Director David Mynott. The PCGTA Web Page is set up on the Internet.

October 3, 1997: At the request of Judge Hennessey, and after much blood, sweat, and tears, PCGTA submits a written proposal to The Landlord's lawyer Bluestein.

November 11, 1997: The mutually agreed upon deadline for a written counter proposal from The Landlord comes and goes without a response.

November 18, 1998: The Boston People's Voice newspaper runs a front page story: South End Piano Factory Tenants Still Fighting Landlord.

December 11, 1997: Ten weeks after the PCGTA's written proposal is delivered to Bluestein, and exactly one month after the deadline for responding, the Landlord's negotiating attorney delivers to the tenants' group a written counter proposal. Though the document is vague, the tenants view it as a positive sign.

December 14 & 20, 1997: PCGTA celebrates two years of successful struggle with a "Winter Carnival" Party in the Community Room and a "Christmas Carol Picket" at the Landlord's Cambridge home.

June 15, 1998 PCGTA Tenants hold the largest-attended meeting in two years to discuss the terms of a settlement with the landlord Simeon Bruner. Now that it's almost over, (maybe) people want to say something about it. "Where were most of these people during the entire struggle?", one tenant was heard to ask.
Lawyers for the PCGTA and the head of the Boston Redevelopment Authority insist that the settlement, details of which are still being negotiated, is the best the tenants could possibly hope for. Not everyone agrees.

Compiled by Thom Donovan, Christian Faust and David Mynott; Expanded & updated by Robert Deveau.

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