Haymarket Square is the historic name of a former
town square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...
in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, located between the
North End,
Government Center, the
Bulfinch Triangle, and the
West End. The square wa
a well-known feature of Bostonfrom the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, when the buildings around it were demolished to make way for the
Central Artery
The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3.
The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named aft ...
and
Government Center. The
Haymarket produce market continues to operate at a location near the historic site of the square. The
Haymarket MBTA station extends under the former site of the square.
17th and 18th centuries: Mill Cove to Mill Pond
During the early years of European settlement, the future site of Haymarket Square was in a part of Boston Harbor called Mill Cove.
The cove (not labeled) appears to the southwest of Mill Hill (later renamed
Copp's Hill
Copp's Hill is an elevation in the historic North End of Boston, Massachusetts. It is bordered by Hull Street, Charter Street and Snow Hill Street. The hill takes its name from William Copp, a shoemaker who lived nearby. Copp's Hill Burying G ...
) on the 1645 map.
The mouth of Mill Cove was dammed in the 1640s, turning it into Mill Pond.
Several mills and rum distilleries, powered by tidal water flows, were built on the shores of the pond.
The future location of Haymarket was just north of the "Water Mill" shown on the 1743 map.
19th century: creation of the square
Mill Pond was cut off from most water flows by the mill dam, and was used as a waste dumping site by neighboring homes and businesses.
The polluted water was regarded as a source of disease.
At the same time, population growth led town officials to look for ways to increase the supply of buildable land.
In 1807, the town of Boston gave the Boston Mill Corporation (under the leadership of
William Tudor
William Tudor (March 28, 1750 – July 8, 1819) was a wealthy lawyer and leading citizen of Boston, Massachusetts. His eldest son William Tudor (1779–1830) became a leading literary figure in Boston. Another son, Frederic Tudor, founded ...
and
Harrison Gray Otis,
) permission to begin filling in the pond.
A street plan for the filled land was proposed in 1808 by
Charles Bulfinch
Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...
.
Filling of the pond to create the area now known as the
Bulfinch Triangle was completed in 1828.
The fill material was obtained by cutting down a portion of
Beacon Hill.
The future location of Haymarket Square, where Merrimack, Canal, and Charleston Streets converged at the southern tip of the Bulfinch Triangle, appears on an 1826 map.
Maps from as early as 1814 show a market at the intersection of Merrimack, Canal, and Charlestown Streets.
The name "Haymarket Square" appears on an 1844 map. No earlier map on the City of Boston atlas includes the name. A drawing published in 1895 entitled "View of the New Land in 1828" also shows the name "Haymarket Square". The name was applied because the square was "the site of one of several public scales used for weighing and selling hay."
Images from the mid-1800s show hay being sold in the square. The Haymarket Pushcart Association,
which traces its history to 1820, still operates the
Haymarket market a block away.
From its opening in 1845 to its demolition in 1897, the most prominent building on the square was the
Boston and Maine Railroad depot. According to an 1892 guidebook, "The Boston and Maine Railroad, alone of all lines entering the city on the north side, enjoys the privilege of penetrating within the outer street. Its station is in Haymarket Square, and the open space in front of it gives prominence to the structure." The railroad provided service to
Lowell,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, and
Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...
.
[
In 1893, the depot was replaced by ]North Union Station
North Station is a commuter rail and intercity rail terminal station in Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by four MBTA Commuter Rail lines – the Fitchburg Line, Haverhill Line, Lowell Line, and Newburyport/Rockport Line – and the Am ...
, several blocks to the north on Causeway Street. The depot was demolished to make way for construction of the Haymarket Relief Station (a branch of Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital, located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and . ...
) and the Canal Street incline
The Canal Street incline (also Canal Street portal) was a ramp connecting two transit tunnels in Boston with surface and elevated lines. It was located in the Bulfinch Triangle between North Station and Haymarket Square in two blocks bounded by Ca ...
(the northern end of the Tremont Street subway
The Tremont Street subway in Boston's MBTA subway system is the oldest subway tunnel in North America and the third oldest still in use worldwide to exclusively use electric traction (after the City and South London Railway in 1890, and the Bud ...
, the predecessor to the MBTA Green Line
The Green Line is a light rail system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the Boston, Massachusetts, metropolitan area. It is the oldest MBTA subway line, and with tunnel sections dating from 1897, the oldest subway ...
). The Haymarket station on the subway line opened in 1898, with an entrance kiosk in the center of Haymarket Square. Workers excavating for the station and incline uncovered a portion of the wall of the Middlesex Canal
The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile (44-kilometer) barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet (9.1 m) wide, and 3 feet (0.9 m) deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet (24 m) long and between 10 and ...
, which formerly terminated at the square.
20th century: destruction
All the buildings around the square, as well as the square itself, were demolished in the 1950s for the construction of the elevated Central Artery
The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3.
The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named aft ...
or in the 1960s and 1970s for the construction of Government Center. Architectural critic Robert Campbell wrote in 1992 that the former site of the Relief Station resembled "a shell-torn battlefield." During the construction of the 2,300-space Government Center Garage, the MBTA Haymarket Station was rebuilt. The northeast corner of the garage was located on the former location of Haymarket Square.
Jack Frost--Connecting Links As Seen from Customs House Tower.jpg, 1955 drawing by Jack Frost. Haymarket Square is in the center, with the new Central Artery
The Central Artery (officially the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway) is a section of freeway in downtown Boston, Massachusetts; it is designated as Interstate 93, US 1 and Route 3.
The original Artery, constructed in the 1950s, was named aft ...
at right.
Aerial view of Haymarket Square and North Station, 1960s.jpg, 1960s view to the north. The land at the left had been cleared for the construction of Government Center.
Construction of Federal Building, Government Center, Boston, 1960s.jpg, The JFK Federal Building under construction in the 1960s. Haymarket Square and the Haymarket Relief Station are at right.
Boston skyline 1960s, including Custom House Tower and State Street Bank Building.jpg, Late 1960s view from the north, with the elevated Central Artery at left. What remains of Haymarket Square is the traffic circle at the center.
Haymarket Square Boston, overlay of 2006 building footprints on 1881 Mitchell map.JPG, Approximate location of 2006 buildings overlaid on an 1881 map. No 1881 buildings remain.
21st century: further changes
Construction began in January 2017 on Bulfinch Crossing, a 2.9 million square foot redevelopment on the site of the Government Center Garage. The northeast corner of the garage is at the location of Haymarket Square.
"Haymarket Square" was the original name of a hotel and market building which began construction in 2018 on Blackstone Street, a block south of the historic location of Haymarket Square. The hotel's name was later changed to the "Canopy by Hilton Boston Downtown". The hotel opened in 2022.
References
{{Authority control
Government Center, Boston
Food markets in the United States
Squares in Boston
History of Boston
1830 establishments in Massachusetts