| 1814 |
|
Development begins: Mass legislature chartered the Boston
and Roxbury Mill Corporation, and approved construction of a long
mill dam to cut off 430 acres of tidal flats from the river, which
also served as a toll road to Watertown. The dam is under present-day
Beacon Street. |
| 1821
|
|
Basin subdivided into Upper or
Fill Basin, Lower or Receiving Basin, to power water
mills
|
| 1828
|
|
70-75 Beacon Street built along
the mill dam, oldest structures in the Back Bay
|
| 1841
|
|
US Harbor Commission established
line beyond which the Back Bay could not be filled, and thus
encroach on the harbor
|
| 1849
|
|
Health Department demanded the
area be filled
|
| 1850
|
|
152 Beacon Street built for
Isabella Stewart by her father
|
| 1850
|
|
Mass appointed commission to
investigate the Back Bay and recommend development
options
|
| 1852
|
|
July -- Commission on Harbor and Back
Bay Lands appointed
|
| 1853
|
|
Commissioners on Boston Harbor and
Back Bay Lands begin writing annual reports
|
| 1855
|
|
Name of Commission on Harbor and
Back Bay Lands changed to Commissioners on Public
Lands
|
| 1856
|
|
Tripartite Agreement of 1856 between the State of Mass, Boston,
and the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation-dividing up the lands.
Part of the city land went to develop the Public Garden. |
| 1857 |
|
September--Filling of the Back Bay began-average depth of
fill 20 feet; more than 450 acres filled; fill brought from Needham;
streets were filled to grade 17 (17 ft above mean low tide), lots
filled to grade 12, so basements would be below street level.
|
| 1859
|
|
Arlington Street Church
built
|
| 1860
|
|
The house at 137 Beacon Street,later known as the Gibson
House, was built
|
| 1860 |
|
Filling of Back Bay reached Clarendon Street |
| 1861
|
|
State granted a block of Back Bay
(Boylston and Berkeley) to the Boston Society of Natural
History and MIT
|
| 1861
|
|
Halcyon Place (corner of Berkeley
and Commonwealth) built as a guest home for families of
patients at Mass General
|
| 1862
|
|
152 Beacon Street-Isabella Stewart
Gardner moved in
|
| 1862
|
|
Emmanuel Church completed (Newbury
Street)
|
| 1863
|
|
MIT located on Boylston-current
site of New England Life building
|
| 1864
|
|
Society of Natural History
building completed (Berkeley between Boylston and
Newbury)
|
| 1865
|
|
December-Toll no longer collected
on mill dam toll road
|
| 1865
|
|
First statue erected on the Commonwealth
Avenue Mall (also see Mall statues) |
| 1867
|
|
Central Congregational Church
completed (Newbury Street and Berkeley)
|
| 1868
|
|
First Church of 1630 (Unitarian)
moved from Chauncey Place to newly completed church designed by
Ware and Van Brunt (Berkeley and Marlborough)
|
| 1869
|
|
Temporary coliseum built in
Copley Square. It held the National Peace Jubilee that year,
which was attended by President Ulysses Grant
|
| 1870 |
|
Filling of Back Bay reached Exeter Street |
| 1871
|
|
160 Commonwealth, Hotel Vendome,
built-first hotel in city with electric lighting, it had an
independent lighting plant designed by Edison in
1882
|
| 1871
|
|
Brattle Square Church (Unitarian)
moved to newly built church designed by H.H. Richardson
(Commonwealth and Clarendon) aka-"church of the holy bean
blowers."
Statues on the tower designed by Frederic August Bartholdi,
designer of the Statue of Liberty. |
| 1872
|
|
Fire destroys 65 acres of downtown Boston
|
| 1874
|
|
Second Church of 1660 (Unitarian)
moved from Bedford Street to newly completed church (Boylston
between Dartmouth and Clarendon)
|
| 1875
|
|
Third Church (Congregational)
moved from Old South Meeting Hall to newly completed church
(Dartmouth and Boylston)
|
| 1876
|
|
Museum of Fine Arts opened in Copley
Square
|
| 1877
|
|
Trinity Church completed, designed
by H.H. Richardson
|
| 1879
|
|
Commissioners on Public Lands
changed to Harbor and Land Commission
|
| 1880
|
|
150 Beacon Street-Isabella Stewart
Gardner bought to expand her home at 152
|
| 1880
|
|
Land for the current site of Boston Public Library
purchased
|
| 1882 |
|
Filling of Back Bay complete to Charlesgate East
|
| 1883
|
|
Harvard Medical School located in
building at Boylston and Exeter
|
| 1883
|
|
Triangle lot bounded by
Huntington, Dartmouth, Boylston purchased and named Copley
Square
|
| 1884
|
|
Hollis Street Church completed
(southeast corner of Newbury and Exeter, current site of
Exeter towers) It was destroyed in 1966
|
| 1884
|
|
Triangle lot bounded by Huntington,
Trinity Place, St. James added to Copley Square to make it a
square
|
| 1885
|
|
Temple of the Working Union of Progressive Spiritualists completed
(northeast corner of Newbury and Exeter) |
| 1887
|
|
Bridge from West Chester park in
Boston to Mass Ave in Cambridge authorized
|
| 1889
|
|
Bay State Road created by dredging the river and filling the Charles
Rivers |
| 1890 |
|
Filling of back bay reached Kenmore Square |
| 1891
|
|
Bridge from West Chester Park in
Boston to Mass Ave in Cambridge opened to travel, and renamed
the John Harvard bridge
|
| 1894
|
|
West Chester Park renamed
Massachusetts Avenue
|
| 1895
|
|
Boston Public Library opened in Copley
Square
|
| 1895
|
|
Christian Science Church
dedicated
|
| 1899
|
|
Mass Historical society moved from
30 Tremont Street to the newly built 1154 Boylston Street
|
| 1900 |
|
Filling of Back Bay completed with last few acres of the Fens
|
| 1904
|
|
5 Commonwealth Ave built by Walter C. Baylies; 1912 built ballroom
for daughter's debut. Building now houses the Boston Center for
Adult Education. |
| 1910
|
|
MIT moved to Cambridge
|
| 1963-65
|
|
Magnolias planted on Commonwealth Avenue
|
| Images provided courtesy of the Boston Public Library.
To see more historic images, please visit the BPL's digital image
gallery www.bpl.org/store |
