Louisburg Square is a street in the
Beacon Hill Beacon Hill may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beacon Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood
* Beacon Hill Park, a park in Victoria, British Columbia
* Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan
* Beacon Hill, Montreal, a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield, Quebec
United ...
neighborhood of
Boston,
Massachusetts, bisected by a small private park. The park is maintained by the Louisburg Square Proprietors. While the Proprietors pay taxes to the City of Boston, the city does not own the park or its garden.
Louisburg Square was named for the 1745
Battle of Louisbourg, in which Massachusetts militiamen led by
William Pepperrell, who was made the first American baronet for his role, sacked the French
Fortress of Louisbourg. Louisburg Square has become one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the United States, with townhouses listing for over $15,000,000.
Description
The parl itself is a small grassy oval surrounded by a wrought-iron fence; there is no public access. There is a
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
of
Christopher Columbus at the north end and of
Aristides the Just at the south end.
History and residents
The
Greek Revival houses around the square reflect the rarefied privilege enjoyed by the 19th century upper class in Beacon Hill. The square was surveyed in the 1820s, and the houses around it were designed and built between 1834 and 1847. One of the last private residences built on Louisburg Square was 2 Louisburg Square, built in 1847 for wealthy merchant and philanthropist Thomas Handasyd Perkins Jr., known as "Short-Arm Tom", who lived at 1 Joy Street. Among the famous people who lived there in the 19th Century were ''
Atlantic Monthly
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' editor
William Dean Howells, architect
Charles Bulfinch, painter
John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...
, and teacher
A. Bronson Alcott and his daughter, author
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...
(who died there).
[ ]Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...
was married in the parlor of a house on Louisburg Square.[
, it is one of the most expensive residential neighborhoods in the USA; townhouses on Louisburg Square sold for $11.5 million in 2011 and $11 million in 2012, for instance. The square is often included in walking tours and guidebooks. Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his wife Theresa Heinz, own the townhouse at 19 Louisburg Square.]
References
External links
*
19th century in Boston
Beacon Hill, Boston
Cobbled streets
Historic preservation in the United States
Neighborhoods in Boston
Squares in Boston
{{Boston-geo-stub