Mechanics Hall (Boston, Massachusetts) was a building and community institution on

Huntington Avenue Huntington Avenue is a secondary thoroughfare in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, beginning at Copley Square, and continuing west through the Back Bay, Fenway, Longwood, and Mission Hill neighborhoods. Huntington Avenue is signed as Route 9 ...

at West Newton Street, from 1881 to 1959. Commissioned by the

Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association The Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (est.1795) of Boston, Massachusetts, was "formed for the sole purposes of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence." Founders included Paul Revere, Jonathan Hunnewell, a ...

, it was built by the noted architect

William Gibbons Preston William Gibbons Preston (September 29, 1842 – March 26, 1910) was an American architect who practiced during the last third of the nineteenth century and in the first decade of the twentieth. Educated at Harvard University and the École des ...

. The building was located between the

Boston and Albany The Boston and Albany Railroad was a railroad connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Albany, New York, later becoming part of the New York Central Railroad system, Conrail, and CSX Transportation. The line is currently used by CSX for freight. Pass ...

railroad yards and Huntington avenue. It was razed for the

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project of the early 1960s. The site is on the north side of Huntington Avenue, and since 1941 has been served by

Prudential Station Prudential station is an underground light rail station on the MBTA Green Line E branch, located below Huntington Avenue next to the Prudential Tower complex near Belvidere Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Prudential station is fully handic ...

(''nee'' Mechanics Hall Station) of the MBTA

Green Line E branch The E branch (also referred to as the Huntington Avenue branch, or formerly as the Arborway Line) is a light rail line in Boston, Cambridge, Medford, and Somerville, Massachusetts, operating as part of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Aut ...

. The building's sizable auditorium was host to meetings and conventions. Over the years the building was host to events such as boat shows, auto shows, dog shows, flower shows and sporting shows. For example, in 1883 the Foreign Exhibition Association held a large exhibit of " foreign arts, manufactures and products". Also in 1883 the Olympian Club held a "floral display and costume carnival" that included indoor

rollerskating Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, si ...

. It was briefly the home court of the

Boston Whirlwinds The Boston Whirlwinds were an American basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts that was a member of the American Basketball League. The team started its only season playing in the Boston Arena, then downgraded their venue first to Mechanic ...

of the American Basketball League. Today, the site is the location of the 111 Huntington Avenue.

Notes

Image gallery

;Mechanics Hall, Huntington Avenue (1881–1959) File:1883 Rollerskate Carnival in Boston USA.jpg, Rollerskating, 1883 (photo by A.N. Hardy) File:Boston 1888 SampsonMap BackBay detail.jpg, Detail of 1888 map of Back Bay, showing the new Mechanics Hall on Huntington Ave. File:2350779035 MCMA Boston.jpg, Sportsman's Show, Mechanics Hall, 19th century File:2350779177 MechanicsHall Boston.jpg, Sportsman's Show, Mechanics Hall, 19th century Image:1911 auto MechanicsBuilding BostonEveningTranscript March2.png, Advertisement for auto show, 1911 File:Streetcars and Mechanics Hall, March 1920.jpg, Mechanics Hall, Huntington Ave., 1920 File:1959 MechanicsHall Boston 076323pv.jpg, Mechanics Hall, 1959 File:1959 MechanicsHall Boston 076324pv.jpg, Mechanics Hall, 1959

External links

History and images from the Boston Public LibraryImage of exhibit interior, c. 1881Documents related to the razing of buildings for Prudential site
* Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association, Exhibition Hall
Huntington Avenue & West Newton Street, Boston, Suffolk County, MA * Library of Congress
Photo of Creatore's Band on steps of Mechanics Building
Huntington Ave, Boston, Mass, 1903, by E. Chickering {{coord, 42, 20, 45.07, N, 71, 4, 54.52, W, display=title Cultural history of Boston Demolished buildings and structures in Boston 19th century in Boston 20th century in Boston Back Bay, Boston Cultural infrastructure completed in 1881 Defunct sports venues in Boston 1881 establishments in Massachusetts 1959 disestablishments in Massachusetts World's fair sites in the United States Buildings and structures demolished in 1959

See also

Notes

Image gallery

External links