Congress Street in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, is located in the
Financial District
A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies, and other related finance corporations have their headquarters offices. In major cities, financial districts often host ...
and
South Boston
South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...
.
History
The street was first named in 1800. It was extended in 1854 (from
State Street) as far as
Atlantic Avenue, and in 1874 across
Fort Point Channel into
South Boston
South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...
. The original
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravit ...
was replaced in 1930 by a
bascule bridge
A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...
, which is still extant and known as the
Congress Street Bridge.
Today's Congress Street consists of several segments of streets, previously named Atkinson's Street, Dalton Street, Gray's Alley, Leverett's Lane, Quaker Lane, and Shrimpton's Lane.
See also
*
Boston Children's Museum
*
Boston City Hall
Boston City Hall is the seat of local government in the United States, city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the List of mayors of Boston, mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in ...
* ''
The Boston Post
''The Boston Post'' was a daily newspaper in New England for over a hundred years before its final shutdown in 1956. The ''Post'' was founded in November 1831 by two prominent Boston businessmen, Charles G. Greene and William Beals.
Edwin Groz ...
''
*
Boston Reds (1890–1891)
The Boston Reds were a 19th-century baseball team located in Boston, Massachusetts that played in the Players' League in 1890 and in the American Association in 1891. They played in the Congress Street Grounds in the 1890s. The team took its ...
*
Children's Wharf
*
Congress Street Fire Station
*
Congress Street Grounds
*
Dock Square (Boston, Massachusetts)
*
Exchange Coffee House, Boston
*
Government Center, Boston
Government Center is an area in downtown Boston, centered on City Hall Plaza (Boston), City Hall Plaza. Formerly the site of Scollay Square, it is now the location of Boston City Hall, courthouses, state and federal office buildings, and a majo ...
*
John Hancock Building
*
Julien Hall (19th century)
*
Mobius Artists Group
*
New England Holocaust Memorial
*
Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts
*
Russia Wharf Buildings
* ''
Weekly Messenger'' newspaper
*
World Trade Center (MBTA station)
Images
File:JuliensRestorator MilkSt Snow HistoryOfBoston 1828.png, Julien's Restorator
Julien's Restorator (1793–1823) was a restaurant in Boston, Massachusetts, established by French-born Jean Baptiste Gilbert Payplat dis Julien.Andrew F. Smith, ed. The Oxford companion to American food and drink. Oxford University Press US, 200 ...
, corner of Milk Street and Congress St. (demolished 1824)
File:TimothyDalton house CongressSt WaterSt Boston.png, Dalton house, corner of Congress St. and Water St., Boston, c. 19th century
File:Financial Boston1829 Stimpson.png, Detail of 1829 map of Boston, showing extent of Congress St.; (Atkinson St. would become part of Congress St. in 1854)
File:1831 Liberator.jpg, Issue No.1, '' The Liberator'', 1831; published from Office #11, Merchants Hall, on Water Street at the corner of Congress Street, Boston
File:Welch CongressSt BostonDirectory 1852.png, Advertisement for Welch & Griffiths, cast-steel saws, 1852
File:WilliamBond CongressSt BostonDirectory 1861.png, Advertisement for William Bond & Son, chronometer and watch makers, 1861
File:View on Congress Street, by Kilburn Brothers.jpg, Congress St. after the fire of 1872
File:Congress Street, from Milk, by Soule, John P., 1827-1904 2.jpg, Congress St. (looking from Milk St.), after the fire, 1872; photo by John P. Soule
File:1883 CongressSt Walker map Boston detail.png, Detail of 1883 map of Boston, showing Congress St. and vicinity
File:StockExchange CongressSt 1910s Boston.jpg, Stock Exchange, Congress St., Boston, 1910s
File:Federal Reserve from South Boston.jpg, Congress Street Bridge (at far right), 2007
File:2010 CongressSt Boston7.jpg, Congress St., Boston, looking towards Merrimac St., 2010
References
External links
Bostonian Societyhas materials related to the street.
*
{{Streets and squares in Boston
Streets in Boston
History of Boston
Financial District, Boston
Seaport District
Government Center, Boston