Kenmore Square: Difference between revisions
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'''Kenmore Square''' is a [[Town square|square]] in [[Boston, Massachusetts]] |
'''Kenmore Square''' is a [[Town square|square]] in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], consisting of the intersection of several main avenues (including [[Beacon Street]] and [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue]]) as well as several other cross streets, and [[Kenmore station]], an [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority|MBTA]] subway stop. Kenmore Square is close to or abuts [[Boston University]] and [[Fenway Park]], and it features Lansdowne Street, a center of Boston nightlife, and the [[Citgo sign (Boston)|Citgo sign]]. It is also the eastern terminus of [[U.S. Route 20]], the longest [[U.S. Highway]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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[[File:BostonHotelBuckminster.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Boston Hotel Buckminster]] at intersection of [[Beacon Street]] and [[Brookline Avenue]]]] |
[[File:BostonHotelBuckminster.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Boston Hotel Buckminster]] at intersection of [[Beacon Street]] and [[Brookline Avenue]]]] |
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In early Colonial times the land that is now Kenmore Square was an uninhabited corner of the mainland where the narrow [[Charles River]] fed into the wide, marshy [[Back Bay]]. It was part of the colonial settlement of Boston until 1705, when the hamlet of Muddy River incorporated as the independent town of [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]. The land ended up in Brookline because the Muddy River - several blocks to the east - formed the eastern border of the new city.<ref>See [[:Image:Middlesex Canal (Massachusetts) map, 1852.jpg]] or [http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/gis/maplib/comp1844.pdf 1844 Brookline map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811155535/http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/gis/maplib/comp1844.pdf |date=August 11, 2007 }}</ref> |
In early Colonial times the land that is now Kenmore Square was an uninhabited corner of the mainland where the narrow [[Charles River]] fed into the wide, marshy [[Back Bay]]. It was part of the colonial settlement of Boston until 1705, when the hamlet of Muddy River incorporated as the independent town of [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]]. The land ended up in Brookline because the Muddy River - several blocks to the east - formed the eastern border of the new city.<ref>See [[:Image:Middlesex Canal (Massachusetts) map, 1852.jpg]] or [http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/gis/maplib/comp1844.pdf 1844 Brookline map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811155535/http://www.town.brookline.ma.us/gis/maplib/comp1844.pdf |date=August 11, 2007 }}</ref> |
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Even as late as 1880, Governor Square was only sparsely developed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/boston_ground_1880.jpg |title=Boston in 1880 : Showing all ground occupied by buildings : Map |publisher=Lib.utexas.edu |access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> By 1890, the Back Bay landfill project had reached the square, for the first time fully connecting it with parts of the city to the east. |
Even as late as 1880, Governor Square was only sparsely developed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/boston_ground_1880.jpg |title=Boston in 1880 : Showing all ground occupied by buildings : Map |publisher=Lib.utexas.edu |access-date=October 12, 2013}}</ref> By 1890, the Back Bay landfill project had reached the square, for the first time fully connecting it with parts of the city to the east. |
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[[Streetcar]] tracks were laid on Beacon Street in 1888, passing through Governor Square on the surface, from [[Coolidge Corner]] to [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]]. These would eventually become the [[Green Line C branch]]. Tracks were laid on what by then was called Commonwealth Avenue in 1896, from Union Square in Brighton. These would later serve the [[Green Line A branch]] and [[Green Line B branch]]. The [[Boylston Street subway]] was extended to Kenmore Square in 1914, where it rose above ground. In 1932, the Kenmore Square portion of the Green Line was put underground, and branch portals opened at Blandford and St. Mary's Streets. |
[[Streetcar]] tracks were laid on Beacon Street in 1888, passing through Governor Square on the surface, from [[Coolidge Corner]] to [[Massachusetts Avenue (Boston)|Massachusetts Avenue]]. These would eventually become the [[Green Line C branch]]. Tracks were laid on what by then was called Commonwealth Avenue in 1896, from Union Square in Brighton. These would later serve the [[Green Line A branch]] and [[Green Line B branch]]. The [[Boylston Street subway]] was extended to Kenmore Square in 1914, where it rose above ground. In 1932, the Kenmore Square portion of the Green Line was put underground, and branch portals opened at Blandford and St. Mary's Streets. |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://www.facebook.com/KenmoreSquareSchoolofRock Kenmore Square Memorial Facebook Page] |
* [https://www.facebook.com/KenmoreSquareSchoolofRock Kenmore Square Memorial Facebook Page] |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070203042749/http://www.bostonsquares.com/kenmore Boston Squares Guide] to restaurants, bars and shops in Kenmore Square via [[Wayback Machine]] |
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{{Streets and squares in Boston}} |
{{Streets and squares in Boston}} |
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{{Boston Red Sox}} |
{{Boston Red Sox}} |
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{{authority control}} |
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[[Category:Squares in Boston]] |
[[Category:Squares in Boston]] |
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[[Category:U.S. Route 20]] |
[[Category:U.S. Route 20]] |
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Revision as of 19:09, 30 January 2023
Kenmore Square | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in Boston | |
| Coordinates: 42°20′55″N 71°05′44″W / 42.3487°N 71.0956°W | |
| State | Massachusetts |
| City | Boston |
| Intersection | Beacon Street, Commonwealth Avenue |
| Historical features | Citgo Sign |
Kenmore Square is a square in Boston, Massachusetts, consisting of the intersection of several main avenues (including Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue) as well as several other cross streets, and Kenmore station, an MBTA subway stop. Kenmore Square is close to or abuts Boston University and Fenway Park, and it features Lansdowne Street, a center of Boston nightlife, and the Citgo sign. It is also the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 20, the longest U.S. Highway.
History
In early Colonial times the land that is now Kenmore Square was an uninhabited corner of the mainland where the narrow Charles River fed into the wide, marshy Back Bay. It was part of the colonial settlement of Boston until 1705, when the hamlet of Muddy River incorporated as the independent town of Brookline. The land ended up in Brookline because the Muddy River - several blocks to the east - formed the eastern border of the new city.[1]
An 1821 map shows the area known as Sewell's Point, with Great Dam, Brighton Road (Brighton Ave and Commonwealth Ave), and Punch Bowl Road (now Brookline Ave)[2] intersecting at Sewell's Point[3] then connected to the mainland to the west, in addition to the southern connection shown in 1777.[4]
The portion of Beacon Street west of Governor Square was laid out in 1850, intersecting with Avenue Street (now the Allston portion of Commonwealth Avenue), Mill Dam Road (now Brookline Avenue), and Western Avenue, a road traversing the Back Bay mill dam in approximately the modern location of Beacon Street. The Boston and Worcester Rail Road and the Charles River Branch Railroad combined here to cross the Back Bay on a separate railroad bridge, making a beeline for the Leather District. The railroad lines still exist on more or less their original alignments, with the city developing around them. Minor adjustments have been made for the construction of South Station, what is now the MBTA Green Line, and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
The town of Brighton was merged with Boston in 1874, and the Boston-Brookline line was redrawn to connect the new Back Bay neighborhood with Allston-Brighton.
Even as late as 1880, Governor Square was only sparsely developed.[5] By 1890, the Back Bay landfill project had reached the square, for the first time fully connecting it with parts of the city to the east.
Streetcar tracks were laid on Beacon Street in 1888, passing through Governor Square on the surface, from Coolidge Corner to Massachusetts Avenue. These would eventually become the Green Line C branch. Tracks were laid on what by then was called Commonwealth Avenue in 1896, from Union Square in Brighton. These would later serve the Green Line A branch and Green Line B branch. The Boylston Street subway was extended to Kenmore Square in 1914, where it rose above ground. In 1932, the Kenmore Square portion of the Green Line was put underground, and branch portals opened at Blandford and St. Mary's Streets.
The square was originally Governor Square; it was changed to Kenmore Square on December 31, 1931. The new name was taken from the streetcar stop, itself named for the short Kenmore Street.[6][7]
In 1915, the Kenmore Apartments were built on the corner of Kenmore and Commonwealth Avenue. Later, the apartments became the Hotel Kenmore with 400 guest rooms. The Kenmore was owned by Bertram Druker, a prominent Boston developer and was known as the baseball hotel.[citation needed] It housed every one of the 14 out of town teams in Major League Baseball teams in the years following World War II.[citation needed] From the 1960s to 1979 it was used by Grahm Junior College as a residence hall, cafeteria, library, and classroom facility. Later, after Grahm Junior College closed and larger hotels like the Sheraton were built, the Hotel Kenmore started to show its age and eventually became apartments again. It is now called Kenmore Abbey.
See also
References
- ^ See Image:Middlesex Canal (Massachusetts) map, 1852.jpg or 1844 Brookline map Archived August 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Boston Fire Historical Society". Bostonfirehistory.org. Archived from the original on December 18, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "Photo". Bostonhistory.typepad.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "Photo". Bostonhistory.typepad.com. March 16, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "Boston in 1880 : Showing all ground occupied by buildings : Map". Lib.utexas.edu. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ^ "Governor Sq now officially known as Kenmore Sq". Boston Globe. January 1, 1932. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ask the Globe". Boston Globe. March 14, 1990. p. 54 – via Newspapers.com.
Further reading
- Daniloff, Caleb (September 28, 2009). "Icons Among Us: The Citgo Sign". BU Today. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010 – via Wayback Machine.
- Logan, Tim; Nanos, Janelle (April 3, 2021). "For Kenmore Square, does the end of an era mean a promising future?". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- Tarkulich, Bill (December 2020). "A History of Kenmore Square". grahmjuniorcollege.com.
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