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Once home to stockyards and meatpacking
industries, Allston-Brighton today is a diverse
haven for commercial and residential uses. Annexed
as part of Boston in 1873, Allston-Brighton is home
to generations of families and newcomers, alike,
which add to the area's unique flavor.
Commercial areas in Brighton Center, Cleveland
Circle, and Oak and Union Squares lend to the area's
diverse character, as well. Likewise,
Allston-Brighton's close proximity to local
universities, such as Boston College, Boston
University, and the Harvard Graduate School of
Business, make Allston Brighton home to a large
percentage of Boston's student population. |
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Beginning in 1857 and continuing until 1880, the
Back Bay, the body of water separating Boston from
Brookline, was filled, adding 450 acres of land to
the city of Boston. Today it stands as one of the
City's premiere neighborhoods. Marked by historic
and exclusive boulevards, such as Newbury Street and
Commonwealth Avenue, the Back Bay is home to the
northern portion of the City's Emerald Necklace, the
green space that threads its way through the inner
core of the city.
The neighborhood is also one of the busiest retail
sections of Boston, with a thriving commercial
center along Boylston and Newbury Streets, and
including the nearby Prudential Center and Copley
Place. |
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The South End was built on the filled tidal flats
during the mid-1800s. The neighborhood was designed
to attract the wealth merchant class, with large
Victorian townhouses surrounding park squares. At
the turn of the century, wealthier Bostonians chose
neighboring Back Bay instead of the South End,
opening the area to a diverse working class. The
signature South End townhouses were carved into
apartments and lodging houses.
In the 1950s, the South End was selected as an urban
renewal area, with scattered affordable housing
developments constructed throughout the
neighborhood. The area began to be revitalized by an
influx of young professionals moving to the
neighborhood, restoring the housing stock and
turning many of the units into larger apartments,
condominiums, and single family homes.
The area's commercial centers run along
Massachusetts Avenue, Tremont Street and Washington
Street and serves increasingly diverse populations.
Popular upscale restaurants and art galleries have
added to the area's unique character. |
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Beacon Hill, the last of Boston's three original
hills, was named for the sentry light raised on its
peak. Today, Beacon Hill is one of Boston's premiere
historic neighborhoods and home to the
Commonwealth's government. The State House, with its
hallmark gold leaf dome, was built near the original
colonial beacon and today shines over Boston Common.
Largely residential, the neighborhood is home to
historic 19th century townhouses, many of which were
designed by the famous Charles Bulfinch, architect
of the State House and other Boston landmarks. The
area's small but prosperous commercial district
extends down Charles Street, and is home to antique
shops, gourmet food stores and restaurants.
The West End, considerably impacted by Urban Renewal
of the 1970s, is a small but significant community
tucked behind Beacon Hill. Historically an
ethnically diverse and vibrant neighborhood, the
West End today is economically anchored by
Massachusetts General Hospital. |
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Founded in 1629 before the City of Boston itself,
Charlestown is the City's oldest neighborhood. Much
of Charlestown was burned to the ground by British
troops following the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775
and was subsequently rebuilt. The Bunker Hill
Monument constructed in 1826 and completed in 1842
commemorates the famous battle. Charlestown is home
to another celebrated relic of the nation's history,
the U.S.S. Constitution. Also known as "Old
Ironsides," it is the oldest continually
commissioned ship in the United States Navy and is
docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard. |
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Built on a landfill created from tidal flats in
the early 1800s to provide additional housing for
Boston's expanding middle class population,
Chinatown is home to Boston's largest Chinese
community, in a unique mix of residences and family
owned and operated businesses. As the area's
original residents moved out of the area in the
1840s, an influx of immigrants moved in, including
Chinese, Irish, Italian, Jewish and Syrian, who
converted the area's single family homes to multiple
unit tenements. Commercial uses, including textiles
and leather works, began at the turn of the Century
with the construction of South Station and the
Washington Street Trolley line. To this day, Chinese
restaurants and specialty shops fill the ground
floor levels of residential buildings.
The Leather District is a small but growing
sub-neighborhood of Chinatown. Located between Dewey
Square and Kneeland Street, the Leather District is
a nine-block area noted for its 19th century brick
warehouse structures. These historic buildings were
constructed primarily during the 1880s, with a
design focused on efficient and economic
manufacturing. The leather industry and related
wholesalers required space for display, offices and
work areas, thus, huge, ground floor display windows
don these buildings, set in sturdy cast iron columns
- a unique signature of the Leather District.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Leather District has
grown as a mixed-use area, filled by a variety of
commercial and residential tenants. |
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Incorporated in 1630 and annexed by Boston in
1870, Dorchester is Boston's largest and most
diverse neighborhood. The construction of the rails
and trolley lines at the turn of the century spurred
the area's transformation to a residential "suburb"
of downtown Boston. Dorchester's historical
diversity has been a well-sustained tradition of the
neighborhood. The area's many close knit communities
are further testament to Dorchester's unique spirit.
Dorchester Avenue, the neighborhood's main
artery, uniquely connects a number of Dorchester's
vibrant business districts. Fields and Uphams
Corners, Ashmont Station, Neponset Circle, Adams
Village, and Morrissey Boulevard, to name a few, are
thriving commercial anchors to a number of the
area's sub-neighborhoods, which include Codman
Square, Jones Hill, Meeting House Hill, Pope's Hill,
Savin Hill, Harbor Point, Lower Mills, and Port
Norfolk. And still others identify their
sub-neighborhood by the name of nearby parish
churches, illustrating the area's community oriented
flavor. |
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Downtown Boston is the heart of the City, home to
corporate headquarters, financial industry hubs, and
City Hall. With countless office towers, businesses,
and government centers, including City Hall and the
Statehouse, the area comes alive with thousands of
workers bustling to and from work.
Downtown Boston is linked to the neighborhoods in
many ways. Perhaps the most popular is the historic
Freedom Trail, which winds through the city, linking
today's downtown with 16 of the city's most historic
sites. One of the oldest and most famous walking
tours in the country, the Trail highlights two and a
half centuries of Boston's historical past. |
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Known for its breathtaking views of downtown,
East Boston was originally developed as a community
with residential, recreational, and industrial uses,
with a particular focus on its ideal geographic
function as a maritime center; East Boston is a
peninsula connected to the mainland with the
Callahan, Ted Williams, and Sumner Tunnels. A center
for trade and clippership building, East Boston was
at one time a popular resort community, home to new
England's first major horse race track, Suffolk
Downs. Though its economy was built on seaport
related industries, East Boston today is anchored by
Logan Airport, the construction of which began in
1923 and significantly and inextricably altered the
face of the neighborhood.
In 1840, East Boston was the arrival point for
thousands of immigrants, which lent to the
neighborhood's diversity and old world charm. Today
East Boston holds onto its ethnic roots and remains
a tight-knit and diverse neighborhood. |
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The Fenway is a dense urban neighborhood with
significant open, green spaces including the Fens
and the Fenway Victory Gardens, two parks in the
middle of the neighborhood. Perhaps best known to
the world as the home of Fenway Park and the famous
Red Sox Major League Baseball team; it is also home
to a thriving residential community, large number
Boston's academic institutions, including Emmanuel,
Simmons, and Wheelock Colleges, Boston and
Northeastern Universities, and Wentworth Institute
of Technology. This area is home to many of Boston's
finest cultural institutions, including Symphony
Hall, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the
Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.
A part of Fenway, the area known as the Longwood
Medical Center, is home to some of the world's
leading health care institutions, including the Beth
Israel and the Brigham & Women's Hospitals.
Kenmore Square is the commercial hub of this
neighborhood, drawing students, visitors and locals
alike to the many restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
Nearby, the historic Sears catalogue store, which
closed in 1988 after 60 years in business, reopened
in October 2000 as the Landmark Center, a mixed-use
development of retail and office space. |
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See South Boston |
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Established in the 1660s, Hyde Park, Boston's
southernmost neighborhood, grew as a manufacturing
community based in the paper and cotton industries
in the early 18th Century. The extension of rail
lines in the 1850s spurred the area's residential
development. Boston was annexed Hyde Park in 1912,
making it the last town to be added to the city as
we know it today.
Today, Hyde Park is a true blend of city and suburb,
maintaining significant open spaces, ncluding the
George Wright Municipal Golf Course and the 450 acre
Stony Brook Reservation. Home to Boston's 47th
Mayor, Thomas M. Menino, Hyde Park has always been
involved in the politics of the day. Many
abolitionists and suffragists leaders called this
neighborhood home. Camp Meigs, where twenty-six
thousand Massachusetts soldiers trained for combat
during the Civil War, including the first black
regiment marshaled for the war effort, is also
located in Hyde Park. |
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In the late 18th Century, Jamaica Plan was a
summertime destination for wealthy Bostonians who
built resort homes around the Jamaica Pond. Today,
JP is a diverse neighborhood, economically,
ethnically, and racially. It is also home to a mix
of long-time residents and recent arrivals, families
and single professionals, alike.
Construction of the Boston and Providence Railroad
along the Stony Brook Valley in 1834 opened the
neighborhood to industrial and additional
residential development. The extension of streetcar
service from Boston in the 1870s further prompted
residential development, while construction of the
Jamaicaway for automobiles prompted more suburban
development.
Today, Centre Street is the commercial center for
much of the neighborhood, where ethnic and specialty
restaurants line the street as a reminder of the
neighborhood's unique, multicultural fabric. |
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Built on a landfill created from tidal flats in
the early 1800s to provide additional housing for
Boston's expanding middle class population,
Chinatown is home to Boston's largest Chinese
community, in a unique mix of residences and family
owned and operated businesses. As the area's
original residents moved out of the area in the
1840s, an influx of immigrants moved in, including
Chinese, Irish, Italian, Jewish and Syrian, who
converted the area's single family homes to multiple
unit tenements. Commercial uses, including textiles
and leather works, began at the turn of the Century
with the construction of South Station and the
Washington Street Trolley line. To this day, Chinese
restaurants and specialty shops fill the ground
floor levels of residential buildings.
The Leather District is a small but growing
sub-neighborhood of Chinatown. Located between Dewey
Square and Kneeland Street, the Leather District is
a nine-block area noted for its 19th century brick
warehouse structures. These historic buildings were
constructed primarily during the 1880s, with a
design focused on efficient and economic
manufacturing. The leather industry and related
wholesalers required space for display, offices and
work areas, thus, huge, ground floor display windows
don these buildings, set in sturdy cast iron columns
- a unique signature of the Leather District.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Leather District has
grown as a mixed-use area, filled by a variety of
commercial and residential tenants. |
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Originally part of neighboring Dorchester,
Mattapan was annexed to Boston in 1870. Like other
neighborhoods of the time, Mattapan developed,
residentially and commercially, as the railroads and
streetcars made downtown Boston increasingly more
accessible. Predominately residential, Mattapan is a
mix of public housing, small apartment buildings,
single homes and two and three family houses. Blue
Hill Avenue and Mattapan Square, where Blue Hill
Avenue, River Street, and Cummins Highway meet, is
the commercial heart of the neighborhood, home to
banks, law offices, restaurants, and retail shops.
Mattapan also has a significant amount of open
space, including Franklin Park, the Franklin Park
Zoo, and the historic Forest Hills Cemetery. |
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Mission Hill is one of Boston's most unique
neighborhoods, where residents co-exist with the
largest hospital complex in the region, the Longwood
Medical and Academic Area. This distinctive
cohabitation brings opportunity to the area, but it
also is the basis for conflicts, in terms of
traffic, parking, institutional expansion and
pollution. The opportunity it affords the
neighborhood is the diverse residents drawn to the
area, including families, working class, students,
and medical center staff. This mix makes Mission
Hill one of the most racially and economically
diverse in the city.
Once filled with farms and breweries, Mission Hill
today is an architectural landmark district with a
combination of single homes built by early
landowners, blocks of traditional brick row houses,
and large three family homes. A majority of
development in Mission Hill has been institutional
construction and expansions. Of the limited
residential development that has occurred, a major
focus has been on public housing projects. |
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The North End is one of Boston's oldest
neighborhoods. Home to Paul Revere's house, the Old
North Church, and the Copp's Hilly Burying Ground,
the neighborhood was built - and continues to thrive
- on history and tradition. But the North End is
more than just a glimpse at the City's revolutionary
past; it is a view into the old world traditions.
The North End became home to succeeding waves of
immigrants during the 19th century, the last of
which came from Italy and has left an indelible and
charming mark on the neighborhood. In the shadows of
the Paul Revere statue and the Old North Chuch's
signature spire, is a neighborhood with old world
flavor and a commitment to Italian tradition. During
the summer, weekend festivals line the streets in
honor of a patron saint.
With a number of authentic Italian restaurants,
pastry shops, cafes, and small retail stores, the
area is aptly referred to as Boston's own "Little
Italy." |
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Originally part of Roxbury, Roslindale was the
area's farming center well into the 19th Century. It
was annexed by the City of Boston as part of West
Roxbury in 1873. Long considered a "garden suburb"
of Boston, Roslindale experienced significant
residential development booms in the 1890's, and
then later in the 1920's and 1930's.
Construction of the Providence Railroad in 1834
opened the area further for residential development.
Subsequently, the farms were sold and divided for
single family and multi-family housing. Washington
Street, built in 1804, became the main thoroughfare
of the community, connecting the area to Boston and
Rhode Island.
Roslindale Square was an important commercial center
for the entire southwest Boston area, until
construction of suburban shopping centers siphoned
customers away. Since the 1980's, Roslindale has
experienced steady revitalization and recently
received a "Main Street" award from the National
Trust for Historic Preservation. This award
acknowledges the neighborhoods efforts for historic
and aesthetic preservation in conjunction with local
economic revitalization. |
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A drive through Roxbury is both a history lesson
and a tour of a modern urban neighborhood. One of
the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, Roxbury has long
thrived thanks to its proximity to downtown, while
also retaining its unique character and neighborhood
qualities. Home to a great number of parks, schools
and churches, a visitor can see Boston's history in
the architecture and landmarks of the neighborhood.
From the beginning, farming was the basis of
Roxbury's economy, but changes in the early 19th
century, prompted by developments in transportation
brought industrial development along with denser
residential development. Roxbury became a
manufacturing center, which generated jobs not only
for local residents but also for residents of other
parts of the city. Roxbury's rapid growth demanded
more municipal services; Boston subsequently annexed
the neighborhood in 1868.
Dudley Square has long been Roxbury's commercial
hub, dating back to 1901 when the Elevated Railway
established Dudley Square as it southernmost stop.
Today the rail line is part of the MBTA system and
is known as the Orange Line. Roxbury is experiencing
a significant revitalization, evidenced by the 2001
opening of the Grove Hall Mall, making the Grove
Hall section of Roxbury another commercial center of
the neighborhood. |
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See South Boston |
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Long a remote peninsula, Boston annexed South
Boston in 1804. In 1805, the city constructed a
bridge linking South Boston to the rest of the city.
Planners organized the community with a regular grid
of numbered and lettered streets, a pattern atypical
of the rest of the city.
South Boston grew rapidly with the completion of the
Old Colony Railroad, and grew even more
significantly in the years leading up to the Civil
War as the hub of industry, including iron
foundries, machine shops, shipyards and refineries,
all of which fueled the war effort. South Boston's
rapid industrial growth sparked an increase in
population, many of them Irish immigrants looking
for work in America and fleeing the famine in
Ireland. In the 20thcentury, shipyard and railroad
jobs continued to provide work for South Boston
residents.
Today South Boston's commercial district is built
around East and West Broadway. South Boston, also
known as "Southie," boasts miles of beaches and
waterfront parks, including Carson, L Street and
Pleasure Bay beaches. Toward the end of the 19th
century, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted
created "the Strandway," which runs from Castle
Island to Columbus |
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The South End was built on the filled tidal flats
during the mid-1800s. The neighborhood was designed
to attract the wealth merchant class, with large
Victorian townhouses surrounding park squares. At
the turn of the century, wealthier Bostonians chose
neighboring Back Bay instead of the South End,
opening the area to a diverse working class. The
signature South End townhouses were carved into
apartments and lodging houses.
In the 1950s, the South End was selected as an urban
renewal area, with scattered affordable housing
developments constructed throughout the
neighborhood. The area began to be revitalized by an
influx of young professionals moving to the
neighborhood, restoring the housing stock and
turning many of the units into larger apartments,
condominiums, and single family homes.
The area's commercial centers run along
Massachusetts Avenue, Tremont Street and Washington
Street and serves increasingly diverse populations.
Popular upscale restaurants and art galleries have
added to the area's unique character. |
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See Downtown |
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Founded in 1630, West Roxbury was originally part
of the town of Roxbury and was mainly used as
farmland. West Roxbury formed its own government in
1851 and was annexed by Boston in 1874. The
neighborhood was home to an experimental utopian
community, which attracted notable writers like
Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau. Like its
neighboring communities, West Roxbury's residential
development grew with the construction of the West
Roxbury branch of the Boston and Providence
Railroad; the area grew further with the development
of electric streetcars.
West Roxbury, bordered by Roslindale and Hyde Park,
is truly a suburban neighborhood, with its
tree-lined streets and single family homes give it a
suburban feel in an urban setting. West Roxbury's
main thoroughfare is Centre Street, lined with local
restaurants and commercial establishments. |
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Bostonian Lofts,
Elad Bushari Real Estate | tel. (617) 529-7079 |
info@BostonianLofts.com |
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