Bulfinch Triangle Historic District

Last updated

Bulfinch Triangle Historic District
1887 Lockhart Building, Boston MA.jpg
1887 Lockhart Building
Map of Boston and Cambridge.png
Red pog.svg
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location West End, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′50″N71°3′41″W / 42.36389°N 71.06139°W / 42.36389; -71.06139
Area7 acres (2.8 ha)
ArchitectBulfinch, Charles
Architectural styleBeaux Arts, Second Empire, Romanesque
NRHP reference No. 86000274 [1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 27, 1986

The Bulfinch Triangle Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Canal, Market, Merrimac, and Causeway Streets in the West End of Boston, Massachusetts. The entire district was laid out by architect Charles Bulfinch on land reclaimed from the old Mill Pond (also known as North Cove), and is now populated by well-preserved commercial buildings from the 1870s through early 1900s. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [1]

Contents

Description and history

The Bulfinch Triangle area is located north of Boston's Government Center area, with the TD Garden to the north, the North End to the east, and the West End to the west. The historic district is bounded on the north by Causeway Street, the east by Canal Street, and the southwest by Merrimac Street. This area was in colonial times under water, in a part of the Charles River known as North Cove which separated the North and West Ends. It was a tidal flat that was filled in beginning in 1807, with its northern edge forming Causeway Street. Architect Charles Bulfinch designed the street layout for the landowners, and the area was filled with material taken by lowering Beacon Hill and Copp's Hill. The area became a nexus for a number of early railroads, serving points north and west of the city, which prompted its further development as a manufacturing area. The rail stations were eventually consolidated into North Station. By the late 19th century it was a center of Boston's furniture trade, with manufacturing and sales showrooms in integrated buildings. [2]

The 59 buildings in the district are mostly five or six stories in height, and are built of brick and stone. Stylistically, many of them show elements of the Renaissance Revival, which was particularly popular in the last quarter of the 19th century. There is a particularly fine example of Second Empire architecture at 48–72 Canal Street, designed by Gridley J. F. Bryant and completed in 1871 for the Paine Furniture Company. There are a number of good examples of the Beaux Arts style, including two on Portland Street designed by Stephen Codman. A number of older buildings (dating to the mid-19th century) line part of Causeway Street, but have been compromised by removal of their upper floors and modernization of their facades. [2]

With the construction of the Charlestown High Bridge and aerial John F. Fitzgerald Expressway/Central Artery during the 1950s roughly the eastern 1/3rd of the Bullfinch Triangle was occupied by the expressway and its associated on/off ramps. [3] [4] Through the completion of the Big Dig project in the early 21st-century much of this reclaimed area in the Triangle area was initially turned into park area as part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway before new subsequent proposed hotels [5] [6] and luxury properties were constructed and/or renovated. [7] [8] [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North End, Boston</span> Neighborhood of Boston in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

The North End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, which has been inhabited since it was colonized in the 1630s. It is only 0.36 square miles (0.93 km2), yet the neighborhood has nearly one hundred establishments and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known for its Italian American population and Italian restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government Center, Boston</span> Area in downtown Boston, Massachusetts

Government Center is an area in downtown Boston, centered on City Hall Plaza. Formerly the site of Scollay Square, it is now the location of Boston City Hall, courthouses, state and federal office buildings, and a major MBTA subway station, also called Government Center. Its development was controversial, as the project displaced thousands of residents and razed several hundred homes and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Station</span> Train station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Amtrak Downeaster intercity service. The concourse is located under the TD Garden arena, with the platforms extending north towards drawbridges over the Charles River. The eponymous subway station, served by the Green Line and Orange Line, is connected to the concourse with an underground passageway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Park station (MBTA)</span> Light rail station in Boston, Massachusetts, US

Science Park station is an elevated light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The station is located at the Boston end of the Charles River Dam Bridge at Leverett Circle. It is at the southeast end of the Lechmere Viaduct, which carries the Green Line over the Charles River. The station is named for the nearby Boston Museum of Science. With 873 daily boardings by a FY 2019 count, Science Park is the least-used fare-controlled station on the Green Line, and the second-lowest on the MBTA subway system after Suffolk Downs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lechmere station</span> Light rail station in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US

Lechmere station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail station in Lechmere Square in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located on the east side of Monsignor O'Brien Highway near First Street, adjacent to the NorthPoint development. The accessible elevated station has a single island platform, with headhouses at both ends. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX). Lechmere station is served by Green Line D branch and E branch service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway</span> Linear park on former expressway in Boston, MA

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through Chinatown, the Financial District, the Waterfront, and North End neighborhoods. Officially opened in October 2008, the 17-acre Greenway sits on land created from demolition of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway as part of the Big Dig project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Square</span>

Dewey Square is a square in downtown Boston, Massachusetts which lies at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Summer Street, Federal Street, Purchase Street and the John F. Kennedy Surface Road, with the Central Artery (I-93) passing underneath in the Dewey Square Tunnel, which was built in the Big Dig. South Station is on the southeast corner of the square, with Amtrak and MBTA Commuter Rail services, as well as Red Line subway trains and Silver Line bus rapid transit underneath.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haymarket Square (Boston)</span> Historic name of a former town square in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Haymarket Square is the historic name of a former town square in Boston, located between the North End, Government Center, the Bulfinch Triangle, and the West End. The square was a well-known feature of Boston from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, when the buildings around it were demolished to make way for the Central Artery and Government Center. The Haymarket produce market continues to operate at a location near the historic site of the square. The Haymarket MBTA station extends under the former site of the square.

The Canal Street incline was a ramp connecting two transit tunnels in Boston with surface and elevated lines. It was located in the Bulfinch Triangle between North Station and Haymarket Square in two blocks bounded by Canal Street to the west, Causeway Street to the north, Haverhill Street to the east, and Market Street to the south. The incline was the north end of the Tremont Street subway and the Washington Street Tunnel. Built in 1898, it remained in use until 2004 when the last connecting line was moved underground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlestown Elevated</span> Former elevated railway in Greater Boston

The Charlestown Elevated was a segment of the MBTA Orange Line rapid transit line that ran from the Canal Street Incline in downtown Boston, Massachusetts through Charlestown to a terminal in Everett, Massachusetts. It opened in June 1901 and was replaced by the Haymarket North Extension in April 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West End, Boston</span> Neighborhood of Boston in Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

The West End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, bounded generally by Cambridge Street to the south, the Charles River to the west and northwest, North Washington Street on the north and northeast, and New Sudbury Street on the east. Beacon Hill is to the south, North Point is across the Charles River to the north, Kendall Square is across the Charles River to the west, and the North End is to the east. A late 1950s urban renewal project razed a large Italian and Jewish enclave and displaced over 20,000 people in order to redevelop much of the West End and part of the neighboring Downtown neighborhood. After that, the original West End became increasingly non-residential, including part of Government Center as well as much of Massachusetts General Hospital and several high rise office buildings. More recently, however, new residential buildings and spaces, as well as new parks, have been appearing across the West End.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Causeway Street elevated</span> Former elevated railway in Boston, Massachusetts

The Causeway Street elevated was an elevated section of the MBTA Green Line light rail system in Boston, located in the area near North Station. It was in operation from 1912 until 2004, when it was replaced with a new tunnel and underground station on a slightly different alignment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lechmere Viaduct</span> Bridge over the Charles River in Boston

The Lechmere Viaduct is a concrete arch bridge connecting the West End neighborhood of Boston to East Cambridge, Massachusetts. Opened in 1912, the viaduct carries the MBTA's Green Line over the Charles River. It is adjacent to the Charles River Dam Bridge, but structurally separate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Boston</span> Area of Boston, Massachusetts

Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; city, county, state and federal government facilities; and many of Boston's tourist attractions. Similar to other central business districts in the U.S., Downtown has recently undergone a transformation that included the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses. It is represented in the Boston City Council by District 2's Bill Linehan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North End Parks</span>

The North End Parks are the two northernmost parks on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, built over O'Neill Tunnel in Boston, Massachusetts and adjacent to the neighborhood known as the North End. Two landscape architecture firms designed the 3-acre (12,000 m2) North End Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Building at 138–142 Portland Street</span> United States historic place

138–142 Portland Street is a historic commercial building located at the address of the same name in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanover Street (Boston)</span>

Hanover Street is located in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts.

The Bulfinch Companies, Inc. is an American real estate firm headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Boston</span> Overview of the architecture in Boston, Massachusetts

The architecture of Boston is a robust combination of old and new architecture. As one of the oldest cities in North America, Boston, Massachusetts has accumulated buildings and structures ranging from the 17th-century to the present day, having evolved from a small port town to a large cosmopolitan center for education, industry, finance, and technology. The city is known for its granite buildings stemming from its early days. It is also known for being one of the origins of Federal Architecture.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Bulfinch Triangle Historic District". National Archive. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  3. Staff writer. "The Bulfinch Triangle -- Past, Present, Future" (PDF). www.downtownnorth.org. The Downtown North Association (DNA). Retrieved April 26, 2024. Demolition: After World War II, this negative trend was accelerated by the suburban migration, which also resulted in the construction in the 1950s of the Central Artery. This elevated structure paralleled the elevated Green Line viaduct and intersected the elevated Orange and Green Line viaducts on Causeway Street. The Central Artery further decimated and divided the area and both literally and figuratively overshadowed the Bulfinch Triangle; and its construction required demolition of nearly a million square feet of buildings in its path.
  4. "The Bulfinch Triangle - Site Through Time". 11.016/4.211. web.mit.edu/thecity/. The Once and Future City. Student Projects Coursework. MIT. 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  5. Ryan, Greg (January 23, 2024). "Empty office building near TD Garden may be reborn as a hotel". American City Business Journals. Boston Business Journal . Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  6. Ryan, Greg (April 25, 2024). "Developer applies to create hotel out of empty offices near TD Garden". American City Business Journals. Boston Business Journal. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  7. Adams, Steve, ed. (August 13, 2019). "A Tale of Two Greenway Parcels". Banker & Tradesman. The Warren Group. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  8. "Real estate firms seek big changes to 'ignored' Bulfinch Triangle". American City Business Journals. Boston Business Journal. September 14, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  9. Adams, Steve, ed. (September 19, 2023). "Wu Open to Changes in Bulfinch Triangle". Banker & Tradesman. The Warren Group (published August 13, 2019). Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  10. Glassman, Jack (January 9, 2020). "Historic Resources Bostons First Innovation District the Bulfinch Triangle Story". www.architects.org. Boston Society for Architecture. Retrieved April 26, 2024.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Bulfinch Triangle at Wikimedia Commons