Assignment #2:

My Site Through Time

As we know it, Boston is a very large city with a lot of influence from many different cultures. When you look at the city of Boston, you see many areas which may not be seen on older maps. As it turns out, most of what is now considered Boston did not exist when the land was initially settled. Instead, as the need to expand and grow continued to increase, bay areas were filled in and began to be used for many purposes. One area in particular, Back Bay, has a very interesting story. Without the screw-ups that occurred and the types of people who were moved into the area, Back Bay would not be considered the pristine area that it is today.

In 1814, the Mill Dam was built from Beacon Hill to Sewall's Point (what is now Kenmore Square). The mile and a half long dam was built for the purpose of capturing the high tides and using them to power the different mills. This was the beginning of the history of Back Bay.

During the 1830's, several thousand European immigrants, most of whom were Irish, rode into Boston on trains in search for work. Many were employed by the mill companies. During this time, the population of Boston began to swell, largely due to this migration.

As the years went on, it was quickly realized that the Mill Dam project had not been a success. The water flow from the dam was not enough to power the mills and the stagnant pool of water that was created had such a foul stench that residents on the other side of Beacon Hill could smell it. After several years of stench and debate, it was finally decided in 1857 to fill in the bay. In order to fill the bay, much of the gravel and soil was brought in from Needham by train (1).

So as the bay was filled in, it was quickly developed and the land sold. Due to the large migration of Irish workers, the rich white males and families were having their space invaded and needed a place to live away from the immigrants. For this reason, "special deals" were offered to the rich white Bostonians in order to attract them to the newly developed Back Bay. The area began to be developed just as quickly as it was filled. By 1860 Back Bay was filled to Clarendon, by 1870 to Exeter, and nearly completed by 1880 (2).

If we look at a Sanborn map of 1887, we see that construction was completed up to Gloucester Street and had just begun on the next block. All the rest of the blocks of Back Bay in the area had already been filled, showing that filling and construction began from the mainland and worked its way out towards the dam, as would be expected. We also see that the buildings built in the Back Bay area conform to the ideas presented by Kenneth Jackson in his book, Crabgrass Frontier (3). Jackson speaks about the European desire to construct row houses for protection. He speaks of the minimal desire for a house to contain a yard until the nearing of the 20th century. As Jackson says, "A large home on a tiny lot in a densely-settled neighborhood was considered a perfectly appropriate residence for a high-status family prior to 1875." And Back Bay fit this profile perfectly. The houses were built right in the middle of each lot. In looking at the various blocks in the Sanborn maps, we see that the area just behind the houses were left open, for what seems like storage of horses and carriages, as supported by the existence of stables behind many of the houses. This created a large area for the gathering of manure that was not removed from the area in a timely manner. This created foul stenches along the river and the manure was probably dumped into the river at times, as evidenced by the fact that the river was still being used as a way to remove trash from cities and was not seen as a mark of beauty or something that should be preserved. There were several advantages and disadvantages associated with living along the river that the residents of Beacon Street knew well. While they were able to dump the manure and trash into the river, they also had to deal with the unsightly river all the time. This led them to build their houses facing the street as opposed to the river.

Fairfield-Hereford in 1887: Click to Enlarge

Dartmouth-Exeter in 1887: Click to Enlarge
1887 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

If we now look at a Bromley map from 1890, just 3 years later, we notice several things. First, we find that filling has moved along, such that the only undeveloped land exists on half of the block between Hereford and Massachusetts Avenue. This plot of land was owned by Boston & Roxbury Mill Corporation, one of the few remaining remnants of what was once in this area. We also see that, while the land between Gloucester and Hereford was sold just within the last 5 years or so, there is still little development happening, showing that development takes time, planning, and money. Looking at an overall picture of the area, we see that the development and construction along Beacon Street was completely residential, the only exception being the "Hotel Royal" on the corner of Exeter. Another interesting thing to take note of is the design of houses on either side of the street. The houses lining the south side of Beacon Street (houses which were not along the river), all seem to be relatively uniform. They conformed to the French style of architecture with houses being fairly consistent all the way down the block. There was little variability in the size of any one house (height or length), most averaging less than 3000 square feet. However, in looking across the street, we find a much larger amount of variability, with buildings more than 3 times larger than any of the buildings across the street. This signifies the separation of the high-class from the even higher-class society. Those who could afford to live in Back Bay were situated all throughout the area, however those who could afford the most expensive houses bought plots of land along the river and had the houses built to their own tastes, creating large wide houses with different numbers of floors, rooms, and uses of the space within the plots (some had smaller buildings in the back, both for use as stables and storage). These higher-class members enjoyed their spacious homes and more direct sunlight.

1890 Bromley Maps

In looking at the names of the owners of the different houses, we find that, as was expected, the majority of them exhibit what one would believe to be English, Anglo-Saxon names. There is little invasion by the immigrants of Boston into this area, showing that the cities plan to attract only the "right kind" of people did work. This plan helped to preserve an area in Boston meant only for the rich and the elite.

Moving on to the end of the century, we take a look at a Sanborn map from 1897. We again take a look at the development of the area and find that development has finally reached Massachusetts Avenue and all land plots have been sold. Again, we look at the use of the buildings to see that the only divergences from residences are the Hotel Royal (again), a University Club at 270 Beacon Street, and the Mount Vernon Church at the corner of Hereford and Massachusetts Avenue. The Mount Vernon Church is yet another example of European architecture in several ways. The placement of this very large church shows the desire to place the largest and most extravagantly designed buildings on the corners of blocks to be visible to the most number of people. The University Club shows the very first signs that Boston is transforming into a college town and intertwining with all areas of the city.

Combination of 1897 Sanborn maps: Click to Enlarge

The next set of maps is from 1937. In looking at these Sanborn maps, we find a large number of changes have occurred. One of the most obvious changes is the use of these buildings. In the last set of maps, we found that all but 3 buildings along Beacon were used as residences. In looking at these maps, we find that there are many more non-residential buildings. Emerson College has appeared between Arlington and Berkeley. Several buildings are being used for "Rooming" (presumably as dormitories). There are private schools, doctor's offices, fraternity houses, and even a Fox and Hound's Club. But one of the most interesting changes is the emergence of apartments. Until this time, we have been seeing that all of these buildings were single-family residences. Now we see that there has been a drastic change and many of the houses have been sold and turned into apartment buildings. It does not seem as though there is a trend in where these apartment buildings started appearing. Most probably, when the idea of apartments was developed, real estate companies began to buy any buildings in the area that were for sale. Even the Hotel Royal was turned into an apartment building. The development of these apartments shows the changing economy of America. Americans were just recovering from the Great Depression caused by the stock market crash and the desire to buy a home was just not as appealing anymore. With people still unsure of the economy, spending of large sums of money was just not as safe. People needed affordable housing, but the option to leave if needed. And so the emergence of apartments was an easy answer. Apartments were created both in and out of Back Bay, however, the apartments within the Back Bay area probably charged prices much higher than other areas of town, to continue the trend of keeping a mostly high-society profile within the area.

Combination of 1937 Sanborn maps: Click to Enlarge

All of the changes that we see taking shape in this map start to bring into mind the pictures that we see of our present day Back Bay. Most of the present day buildings are apartment buildings. Emerson College remains where it was first built. We are finding a strong presence of college students emerging. The disappearance of stables behind the houses shows the transition into the age of the automobile. The presence of the Charles River Embankment Park pushes forward the idea of the need for common green space in an ever-expanding city. Most of the buildings are being remodeled for better safety and fire protection.

Overall, in examining the history of Boston and the way it changes through time, we find it difficult to explain the changes we observe without taking in the context of what is occurring throughout the rest of the city, state, country, and even the world. Boston has changed dramatically from the time of its founding up to, and including, the present. By screwing up the area's watershed, an area that would have otherwise been left alone was decided to be built upon. The influx of immigrants and the desire to separate the wealthy from these immigrants gave the area a rich context. And the changing economy of the country helped to develop the uses of the area into what they are now.

(1) Boston Family History (2001), http://www.bostonfamilyhistory.com/neighborhoods/neigh_bbay.html

(2) Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay- History of Back Bay, http://www.nabbonline.com/history/bb_history.htm

(3) Jackson, Kenneth (1985), The Crabgrass Frontier.