Long Wharf (Boston)

Long Wharf and Customhouse Block
Location Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′37″N 71°2′59″W / 42.36028°N 71.04972°W / 42.36028; -71.04972Coordinates: 42°21′37″N 71°2′59″W / 42.36028°N 71.04972°W / 42.36028; -71.04972
Area 3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built 1710
NRHP Reference # 66000768
Significant dates
Added to NRHP November 13, 1966
Designated NHL November 13, 1966
Long Wharf from the harbor, looking towards downtown Boston

Long Wharf (built 1710-1721) is a historic pier in Boston, Massachusetts which once extended from State Street nearly a half-mile into Boston Harbor. Today, the much-shortened wharf (due to landfill on the city end) functions as a dock for passenger ferries and sightseeing boats.[1]

History

A wide view of a port town with several wharves. In the foreground there are eight large sailing ships and an assortment of smaller vessels. Soldiers are disembarking from small boats onto a long wharf. The skyline of the town, with nine tall spires and many smaller buildings, is in the distance. A key at the bottom of the drawing indicates some prominent landmarks and the names of the warships.
Boston in 1768, with Long Wharf extending into the harbor. Engraving by Paul Revere.

18th century

Construction of the wharf began around 1710. As originally built the wharf extended from the shoreline adjacent to Faneuil Hall and was one-third of a mile long, thrusting considerably farther than other wharves into deep water and thus allowing larger ships to tie up and unload directly to new warehouses and stores. "Constructed by Captain Oliver Noyes, it was lined with warehouses and served as the focus of Boston's great harbor."[2] Over time the water areas surrounding the landward end of the wharf were reclaimed, including the areas now occupied by Quincy Market and the Customs House.[3]

"At the wharf's head in the 18th century was the Bunch-of-Grapes Tavern. The painter John Singleton Copley spent his childhood on the wharf, where his mother had a tobacco shop."[4] The 1760s Gardiner Building, once home to John Hancock's counting house and now a restaurant, is the wharf's oldest surviving structure.[5]

Long Wharf, c. 19th century

19th century

Among several similar structures, a grand granite warehouse known as the Custom House Block was built in 1848 atop the wharf; it has survived into the 21st century.[6] The mid-19th century was the height of Boston's importance as a shipping center, lasting roughly until the American Civil War. Long Wharf was the central focus of much of this economic activity.[7]

In the late 1860s, as the city's port began to decline in importance as an international shipping destination,[7] Atlantic Avenue was cut through this and other wharves, changing the face of the waterfront.

20th century

The construction of the elevated Central Artery along Atlantic Avenue in the 1950s separated Long Wharf from Boston's business district.

The wharf and the 19th-century Custom House Block were recognized as a National Historic Landmark in recognition for the role they played in the history of Boston and its importance as a major 19th-century shipping center.[7]

Aerial view of Long Wharf (at left) in 2010. Compare with previous image, which is from a similar angle but lower altitude.

21st century

The Big Dig put the Central Artery below ground level, which partially restored the original close relationship between Long Wharf and downtown. Since ca.1990, Long Wharf has been transformed from a failing commercial waterfront area into a recreational and cultural center.[3]

Today, Long Wharf is adjacent to the New England Aquarium, and is served by the Aquarium station on MBTA's Blue Line subway. MBTA boat services link the wharf to the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown, Logan International Airport, Hull, and Quincy. Other passenger ferry services operate to the islands of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, and to the cities of Salem and Provincetown. Cruise boats operate various cruises around the harbour. The wharf itself is occupied by a hotel, several restaurants and shops. At the seaward end, there is a large plaza with extensive views of the harbor. Now much shortened by land reclamation at its landward end, today it serves as the principal terminus for cruise boats and harbor ferries operating on Boston Harbor.

Services

Gardiner Building (center) and Marriott Hotel (left) on Long Wharf
The old Custom House on Long Wharf
Viewing plaza at end of Long Wharf

The following marine services operate from the Long Wharf:

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Southworth & Southworth. AIA Guide to Boston, 3rd ed. 2008; p.74.
  3. 1 2 "Learn about history". The Boston Harborwalk. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  4. ↑ Southworth & Southworth. 2008; p.74.
  5. ↑ "Long Wharf". The Boston Harborwalk. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
  6. ↑ Southworth & Southworth. 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 "NHL nomination for Long Wharf and Custom House Block" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  8. ↑ http://www.salemferry.com/
  9. ↑ http://www.baystatecruisecompany.com/
  10. ↑ http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/
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