From Landfill To ‘Work of Art’: Back Bay Architectural District
It is hard to imagine that Back Bay was once a swamp.
This is the second in a nine-part series on Boston.com about historic districts in the city of Boston.
It’s easy to walk down Newbury Street today, admiring the beautiful architecture, expensive boutique shops, and outstanding restaurants, imagining it’s always been like this. In reality, Back Bay started out as a tidal flat and went through some serious rough patches.
According to Boston City Hall, Back Bay was originally what its name implies – tidal wetlands, which were used for milling operations.
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Taking wetlands and turning them
into a fashionable residential district was not exactly an easy endeavor. Development began in 1814 when the Massachusetts Legislature chartered the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation and planned the construction of a dam that would cut 430 acres of tidal flats from the Charles River, according to the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB).
By 1828, 70-75 Beacon Street were built on the dam, becoming the first structures in Back Bay. But serious residential construction only came about because the health department declared in 1849 that the surrounding area was a serious health hazard and had to be filled in.
The filling eventually began in September 1857 and moving east to west, was finally completed in 1900. Residential construction followed a parallel timeline to the filling in of the area , creating an architectural timeline of sorts.
William Young, assistant director for Historic Districts for the city of Boston and commissioner for the Back Bay District, mentioned another quality that makes Back Bay unique – its public alley system — which runs between homes and shops and had a major impact on the structure of 19th century life.
“Having an alley system meant that delivery wagons would stay off the main streets,’’ Young said. “The streets were clear of a certain amount of traffic and front yards could be developed. They have done a lot to beautify the neighborhood, couldn’t plant magnolias on Commonwealth Avenue without this.’’
For modern society, these alleyways provide secondary vehicular access, so cars can park behind buildings.
Although the area thrived in the 19th century, the 20th century was another story.
From the time of World War I to the 1970s, Back Bay experienced a period of decline and deterioration, according to Tom High, who runs
backbayhouses.org
.
High and his wife, Nancy, started the project about 20 years ago in an effort to preserve Back Bay’s history, though their website went live in February 2014. Back Bay Houses allows visitors to search for an address in the neighborhood and find genealogical information on the people who lived in the homes.
Some of Bay Bay’s historic homes could have been a thing of the past according to NABB, which says the city of Boston planned to construct high-rise buildings on Beacon Street in the 1950s. Colonel Charles P. Howard, the president of NABB at the time, worked hard to halt the proposal.
Eventually Mayor John Collins’s high-rise proposal was defeated in 1966. But Back Bay was still in decline and according to High, “the buildings had become extremely run down.’’
In 1966 the Back Bay Architectural District became the second of the nine city-designated historic districts run by the Landmarks Commission, which has helped maintain the neighborhood’s signature look.
High said there were multiple reasons Back Bay regained its vibrancy, including an influential exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts called “Back Bay Boston: The City as a Work of Art.’’ A book and a Boston Globe article were written about the MFA exhibit in 1969.
“What that did was serve as a catalyst for people to realize this was a resource and an asset if you weren’t careful it was going to go away,’’ High said.
In the 1969 Globe article, Lewis Mumford wrote: “The Back Bay then is a geographic area, an historic monument, and a cultural symbol; there are even moments when the Back Bay might almost be identified as a state of mind.’’
In 1975,
The Boston Globe reported that due to the economic climate, schools began selling properties they owned in Back Bay, which were turned into condos or residences that attracted some families back to the area.
Today, Back Bay remains untouched. Demolition is prohibited in the neighborhood, per regulations created by the historic commission.
“I think we are very fortunate that we have a culture that values this,’’ High said. “One of the reasons people come to Boston is for historic character and you can’t achieve that without being constantly vigilant to protect these assets.’’
Architectural Style
The city lists a variety of visible architectural styles in the district: Italianate, Gothic, Ruskinian Gothic (also known as High Victorian Gothic), French Academic, Queen Anne, and Panel Brick, along with many of the revival styles, including Italian Renaissance, German Renaissance, Beaux Arts, Chateauesque, Georgian, Federal, and Adamesque.
Residential construction, according to the city’s website, moved from east to west from the 1850s to the early 1900s, and the change in tastes and styles are reflected in the architecture.
“There were lots of different architectural fashions over that time,’’ Young said. “Early on many had brownstone and were quite French. Later buildings began to draw on what was happening in London and as the 19th century came to a close, Boston began to explore its own past and explore building materials and styles that suggest colonial and federal periods.’’
Famous Sites in Back Bay
– Gibson House: According to Young, this house on 137 Beacon Street, which is open to the public, is “a remarkable time capsule.’’
The Gibson family lived in the home from the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, but “they weren’t especially well off or interesting,’’ Young said.
“It is for that reason that I think their house is so interesting,’’ Young added. “It’s rare something that typical survives, as sometimes people forget the day to day.’’
– Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Home: Isabella Stewart Gardner was an art collector, who later turned her collection into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Though her former home is not open to the public, in 1860 Isabella Stewart Gardner moved to Boston from New York with her husband and moved into a residence at 152 Beacon Street — a gift from her father. According to the Women’s Heritage Trail, the townhouse-style mansion was where she and her husband began to collect art that would later make up the museum’s collection.
House of Oliver Wendell Holmes at 296 Beacon Street, ca. 1870-98Courtesy of The Bostonian Society
– Oliver Wendell Holmes House: 296 Beacon Street is the location where the home of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. used to stand. He was a writer and dean of Harvard Medical School in the 19th century, best known for his collection of essays, “Autocrat at the Breakfast Table.’’
An apartment building now stands where Holmes’s home, which was demolished in 1951, once stood.
– Tom Brady’s former homes: New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady used to live in 314 Commonwealth Avenue and at 310 Beacon Street, according to Young.
Is it only a matter of time before they’re recognized as National Historic Landmarks?
Regulations
There are a variety of residential guidelines imposed by the historic commission for Back Bay, which fall into categories such as: demolition, new construction, cornices, roofs, rear yards, windows, masonry, doors and entrances, signs, awnings and canopies, landscaping, utility equipment, and public areas.
Commercial buildings follow separate guidelines, which are also decided upon by the commission.
Most of the regulation criteria explains that restoration is almost always a better option than replacement and when restoration is needed, it should be “based on evidence of the original features, substantiated by physical and pictorial information.’’
Furthermore, demolition of historic structures is prohibited in the residential area and demolition of portions of structures must be approved.
Any new construction in the neighborhood must “harmonize with the predominant characteristics of the district in height, mass setback, rhythm, scale, proportions and materials.’’
Residents are encouraged to maintain historic gardens and landscaping in the front and rear of their buildings, but cleaning of a building must be approved by the commission, as it could permanently damage masonry.
There is a specific stipulation in the guidelines specifically for Back Bay’s beautiful, historic doors, which states, ““every effort should be made to retain and repair original doors, ransoms, and sidelights.’’
Any questions, concerns, or proposals for exterior change should be brought up with the Boston Landmarks Commission.
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