The demolition of the teen center. Photo taken by Carlos Aragon.
In late October of 2020, demolition began on the Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC). The building housing the MTEC had been structurally unsound for a couple of years. The safety of the building had been in question since May of 2018. Shoring, a temporary form of prop support, had been implemented in May of 2019 when the initial review of the building had been done. In November of 2019 the building was ordered to be evacuated.
The Malden Teen Enrichment Center was founded through a group of adults who had partnered with the teen population to create a place for teens to participate in activities with their peers. The MTEC offers teens a high quality program where leadership and youth development is promoted. This originally when events targeted towards teens hosted at the YMCA eventually grew into the beloved teen center. As the attendance increased at the teen nights, it became apparent to them that they would need to expand the availability of these activities, and so planning began. They needed to find housing and funding as well as programs and activities for the teen to partake in.
