The Tripartite Indenture of 1856 was an agreement between the

Commonwealth of 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 ...

, the

City 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 ...

, and the Boston Water Power Company signed December 11, 1856. The agreement settled the plan for the development of Boston's

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on Land reclamation, reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the ...

, then a

tidal flat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

. The compromise is particularly significant because the decisions of the parties have had lasting impacts today. As part of the agreement, land was set aside for specific purposes, including the parks and public institutions that are now a part of Back Bay. It also heavily influenced the grid-and-alleyway system that is today part of the Commonwealth Avenue neighborhood. Now established as a residential-only district.

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