The Old Corner Bookstore is a historic commercial building located at 283 Washington Street at the corner of

School Street School Street is a short but significant street in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It is so named for being the site of the first public school in the United States (the Boston Latin School, since relocated). The school operated at variou ...

in the historic core of

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 Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. 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 that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. It winds from Boston Common in downtown Boston, to the Old North Church in the North End and the Bunker Hill Monument i ...

, Literary Trail, and Women's Heritage Trail. The Old Corner Bookstore was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. , the 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 in 1975. History Urban renewal in the United States started with the Housing Act of 1949, part of Pres ...

History

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

Anne Hutchinson Anne Hutchinson (; July 1591 – August 1643) was an English-born religious figure who was an important participant in the Antinomian Controversy which shook the infant Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. Her strong religious formal d ...

, who was expelled from

in 1638 for

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

. 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 an Early Modern English, archaic English term for a medicine, medical professional who formulates and dispenses ''materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons and patients. The modern terms ''pharmacist'' and, in Brit ...

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 James Freeman Clarke (April 4, 1810 – June 8, 1888) was an American minister, theologian and author. Biography Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on April 4, 1810, James Freeman Clarke was the son of Samuel Clarke and Rebecca Parker Hull, though ...

, 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. Two three-storey buildings added beside the School Street elevation around the same time. 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 published many 19th-century American authors, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Henr ...

, 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 t ...

, later renamed when he partnered with

James T. Fields James Thomas Fields (December 31, 1817 – April 24, 1881) was an American publisher, editor, and poet. His business, Ticknor and Fields, was a notable publishing house in 19th century Boston. Biography Early life and family He was born in ...

. 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 the poems " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to comp ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; 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 associat ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, and

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (; August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most ...

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 1, ...

; 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 Art Amateur'' (1879–1903) was an American magazine published in New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, loca ...

'', ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', ''

Black Cat A black cat is a Cat, domestic cat with black fur. They may be a specific Purebred, breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular or mixed breed. Most black cats have golden iris (anatomy), irises due to their high melanin pigment content. Bl ...

'', '' Bookman'', '' Bradley His Book'', ''

Catholic World ''The Catholic World'' was an American periodical founded by Paulist Father Isaac Thomas Hecker in April 1865. It was published by the Paulist Fathers for over a century. According to Paulist Press, Hecker "wanted to create an intellectual jo ...

'', ''

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 Associati ...

'', ''

The Chap-Book ''The Chap-Book'' was an American literary magazine between 1894 and 1898. It is often classified as one of the first "little magazines" of the 1890s.(1982). ''The Chap-Book: A Journal of American Intellectual Life in the 1890s'' (Ann Arbor, MI: ...

'', ''The Church'', ''The Churchman'', ''

Current Literature ''Current Literature'' was 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 ''Donahoe's Magazine'' was a United States–based Catholic-oriented general interest magazine that ran from about 1878 to July 1908, when it was absorbed by the ''Catholic World'' of New York. It was founded by Patrick Donahoe, one-time editor o ...

'', ''Every Month'', ''Forum'', '' Gunton's Magazine'', ''

Harpers Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

'', '' 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 (publisher), Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many su ...

'', ''Home and Country'', ''

Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

'', ''

Ladies' Home Journal ''Ladies' Home Journal'' was an American magazine that ran until 2016 and was last published by the Meredith Corporation. It was first published on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th centur ...

'', ''

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 ''Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper'', later renamed ''Leslie's Weekly'', was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1855 and published until 1922. It was one of several magazines started by publisher and illustrator Fr ...

'', ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'', ''

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 ''Robert M. McBride, McBride's Magazine''. It merged with ''Scribner's Magazine'' in 1916. ...

'', ''

Munsey's Magazine ''Munsey's Magazine'' was an American magazine founded by Frank Munsey in 1889 as ''Munsey's Weekly'', a humor magazine edited by John Kendrick Bangs. It was unsuccessful, and by late 1891 had lost $100,000 ($ in ). Munsey converted it into ...

'', ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly 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 ...

'', ''

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 (journalist), Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which i ...

'', ''

Outing Outing is the act of disclosing an LGBTQ person's sexual orientation or gender identity without their consent. It is often done for political reasons, either to instrumentalize homophobia, biphobia, and/or transphobia Transphobia consists ...

'', '' Pocket Magazine'', ''

Poet Lore ''Poet Lore'' is an English-language literary magazine based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1889 by Charlotte Porter and Helen Archibald Clarke, two progressive young Shakespeare scholars who believed in the evolutionary nature of lite ...

'', ''Public Opinion'', ''Outlook'', '' Puck'', ''Puritan'', ''Red Letter'', ''

Review of Reviews The ''Review of Reviews'' was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890–1893 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead (1849–1912). Established across three continents in London (1891), New York (1892) and Melbourne (1893), ...

'', ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

'', ''

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 ''St. Nicholas'' was a popular monthly American children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873 and named after the Christian saint. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1 ...

'', ''Town Talk'', ''

Truth Truth or verity is the Property (philosophy), property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise cor ...

'', ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'', ''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 ...

'', and ''

Youth's Companion ''The Youth's Companion'' (1827–1929), known in later years as simply ''The Companion—For All the Family'', was an American children's magazine that existed for over one hundred years until it finally merged with '' The American Boy'' in 19 ...

''.

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 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 ...

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 Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. 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 * 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 (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,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' 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 multinational chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in bowls, tacos, and Mission burritos made to order in front of the customer. As of March 31, 2025, C ...

restaurant and an entertainment space.

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'', 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, 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 *
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