The NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION OF THE BACK BAY (NABB) was established in September 1955 by a group of Back Bay residents interested in achieving the following goals as expressed by its first president, James C. Bayley:

"To promote the residential interests of the Back Bay with zoning restrictions enforced, alleys and streets kept clean and Commonwealth Avenue beautified so that the Back Bay will be recognized once more as the most desirable district in Boston."

NABB was formally incorporated in December 1982, and maintained a rented office in the Boston Evening Medical Center building at 314 Commonwealth Avenue from October 1982 until 1987. The office is now located on the second floor of 337 Newbury Street.

The number of NABB members has grown slowly and steadily from about 1,300 in the late fifties to about 2,500 today. The names of the people on the membership list change continually, reflecting the transient nature of urban life.

However, it seems that the more things change, the more they stay the same. The first issue of NABB News, published in 1956 shortly after the founding of NABB, deals with concerns little different from those that are familiar to us today:

• the call for building height restrictions
• poor conditions of the alleys
• rats
• unleashed dogs
• unsupervised fraternities
• ballgames on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall
• illegal parking
• the need for better enforcement of City ordinances

Over the years NABB has dealt with many of these issues successfully. A hard-won parking program for residents on Back Bay's streets has been a privilege since 1983. We achieved our greatest victory when amendments to the Boston Zoning Code reduced maximum building height in the residential area to 65 feet, limited upward expansion to one floor with a maximum of 10 feet, lowered the permitted floor area ratio from 5:1 to 3:1, and set new back yard and roof top regulations.

Architectural and Zoning Controls
Throughout the 1960s the Back Bay resembled one big college campus. Drawn by the large number of rooming houses, low rent apartments and dormitories, young people occupied buildings often poorly maintained by non-resident landlords. In 1978 the Boston Zoning Commission tightened the allowed uses of buildings by institutions, and dormitories became a forbidden use. The result was a limitation on the expansion of numerous educational institutions in the neighborhood. About the same time, condominiums began to replace rental units and rooming houses.

In 1966, after extensive lobbying by NABB, the Back Bay was declared an Historic District by the action of the State Legislature and the Back Bay Architectural Commission was created to control renovations of the buildings in the residential and commercial district. No longer would owners paint with inappropriate colors or alter the exterior of their buildings without adhering to a newly developed set of guidelines. The resurgence of the neighborhood culminated in 1973 when Back Bay was entered into the National Register of Historic Places. Façades and entryways became clean and well cared for; weed-filled front yards turned into beautiful gardens and changes to the buildings began to be carried out in a manner that was more sensitive to the architectural style. Defending the unique character of residential Back Bay against those who strive to circumvent architectural and zoning regulations is one of NABB's major tasks, and is the responsibility of our Architecture and Zoning Advisory Committees.

Development and Licensing Issues
NABB's directors and volunteers also spend an enormous amount of time and energy dealing with development in the commercial area because of its effects on the residential area. Increased traffic and reduction of sunlight from shadows cast by tall buildings are but two effects concerning NABB. As one new project after another is proposed, citizen advisory committees, such as those appointed for Park Plaza, Copley Place, New England Life, Prudential Center and Columbus Center, attempt to persuade the developers to alter their plans to be more compatible with the neighborhood. NABB's Development Committee is involved in reviewing these large-scale proposals, and has created Guidelines for the Future Development of the Back Bay, a long-range analysis of the prospects for balanced development in our area.

The Licensing and Building Use Committee (LBU) deals with every-increasing applications for beer and wine and all-alcohol licenses as the number of restaurants has proliferated at an alarming rate. Working with the applicant on conditions governing closing hours, trash disposal, alcohol service only with food and the number of bar seats has been relatively successful, but the pressure for late-hour closings and all-alcohol licenses, sometimes accompanied by entertainment, has increased. Although the City limits the number of liquor licenses, the size and scope of each new operation has grown larger and larger.

Greenspace
No committee has contributed more toward fulfilling NABB's mission to beautify the Back Bay than the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee. Originally charged with the care and improvement of Back Bay's magnificent allee of one hundred-year-old elm trees, as well as the grass, statues and benches in the Mall, it soon faced an epidemic of Dutch elm disease. Its battle against the disease has had some success, but many trees have been lost. A memorial and commemorative tree program, financed by private subscription and fund raising, has helped to offset the cost of replanting the Mall.

The Mall Committee and the Garden Club of the Back Bay have been instrumental in planting many new street trees and pruning the older, established ones. Together they encouraged the planting of magnolia trees on the sunny side of Commonwealth Avenue in the 1960s and more recently on the shady side as well. On a bright spring day Commonwealth Avenue is a joy to behold.

No history of Back Bay would be complete without mention of the Clarendon Street Playground. It has attracted families with young children since its inception in 1978, despite the closing in 1981 of the Prince School, the Back Bay's only public elementary school. Children who use the playground typically attend one of five private pre and elementary schools nearby. A whole generation of children has now passed through the playground, which is owned by the City and maintained through the cooperation of the Parks & Recreation Department and the Playground Committee. The playground has helped to form friendships among parents as well as children, and for many years these parents were leaders in the NABB community. The Playground was completely refurbished in 1996.

Groundwater Issues
A less visible, but equally important aspect of our neighborhood's viability lies hidden beneath our homes. The Back Bay's very existence depends in large part on the stability of our groundwater table. Lowered groundwater elevation can cause failure of the 19th century wood pile foundations supporting most Back Bay buildings. The City of Boston established the Groundwater Trust in the late 1980s to monitor the city's groundwater levels through a network of observation wells. The Trust was basically inactive from 1990 to early 1997 when it was resurrected largely through the efforts of Tim Mitchell, a member of NABB's Executive Committee who now serves as Chair of the Trust.

Building Community
For over thirty years fund raising activities have sustained NABB financially while also serving as enjoyable social functions. The Street Fair, an annual pre-Christmas Pancake Breakfast, the fall Street Dance, the Auction and the NABBill are events of the past, but the Fall Event and the Taste of the Back Bay make a significant and necessary contribution toward to support of NABB's office, our Office Administrator, and various publications and mailings. The success of these activities has always depended not only on the hardworking Special Events Committee that carries this responsibility, and also on the participation and encouragement of all members of the Board of Directors. Some events such as Alley Rally, NABB's annual clean-up, and the Street Sale, our urban yard sale, are not designed to fill our coffers, but to build a sense of community in an enjoyable way while serving a practical purpose.

Building community was also the purpose behind Friends and Neighbors (F & N), started in 1988. The number of activities has grown since its beginning. Some, such as the Book Discussion Groups, have proved extraordinarily popular and increased in number while others that depended entirely on one particular person have disbanded for lack of leadership. The addition of the Young Friends and Neighbors, Back Bay Salon and Gay and Lesbian Friends and Neighbors are examples of groups that have formed in response to community interest. F & N programs have brought about many new friendships, attracted new NABB members and uncovered talent and leadership for the Board of Directors.

NABB believes those who have toiled unceasingly on our behalf should be recognized. To that end, in 2001 NABB established two community service awards to be presented each year. The Paul Prindle Community Leadership Award, named for a legendary neighborhood activist who, among other things, established the Alley Rally, worked on the down-zoning of the Back Bay, served on various CACs, helped establish the Clarendon Street Playground and supported The Learning Project Elementary School from its beginning. The award is given to an individual or organization that has shown important and sustained leadership in promoting residential interests in the Back Bay. The Mary Natale Community Service Award is named for one of NABB's long-serving members of its Board of Directors, its Executive Committee, and numerous other committees, who often worked behind the scenes. It is awarded to an individual or organization that has shown a significant and sustained dedication and service to the Back Bay.

The future will surely bring new challenges, and some of the old problems will remain. It will require constant vigilance and devotion to the task at hand by each and every member of the Back Bay community as NABB continues to carry out its mission of protecting the residential quality of our neighborhood.