The Old Corner Bookstore is a historic commercial building located at 283 Washington Street at the corner of School Street in the historic core of Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1718 as a residence and apothecary shop, and first became a bookstore in 1828. The building is a designated site on Boston's

Freedom Trail The Freedom Trail is a path through Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds from Boston Common in downtown Boston through the North End to the Bu ...

, Literary Trail, and Women's Heritage Trail. The Old Corner Bookstore was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This building is currently under consideration for

Boston Landmark 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 Engla ...

status by the

Boston Landmarks Commission The Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) is the historic preservation agency for the City of Boston. The commission was created by state legislation i1975 History Urban renewal in the United States started with the Housing Act of 1949, part of Presid ...

History

The site, situated on what was then part of Cornhill, was formerly the home of

Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (née Marbury; July 1591 – August 1643) was a Puritan spiritual advisor, religious reformer, and an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her ...

, who was expelled from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

in 1638 for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. Thomas Crease purchased the home in 1708, though it burned down in the Great Boston Fire on October 2, 1711.Wilson, Susan. ''Boston Sites & Insights: An Essential Guide to Historic Landmarks in and Around Boston''. Beacon Press, 2004: 175. Crease constructed a new building on the site in 1718 as a residence and

apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Amer ...

shop. For generations, various pharmacists used the site for the same purpose: the first floor was for commercial use and the upper floors were residential. In 1817, Dr. Samuel Clarke, father of future minister James Freeman Clarke, bought the building. The building's first use as a bookstore dates to 1828, when Timothy Harrington Carter leased the space, whose address had now changed to 135 Washington Street, from a man named George Brimmer. Carter spent $7,000 renovating the building's commercial space, including the addition of projecting, small-paned windows on the ground floor. 2350788593 CornerBookstore

From 1832 to 1865, it was home to

Ticknor and Fields Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business would publish many 19th century American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, ...

, a publishing company founded by

William Ticknor William Davis Ticknor I (August 6, 1810 – April 10, 1864) was an American publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and a founder of the publishing house Ticknor and Fields. Life and work William Davis Ticknor was born on August 6, 1810, on th ...

, later renamed when he partnered with James T. Fields. For part of the 19th century, the firm was one of the most important publishing companies in the United States, and the Old Corner Bookstore became a meeting-place for such authors as

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Ticknor and Fields rented out the whole building, using only the corner for a retail space. Other sections of the building, particularly upstairs rooms and storefronts facing School Street, were in turn sublet to other businesses. After the death of Ticknor, Fields wanted to focus on publishing rather than the retail store. On November 12, 1864, he sold the Old Corner Bookstore to

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton (January 4, ...

; Ticknor and Fields moved to Tremont Street. A succession of other publishing houses and booksellers followed Ticknor and Fields in the building. In keeping with its literary past, in the 1890s the shop carried magazines such as: ''Arena'', '' Argosy'', '' Army and Navy Journal'', ''Art'', '' Art Amateur'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', '' Black Cat'', '' Bookman'', '' Bradley His Book'', '' Catholic World'', ''

The Century Magazine ''The Century Magazine'' was an illustrated monthly magazine first published in the United States in 1881 by The Century Company of New York City, which had been bought in that year by Roswell Smith and renamed by him after the Century Associatio ...

'', '' The Chap-Book'', ''The Church'', ''The Churchman'', ''

Current Literature ''Current Literature'' is an American magazine published in New York City from 1888 to 1925. Its first owner and editor, Frederick Somers, debuted the periodical in July 1888. Editors and contributors included: George W. Cable, Bliss Carman, ...

'', '' Donahoe's Magazine'', ''Every Month'', ''Forum'', '' Gunton's Magazine'', '' Harpers Bazaar'', '' Harper's Round Table'', ''

Harper's Weekly ''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...

'', ''Home and Country'', '' Judge'', '' Ladies' Home Journal'', ''

Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly ''Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly'' (1876–1904) was an American popular literary magazine established by Frank Leslie as "the cheapest magazine published in the world." The publisher was Frank Leslie Pub. House which was based in New York City. ...

'', '' Leslie's Weekly'', ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'', ''

Lippincott's Monthly Magazine ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine'' was a 19th-century literary magazine published in Philadelphia from 1868 to 1915, when it relocated to New York to become '' McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ''Lippincott's'' ...

'', ''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Weekly'', later known as ''Munsey's Magazine'', was a 36-page quarto American magazine founded by Frank A. Munsey in 1889 and edited by John Kendrick Bangs. Frank Munsey aimed to publish "a magazine of the people and for the people, ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is an American liberal biweekly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper t ...

'', ''

North American Review The ''North American Review'' (NAR) was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until revived at ...

'', '' Outing'', ''

Pocket Magazine ''The Pocket Magazine'' (1895–1901) was an American literary magazine published by the Frederick A. Stokes Company in New York. It was edited by Irving Bacheller from its inception until June 1898, and by Abbot Frederic (a pseudonym for the publi ...

'', '' Poet Lore'', ''Public Opinion'', ''Outlook'', '' Puck'', ''Puritan'', ''Red Letter'', '' Review of Reviews'', ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...

'', ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ' ...

'', ''Shoppell's'', '' St. Nicholas Magazine'', ''Town Talk'', ''

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as belie ...

'', '' Vogue'', ''What to Eat'', ''

Yale Review ''The Yale Review'' is the oldest literary journal in the United States. It is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. It was founded in 1819 as ''The Christian Spectator'' to support Evangelicalism. Over time it began to publish more on hi ...

'', and '' Youth's Companion''.

Preservation

The building was threatened with demolition and replacement by a parking garage in 1960 and was "rescued" through a purchase by Historic Boston, Inc. for the sum of $100,000. Historic Boston is a not-for-profit preservation and real estate organization that rehabilitates historic and culturally significant properties in Boston's neighborhoods so that they are a usable part of the city's present and future. The building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

and is a Boston Landmark under the auspices of the Boston Landmarks Commission.

Tenants

Historical

Tenants of 76 Cornhill

* 1718: Thomas Crease * 1789: Herman Brimmer, merchant,

Boston Directory ''The Boston Directory'' of Boston, Massachusetts, was first published in 1789. It contained "a list of the merchants, mechanics, traders, and others, of the town of Boston; in order to enable strangers to find the residence of any person." Also ...

. 1789 John Jackson, broker and Samuel Thayer and Minott Thayer, shopkeepers * 1807: John West * 1817: Dr. Samuel Clarke, apothecary

Tenants of 135 Washington Street

* 1828: Carter & Hendee (Richard B. Carter, Charles J. Hendee)Shurtleff. 1871 * 1829: Benjamin Perkins & Co. * 1830: Gray and Bowen (Frederick T. Gray, Charles Bowen) * 1833: Allen & Ticknor (John Allen, William D. Ticknor) * 1838:

Samuel H. Parker Samuel Hale Parker (1781–1864) was a publisher and bookseller in 19th-century Boston, Massachusetts, United States. He published musical scores as well as novels, sermons, and other titles. He operated the Boston Circulating Library, and was among ...

* 1840: Parker & Ditson (S.H. Parker,

Oliver Ditson Oliver Ditson (October 20, 1811 – December 21, 1888) was an American businessman and founder of Oliver Ditson and Company, one of the major music publishing houses of the late 19th century. Early life and career Oliver Ditson was born in Bos ...

) Boston Almanac. 1841 * 1841: William D. Ticknor * 1844: Oliver Ditson * 1847: William D. Ticknor & Co. (Wm. D. Ticknor, John Reed Jr., James T. Fields) * 1853: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields * 1854: Ticknor and Fields * 1868: E.P. Dutton & Co. ( Edward Payson Dutton, Charles A. Clapp)Boston Directory. 1868 and H.O. Houghton & Co. * 1869: A. Williams & Co. (Alexander Williams)Boston medical and surgical journal. 1872

Recent

In recent times, the Old Corner Bookstore's retail space was the original location of the

Globe Corner Bookstore The Globe Corner Bookstore was one of the largest travel book and map retailers in North America. It was located at 90 Mount Auburn Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Harvard Square. The store provided a full range of travel and outdoor recr ...

(a division of the Old Corner Bookstore, Inc.), which operated there for 16 years from 1982 to 1997 and specialized in travel books and maps. A ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' company store operated in the building from 1998 through 2002, selling ''Boston Globe'' products and tourist memorabilia. A national discount jewelry chain, Ultra Diamonds, occupied the retail space from 2005 until the company's bankruptcy in 2009. Then the space was briefly used as a showroom for crafts created by North Bennet Street School students and faculty. The space now houses a

Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (, ), often known simply as Chipotle, is an American chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in bowls, tacos and Mission burritos made to order in front of the customer. Chipotle operates restaurants in the Uni ...

restaurant.

Gallery

File:1832 Carter Hendee BostonDirectory.png, Advertisement for Carter & Hendee, 1832 File:1837 AmericanMagazine v3 Sibley Ticknor.png, ''

American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge The ''American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge'' (1834–1837) was a monthly magazine based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established by a group of engravers to "give to the public a work descriptive, not merely of subjects, scen ...

'', v.3, 1837 (published by John L. Sibley, William D. Ticknor) File:1839 Schoolmaster Parker Ditson Boston.png, Sheet music, published by Parker & Ditson, 1839 (illus. by David Claypoole Johnston) File:CornerBookstore Boston.png, A. Williams & Co., 19th century File:CornerBookstore ca1904 Boston.png, c.1904 File:Old Corner Bookstore - Boston, MA.jpg, 2015

References

Notes Further reading * Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff. "Old Corner Bookstore.
A topographical and historical description of Boston
Part 1, 2nd ed. Boston: Printed by request of the City Council, 1871 * "Old Corner Bookstore", ''New England Magazine'', Nov. 1903.

External links

Listing at City of Boston official site

* Boston Public Library
Images related to the bookstore
various dates * Bostonian Society. Photos: *
Old Corner Bookstore
corner of Washington and School Streets, c. 1870-85 *
Old Corner Bookstore
corner of School and Washington Streets, c. 1880-85 *
Old Corner Bookstore
Washington Street, c. 1884; photo by

Boston Camera Club The Boston Camera Club is the leading amateur photographic organization in Boston, Massachusetts and vicinity. Founded in 1881, it offers activities of interest to amateur photographers, particularly digital photography. It meets weekly from Sept ...

*
Old Corner Bookstore
at 283 Washington Street, c. 1890 *
Old Corner Bookstore
at 283 Washington Street, c. 1900 *
Old Corner Bookstore
October 1960 *
Old Corner Bookstore
at 285 Washington Street, 1964 *
Globe Corner Bookstore
at 285 Washington Street, c. 1970 {{Authority control Houses completed in 1718 Bookstores in Boston Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Financial District, Boston Retail buildings in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Boston

History

Preservation

Tenants

Historical

Tenants of 76 Cornhill

Tenants of 135 Washington Street

Recent

Gallery

See also

References

External links