| 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 |