From Town to City: Retail Space
Figure 3: Movement of 1872 Boston Fire.
Besides housing, there was a lack of space for retail and wholesale businesses. In order to solve this issue, Mayor Josiah Quincy decided it would be efficient to create a beautiful market house facing the North and South Market Streets, which would not only redevelop and redesign a previously horrendous looking harbor where traffic flow and sanitation were unregulated, but it would also provide an area to be admired by millions.[1] Although his other accomplishments may not be as renown, Mayor Quincy greatly contributed to Boston’s transition to a safer and a more sanitary city. Through the development of new residences and business centers, the nineteenth century proved to be a time of significant change for Bostonians. With the introduction of these new marketplaces and public buildings, not only was Boston shown as a beautiful and modern city that flourished commercially, but it also provided a shift in the central hub of the city.[2]
Before the war, much of Boston was centered around landmarks such as the Faneul Hall and the Old State House. However, by the early and mid-nineteenth century, much attention was shifted towards the new State House, as well as affluent areas such as Beacon Hill and Tremont Street.
One significant event that triggered substantial urban change in both residential and retail spaces in Boston during the nineteenth century was the 1872 fire, which wiped out many early landmarks from the previous colonial period. With such a tremendous devastation, much of the city was left in ruins. The fire ultimately created much movement within Boston’s urban space as areas such as Summer Street and Pearl Street were wiped out completely. Many residents who had previously occupied areas between the Common and the harbor were now beginning to move westward. Even though the fire may not have directly affected them, some families also began to move out of these areas and into suburban neighborhoods, which ultimately caused the South End to become the retail and business district.
References:
[1] Whitehill, Walter M. Boston: A Topographical History. Cambridge: Belknap of Harvard University Press, 1968. Print.
[2] O’Connor, Thomas H. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern University Press. 2001. Print. 80.
Before the war, much of Boston was centered around landmarks such as the Faneul Hall and the Old State House. However, by the early and mid-nineteenth century, much attention was shifted towards the new State House, as well as affluent areas such as Beacon Hill and Tremont Street.
One significant event that triggered substantial urban change in both residential and retail spaces in Boston during the nineteenth century was the 1872 fire, which wiped out many early landmarks from the previous colonial period. With such a tremendous devastation, much of the city was left in ruins. The fire ultimately created much movement within Boston’s urban space as areas such as Summer Street and Pearl Street were wiped out completely. Many residents who had previously occupied areas between the Common and the harbor were now beginning to move westward. Even though the fire may not have directly affected them, some families also began to move out of these areas and into suburban neighborhoods, which ultimately caused the South End to become the retail and business district.
References:
[1] Whitehill, Walter M. Boston: A Topographical History. Cambridge: Belknap of Harvard University Press, 1968. Print.
[2] O’Connor, Thomas H. The Hub: Boston Past and Present. Boston: Northeastern University Press. 2001. Print. 80.