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Long Wharf is a historic American pier in
Boston 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 ...
, Massachusetts, built between 1710 and 1721. It once extended from State Street nearly a half-mile into Boston Harbor; today, the much-shortened wharf (due to land fill on the city end) functions as a dock for passenger ferries and sightseeing boats.


History


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." 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. "At the wharf's head in the 18th century was the Bunch-of-Grapes Tavern. The painter
John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley ...
spent his childhood on the wharf, where his mother had a tobacco shop." The 1760s Gardiner Building, once home to
John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...
's
counting house Counting is the process of determining the number of Element (mathematics), elements of a finite set of objects; that is, determining the size (mathematics), size of a set. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a (men ...
and now a Chart House restaurant, is the wharf's oldest surviving structure.


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. The mid-19th century was the height of Boston's importance as a shipping center, lasting roughly until the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Long Wharf was the central focus of much of this economic activity. In the late 1860s, as the city's port began to decline in importance as an international shipping destination, 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 A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
in recognition for the role they played in the history of Boston and its importance as a major 19th-century shipping center.


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. Today, Long Wharf is adjacent to the
New England Aquarium The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include Harbor seal, harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African penguin, African and southern rockhopper penguins, gia ...
, 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 Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...
at its landward end, today it serves as the principal terminus for cruise boats and harbor ferries operating on Boston Harbor.


Custom House Block

The Custom House Block () was built in 1845-87. A former warehouse, architect Isaiah Rogers designed the four-story building, constructed of granite and brick. In its 19th-century heyday, it contributed to the life of "Boston's busiest pier, commercial port, and embarkation point for travelers." Today private owners maintain the site. The building was renovated in 1973 by Anderson Notter Associates.


Gardiner Building

The Gardiner Building () is a brick Colonial style warehouse built in 1763 and rebuilt in 1812. At one time it was used as
John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot of the American Revolution. He was the longest-serving Presi ...
's
counting house Counting is the process of determining the number of Element (mathematics), elements of a finite set of objects; that is, determining the size (mathematics), size of a set. The traditional way of counting consists of continually increasing a (men ...
. Long Wharf was once filled with this kind of building, but this is the only one remaining; it is the wharf's oldest surviving structure. The building was renovated in 1973 by Anderson Notter Associates. It is currently a Chart House seafood restaurant. The Gardiner Building features a slate roof and "six-over-six" windows with shutters. The lintels and sills are granite.


Services

The following marine services operate from Long Wharf: * MBTA Boat (north side) * Ferries to the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (north side) * Ferry to
Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...
(north side) * Ferry to
Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Provi ...
*
Water taxi A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public transport, public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an Urban area, urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a simil ...
*
New England Aquarium The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include Harbor seal, harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African penguin, African and southern rockhopper penguins, gia ...
harbor tours (south side) – Aquarium itself is on Central Wharf to the immediate south * Various harbor cruises * Docks for private vessels


See also

* Boston Marriott Long Wharf, 6 Long Wharf * Custom House District, area near Long Wharf * Boston Custom House, built 1849 on State Street * State Street Block, built 1857 on State Street * National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston, Massachusetts * List of National Historic Landmarks in Boston


References


External links


Google news archive
Articles about Long Wharf.
Harvard Business School
Proprietors of the Boston Pier, or Long Wharf records, 1762-1903 {{Authority control 1710 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay Boston Harbor Landmarks in Financial District, Boston Wharves in Boston Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts History of Boston National Historic Landmarks in Boston Wharves on the National Register of Historic Places Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Boston Buildings and structures completed in 1710