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The Liberty Tree District is a
historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
encompassing a collection of six mid-scale commercial buildings between the
Downtown Crossing Downtown Crossing is a shopping district within Downtown Boston, Massachusetts, located east of Boston Common, west of the Financial District, south of Government Center, and north of Chinatown and the old Combat Zone. It features la ...
area and the
Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing a city's theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences ...
of
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Located at and near the junction of Washington and Essex Streets, it is a well-preserved collection of mid-19th century commercial architecture, with a history as an important commercial part of Boston dating to the 18th century. The district was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1980.


Description and history

The Liberty Tree District is a roughly L-shaped district, centered on the southeast corner of Washington and Essex Streets in downtown Boston. This corner was at the edge of the area known in the 20th century as Boston's Combat Zone, or adult entertainment district. In Boston's early colonial period, Washington Street was the only road off the
Shawmut Peninsula Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The peninsula, originally a mere in area,Miller, Bradford A., "Digging up Boston: The Big Dig Builds on Centuries of Geological Engineering", GeoTimes, Octo ...
, and this area was one that catered to travelers. In the 1760s it was the site of the
Liberty Tree The Liberty Tree (1646–1775) was a famous Elm, elm tree that stood in Boston, Massachusetts near Boston Common in the years before the American Revolution. In 1765, Patriot (American Revolution), Patriots in Boston staged the first act of def ...
and the Liberty Tree Tavern, a focal point of colonial discontent against British rule. This significance is reflected in a carved relief on the Liberty Tree Block, the brick commercial block built in 1850 at the corner of Washington and Essex. The building was designated as a
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 ...
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 in 1975. History Urban renewal in the United States started with the Housing Act of 1949, part of Pres ...
in 1985. The oldest building in the district is the 1824 Lafayette Hotel, located next to the Liberty Tree Block on Washington Street. Its modest Federal-style facade is actually an early 20th-century alteration. Lining Essex Street east of the Liberty Tree Block are a collection of smaller late 19th-century commercial blocks, three of which have Gothic exteriors, and one has a rare surviving wooden facade from the 1870s.


See also

*
National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts __NOTOC__ Boston, Massachusetts is home to many listings on the National Register of Historic Places. This list encompasses those locations that are located north of the Massachusetts Turnpike. See National Register of Historic Places listings in ...


External links

*City of Boston
Boston Landmarks Commission
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Liberty_Tree_Building_study_report_tcm3-26748.pdf Liberty Tree Building Study Report]


References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Historic districts in Suffolk County, Massachusetts Boston Theater District National Register of Historic Places in Boston Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Landmarks in Boston