A Boston Landmark is a designation by the Boston Landmarks Commission for historic buildings and sites throughout the city of Boston based on the grounds that it has historical, social, cultural, architectural or aesthetic significance to New England or the United States. While National Landmark or National Register status can provide tax incentives for the owner of an income-producing property, local landmark status provides more control over modifications to a designated historic structure or place.[1]
For a group to start a designation procedure, they first meet with Boston Landmarks Commission staff to discuss the petition process. Once a complete petition is submitted, a preliminary hearing is scheduled to determine if the Commission will accept the petition for further study. If the Commission accepts the petition, the building or site is added to the pending Landmarks list. Preparation of a study report on the proposed Landmark is the next step. A public hearing process follows to present the draft study report. A 2/3 majority vote of the Commission is necessary for a property to be designated as a Boston Landmark. The decision must then be confirmed by the Mayor of Boston and by the Boston City Council. The Boston Landmarks Commission determines if a property is eligible for landmark status based on whether it
Once designated, any proposed alterations must be reviewed and approved by the Boston Landmarks Commission.[2]
In 2016, a commissioner submitted a petition to the Boston Landmarks Commission to designate the Citgo sign above Kenmore Square, when its support building at 660 Beacon Street was in the process of being sold by Boston University. The petition was accepted and the sign is a pending Landmark, with research for the study report underway.[3]
Since two unrelated designations in 2016, no pending landmarks have been approved. A number of sites have remained pending since the 1980s.[4]
The 1840 Roswell Gleason house in Dorchester was granted landmark status in 1977. It was destroyed by fire in 1982.[5]
| Boston Landmarks | Location | Date Designated[6] | Image | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–30 Bromfield Street | 20–30 Bromfield Street | 1983 | [7] | ||
| 39 & 41 Princeton Street (Stephen Huse Whidden House & Joseph Henry Stephenson House) Architectural Conservation District | East Boston | 1991 | [8] | ||
| 5–7 Broad Street | 5–7 Broad Street | 1983 | [9] | ||
| Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District | Brighton | 2001 | [10] | ||
| Adams-Nervine Asylum | 990–1020 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 1977 | [11] | ||
| Alvah Kittredge House | 10 Linwood Street, Roxbury | 2016 | [12] [13] | ||
| Arlington Street Church | 355 Boylston Street, Back Bay | 1978 | [14] | ||
| Armory of the First Corps of Cadets | 97–105 Arlington Street | 1977 | [15] | ||
| Austin Block | 90–92 Main Street, Charlestown | 1981 | [16] | ||
| Back Bay Fens | The Fenway | 1983 | [17] [18] | ||
| Batterymarch Building | 54 Battermarch Street, Jamaica Plain | 1995 | [19] [20] | ||
| Bay State Road / Back Bay West Architectural Conservation District | Bay State Road | 1979 | [21] | ||
| Bay Village Architectural Conservation District | Bay Village | 1983 | [22] | ||
| Blackstone Block Street Network | Blackstone Block | 1983 | [23] | ||
| Boston Common | Beacon Street | 1977 | [24] | ||
| Boston Young Men's Christian Union Building | 48 Boylston Street, Theater District | 1977 | [25] | ||
| Boylston Building | 2 Boylston Street, Theater District | 1977 | [26] | ||
| Brook Farm | 670 Baker Street, West Roxbury | 1977 | [27] | ||
| Burrage House | 137 Beacon Street, Back Bay | 1992 | [28] [29] | ||
| Charles River Esplanade | Beacon Hill / Back Bay | 2009 | [30] | ||
| Charles River Speedway Administration Building | 1420–1440 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton | 2013 | [31] | ||
| Charlestown Savings Bank Building | 1–4 Thompson Square, Charlestown | 1981 | [32] | ||
| Christian Science Center Complex | Fenway | 2011 | [33] | ||
| Church Green Buildings | 101–103,105–113 Summer Street | 1979 | [34] | ||
| Commonwealth Avenue Mall | Back Bay | 1977 | [35] | ||
| Cox Building | 1–7 Dudley Street, Roxbury | 1980 | [36] | ||
| Donald McKay House | 80 White Street, East Boston | 1977 | [37] | ||
| Dorchester North Burying Ground | Columbia Road, Dorchester | 1981 | [38] | ||
| Dorchester Pottery Works | 101–105 Victory Road, Dorchester | 1980 | [39] | ||
| Ebenezer Hancock House | Marshall Street | 1978 | [40] | ||
| Edward Everett House | 16 Harvard Street, Charlestown | 1996 | [41] | ||
| Elizabeth Peabody Bookstore and Circulating Library | 13–15 West Street | 2011 | [42] [43] | ||
| Eustis Street Architectural Conservation District | Roxbury | 1981 | [44] | ||
| Exchange Building | 53 State Street | 1980 | [45] | ||
| Faneuil Hall | 1–10 Faneuil Hall Square | 1994 | [46] | ||
| Federal Reserve Bank | 30 Pearl Street | 1978 | [47] | ||
| Fort Point Channel Landmark District | South Boston | 2008 | [48] | ||
| Fowler-Clark Farm | 487 Norfolk Street, Mattapan | 2006 | [49] | ||
| Franklin Park | Roxbury | 1980 | [50] | ||
| George Milliken House | 44 Virginia Street, Dorchester | 2007 | [51] | ||
| Gibson House (Interior) | 187 Beacon Street, Back Bay | 1992 | [52] | ||
| Harrison Loring House | 789 East Broadway, South Boston | 1984 | [53] | ||
| Hayden Building | 681 Washington Street, Theater District | 1977 | [54] [55] | ||
| International Trust Company Building | 45 Milk Street | 1978 | [56] | ||
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | 280 The Fenway | 2013 | [57] | ||
| Jacob Wirth Buildings | 31–39 Stuart Street, Theater District | 1977 | [58] | ||
| James Blake House | 210 East Cottage Street, Dorchester | 1978 | [59] | ||
| James Michael Curley House | 350 Jamaicaway, Jamaica Plain | 1989 | [60] | ||
| Lewis–Dawson Farmhouse at the Arnold Arboretum | 1090 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain | 2007 | [61] [62] | ||
| Liberty Tree Building | 628–636 Washington Street, Theater District | 1985 | [63] | ||
| Loring–Greenough House | 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain | 1999 | [64] | ||
| Malcolm X – Ella Little-Collins House | 72 Dale Street, Roxbury | 1998 | [65] | ||
| McCormack Post Office and Courthouse | 5 Post Office Square | 1998 | [66] | ||
| Mission Church Complex | Mission Hill | 2004 | [67] | ||
| Modern Theatre | 523–525 Washington Street | 2002 | [68] | ||
| Oak Square School | 35 Nonantum Street, Brighton | 1979 | [69] | ||
| Old State House | 208 Washington Street | 1994 | [70] | ||
| Paramount Theater | 549–563 Washington Street, Theater District | 1984 | [71] | ||
| Proctor Building | 100–106 Bedford Street | 1983 | [72] | ||
| Public Garden | Beacon Street | 1977 | [73] | ||
| Quincy Market | Faneuil Hall Market Place | 1996 | [74] [75] | ||
| South End Landmark District | South End | 1983 | [76] [77] | ||
| St. Botolph Street Architectural Conservation District | St. Botolph Street | 1981 | [78] | ||
| St. Gabriel's Monastery Building | 159 Washington Street, Brighton | 1989 | [79] [80] | ||
| Theodore Parker Unitarian Church | 1851 Centre Street, West Roxbury | 1985 | [81] | ||
| Trinity Neighborhood House | 406 Meridian Street, East Boston | 1981 | [82] | ||
| Tugboat Luna | Charles River | 1985 | [83] | ||
| United Shoe Machinery Corporation Building | 140 Federal Street | 1983 | [84] | ||
| Vienna Brewery Complex | 133 Halleck & 37 Station, Roxbury | 1999 | [85] | ||
| Wilbur Theatre | 250 Tremont Street, Theater District | 1987 | [86] | ||
| William Monroe Trotter House | 97 Sawyer Avenue, Dorchester | 1977 | [87] [88] |