Back Bay
The Back Bay was originally just that - a large, shallow tide pool that separated Boston and Cambridge. The Charles River ran into the western side of the bay, which opened directly onto Boston Harbor. The water level inside the tidal pool would rise and fall several feet during the day, matching the tides in Boston Harbor. In 1814, a mill dam was built by the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation. A toll road connecting Boston to Watertown ran on top of the dam, providing an alternative route into and out of Boston. Before the mill dam was constructed, Boston was connected to the mainland by a narrow (and often flooded) strip of land known as the Boston Neck. Present-day Beacon Street is built on the location of the old mill dam.
Faced with a dire shortage of land to build on, the city began to fill in the Back Bay in 1857. Local legend claims that the soil and gravel used to fill in the Back Bay came from Boston's hills - it actually came from the town of Needham on special railroad lines that operated around the clock. The massive landfill operation in the Back Bay was completed in 1882, leaving the present-day Charles River basin to separate Boston and Cambridge. The landfill operation continued to move westward, reaching Kenmore Square in 1890 and the Fens in 1900. The filling in of the Back Bay was the largest of several 19th century land reclamation projects that doubled the size of Boston's land area.
The Back Bay neighborhood was developed under strict architectural regulations developed by Arthur Gilman and Gridley J.F. Bryant. Both architects were heavily influenced by the massive mid-19th century rennovations performed in Paris - a majority of the streets and architecture in the Back Bay wouldn't seem out of place if they were relocated to an upscale Paris neighborhood. In contrast to most of Boston, the Back Bay's streets are laid out on a well-ordered grid (the cross streets are even in alphabetical order from east to west).
Because they were built on landfill, the foundations of virtually every building in the neighborhood rests on large pilings that sit on bedrock. Red brick and brownstone were (and still are) the dominant construction materials. The vast majority of the original three or four story structures are still standing, and the area is considered one of the best preserved late 19th century architectural districts in the world. Newbury Street and Boylston Street have been transformed into upscale shopping districts, although Boylston Street has done so at the expense of most of the original buildings.
Recently Added Buildings
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Back Bay Streets
- Arlington Street
- Beacon Street
- Berkeley Street
- Boylston Street
- Charlesgate East
- Clarendon Street
- Commonwealth Avenue
- Dartmouth Street
- Exeter Street
- Fairfield Street
- Gloucester Street
- Hereford Street
- Marlborough Street
- Massachusetts Avenue
- Newbury Street