What is Back Bay in Boston?
Back Bay is an officially-recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and the area was fully built by around 1900.
What is the history of the Back Bay?
Up until the 1860s, the Back Bay was quite literally that – a bay of the Charles River, and not the gorgeous oceanfront kind. As it was a time before modern plumbing, the marshy bay was strewn with trash and sewage that would be carried down the river at high tide.
What is it like to live in the Back Bay?
The Back Bay is home to Boston’s tallest skyscrapers and its glitziest shopping, restaurants and hotels. But if you only stick to the famous commercial strips of Newbury Street and Boylston Street, you’d miss so much of the neighborhood. “Back Bay is a great place to just roam,” says Courtney Flynn, manager of Trident Booksellers and Cafe.
What kind of fish are in Back Bay?
With more than 25,000 acres, Back Bay is the largest body of water in the district. It produces good white perch and channel catfish at times, some flounder, and other saltwater and brackish water species. Many citation channel catfish are caught in the tributary creeks in the spring, as fish move into fresher water to spawn.
What is the back bay?
Back Bay is an officially-recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and the area was fully built by around 1900. It is most famous for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes—considered one of the best preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States—as well as numerous architecturally significant individual buildings, and cultural institutions such as the Boston Public Library, and Boston Architectural College. Initially conceived as a residential-only area, commercial buildings were permitted from around 1890, and Back Bay now features many office buildings, including the John Hancock Tower, Boston's tallest skyscraper. It is also considered a fashionable shopping destination (especially Newbury and Boylston Streets, and the adjacent Prudential Center and Copley Place malls) and home to several major hotels.
Who designed the Back Bay?
The plan of Back Bay, by Arthur Gilman of the firm Gridley James Fox Bryant, was greatly influenced by Haussmann's renovation of Paris. It featured wide, parallel, tree-lined avenues unlike anything seen in other Boston neighborhoods.
What are the major cultural institutions in the back bay?
Cultural and educational institutions. Prominent cultural and educational institutions in the Back Bay include: Alliance française, on Marlborough Street. Berklee College of Music, which occupies a number of older and newly built Back Bay buildings.
What was the purpose of the Back Bay Architectural District?
In 1966, the Massachusetts Legislature, "to safeguard the heritage of the city of Boston by preventing the despoliation" of the Back Bay, created the Back Bay Architectural District to regulate exterior changes to Back Bay buildings.
When was Back Bay filled?
Present-day Back Bay itself was filled by 1882; the project reached existing land at what is now Kenmore Square in 1890, and finished in the Fens in 1900. Much of the old mill dam remains buried under present-day Beacon Street. The project was the largest of a number of land reclamation projects which, beginning in 1820, more than doubled the size of the original Shawmut Peninsula.
Where is the back bay fens?
The Back Bay Fens is a large picturesque park on Back Bay's south edge that forms part of Boston's Emerald Necklace. The Charles River Reservation runs between Storrow Drive and the Charles River at Back Bay's northern border. Commonwealth Avenue, which runs through the center of Back Bay, has a large center mall.
What was the High Spine plan?
In the 1960s, the " High Spine " design plan, in conjunction with development plans, gave way to the construction of high-rise buildings along the Massachusetts Turnpike, which in turn allowed the development of major projects in the area.
What is the back bay?
The Back Bay has long been considered one of the most important ecological reserves on the California coast and is a key resource for more than 200 species of migratory birds.
Where is the Marriott Bayview?
The Newport Beach Marriott Bayview has unparalleled views of the coastal wetlands of the Back Bay and is a short drive to local shops and dining favorites such as Provenance, BELLO and Back Bay Bistro.
How many species of birds are in the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve?
Boasting 1,000 acres of preserved and pristine wetlands that attract naturalists, scientists and nature lovers, it is home to over 200 endangered species and 35,000 migratory birds.
What are the activities at Newport Beach?
Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina and the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach cater to a plethora of family friendly activities including kayaking, electric boating, biking and standup paddleboarding. During the summer, Newport Dunes Water Park has the largest fleet of inflatables floating on tranquil water for all vacationers, young and old.
Welcome to the Back Bay
The Back Bay centers around bustling Copley Square, home to Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, cultural festivals and farmers markets. Visit Newbury Street, where shoppers can wander art galleries and designer boutiques and enjoy sidewalk cafes.
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What is the back bay in Boston?
The Back Bay is home to Boston’s tallest skyscrapers and its glitziest shopping, restaurants and hotels. But if you only stick to the famous commercial strips of Newbury Street and Boylston Street, you’d miss so much of the neighborhood.
What was the back bay of the Charles River?
Up until the 1860s, the Back Bay was quite literally that – a bay of the Charles River, and not the gorgeous oceanfront kind. As it was a time before modern plumbing, the marshy bay was strewn with trash and sewage that would be carried down the river at high tide.
What sauces are used in Parish Cafe sandwiches?
Some involve applewood-smoked bacon, cranberry-chipotle sauce, tomato-caper relish and tarragon-mustard aioli, to name a few.
Is Back Bay a good place to visit?
A picturesque stroll. “Back Bay is a great place to just roam,” says Courtney Flynn, manager of Trident Booksellers and Cafe. Flynn encourages people to zigzag their way through the neighborhoods’ parallel avenues to get a true sense of the place. Flynn’s parents opened Trident here on Newbury Street in 1984, so she and her family have witnessed ...
What is the Back Bay Houses website?
Launched in 2014, the website is the culmination of ten years of research to identify who lived in (and, if possible, who owned) each Back Bay property.
What is the name of the church in the back bay?
The Unitarians’ new church, now known as Arlington Street Church, is completed. It is the first public building in the Back Bay.
How deep was the Back Bay in September?
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.
What is the subdivided basin?
Basin subdivided into Upper or Fill Basin, Lower or Receiving Basin, to power water mills
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Overview
Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and the area was fully built by around 1900. It is most famous for its rows of Victorian brownstone homes—considered one of the best preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the United States—as well as numerous architecturall…
History
Before its transformation into buildable land by a 19th-century filling project, the Back Bay was a bay, west of the Shawmut Peninsula (on the far side from Boston Harbor) between Boston and Cambridge, the Charles River entering from the west. This bay was tidal: the water rose and fell several feet over the course of each day, and at low tide much of the bay's bed was exposed as a marshy flat. …
Roads
The Back Bay is traversed by five east–west corridors: Beacon Street, Marlborough Street, Commonwealth Avenue, Newbury Street and Boylston Street. These are interrupted at regular intervals by north–south streets named alphabetically: Arlington (along the western border of the Boston Public Garden), Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester and Hereford Stre…
Architecture
The plan of Back Bay, by Arthur Gilman of the firm Gridley James Fox Bryant, was greatly influenced by Haussmann's renovation of Paris. It featured wide, parallel, tree-lined avenues unlike anything seen in other Boston neighborhoods. Five east–west corridors—Beacon Street (closest to the Charles), Marlborough Street, Commonwealth Avenue (actually two one-way thoroughfares flanking t…
Cultural and educational institutions
Prominent cultural and educational institutions in the Back Bay include:
• Alliance française, on Marlborough Street
• Berklee College of Music, which occupies a number of older and newly built Back Bay buildings
• Boston Architectural College, the oldest independent architecture school in the US
Parkland
• The Back Bay Fens is a large picturesque park on Back Bay's south edge that forms part of Boston's Emerald Necklace.
• The Charles River Reservation runs between Storrow Drive and the Charles River at Back Bay's northern border.
• Commonwealth Avenue, which runs through the center of Back Bay, has a large center mall.
Transportation
Back Bay is served by the Green Line's Arlington, Copley, Hynes Convention Center, and Prudential stations, and the Orange Line's Back Bay station (which is also an MBTA Commuter Rail and Amtrak station).
See also
• Copley Square
• High Spine
• National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts