A BRIEFING REPORT ON A TOPIC OF CURRENT INTEREST n BRA/EDIC n

November, 1997 97-2 DOWNTOWN BOSTON- DYNAMO OF THE HUB

lDOWNTOWN BOSTON IS lDOWNTOWN IS HOME TO lBOSTON’S DOWNTOWN CON- A 1.5 SQUARE MILE AREA OF 27,000 RESIDENTS, WORKPLACE TAINS 50 MILLION SQ. FT. OF EXTRAORDINARY VITALITY THAT FOR 240,000, AND ATTRACTS OFFICE SPACE, SIX MILLION SQ. MAKES BOSTON A DESIRABLE TENS OF THOUSANDS MORE FT. OF RETAIL SPACE AND HUN- PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, VISIT AND SHOPPERS, DREDS OF ARTS AND ENTER- DO BUSINESS STUDENTS AND OTHER VISITORS TAINMENT

INTRODUCTION provided access CharlestownCharlestown Downtown Boston is the dynamic 1.5 inland on naviga- square mile center of the city. ble rivers. An Despite its small size, the area is of CambridgeCambridge additional benefit remarkable historic, economic, social of the then much and cultural importance. smaller Shawmut Peninsula was In Colonial times, downtown Boston that it was a near- was the "cradle of liberty" and birth- island within place of the American Revolution. Charles Boston Boston Harbor, Today, its Freedom Trail of historic River sites attracts nearly two million visi- Harbor connected to the Original Boston tors annually. But today’s downtown, mainland by a enlarged over the years by filling in narrow isthmus the harbor and riverfront, is also the called the "Boston vibrant center of a modern city and neck" (located metropolitan area. near the present day intersection Downtown Boston is now home to Back Bay of Washington over 27,000 residents who live in a and East Berkeley variety of distinct neighborhoods. It Street). The spot is also the workplace for 240,000 South Boston was also easily employees, many of whom are defended, which employed in the nearly 50 million sq. feet of office space in its high-rise Boston has expanded by filling in its harbor and riverfront. The original land mass came in handy (map circa 1773) is shown in gray and today’s filled areas are in white. Boston’s when the English towers or in the various city, state downtown has remained in virtually the same location since it was founded in 1630. and federal government agencies Crown resisted its located there. former subjects’ HISTORY desire for independence. Since Boston was founded in 1630 by Every working day, downtown In fact, many of the events important Boston draws an additional 100,000 English settlers seeking religious free- to the founding of this country took place people to shop in its wide variety of dom, its downtown center has remained in Colonial Boston’s downtown. Most retail stores, to receive health care in virtually the same location. The spot of the sites (the Old North Church, Paul from its world-renowned medical for the settlement, near the base of a then Revere’s House, Old Ironsides, and the institutions, to attend its many col- much steeper Beacon Hill, was chosen Boston Massacre) now lie on Boston’s leges and universities, or to see the because it was near a spring-fed source sights and enjoy the wide range of "Freedom Trail," a series of historical of fresh water. The general location was cultural and entertainment opportu- sites which attracts nearly two million chosen because it lay at the mouth of a nities that are available there, day visitors every year. and night. deep port and a sheltered harbor and also GEOGRAPHY served by four separate subway lines of and Charles River Park. the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Boston is a relatively small city, rank- These residents are accommodated in which spread out from the center of the ing only 67th among major cities in the over 15,000 dwellings, which range city to all points of the compass. country in terms of land area. from the brick row houses built in the Altogether, there are 15 rapid transit sta- Downtown Boston is likewise very mid-1800s that give the city its historic tions located within downtown Boston, small, a circle containing only 1.5 square charm, to granite warehouses that have serving an average of 137,700 riders miles of land, with its center at a spot at been recycled into waterfront residences, every day. Commuter rail lines link the the top of present-day State Street to commercial buildings turned into core to more distant points from termi- (which in pre-Revolutionary times was artist studios, to apartment buildings pro- nals located at North and South Stations. called "King Street"). duced by urban renewal in the 1950s and Logan International Airport, the 16th 1960s, to modern high-rise towers that The original 783 acre Shawmut busiest in the U.S. and 24th in the world, are being built downtown today. Peninsula has been increased by land fill is only a 20 minute cab or subway ride over the years to its present-day size of away. As far as highway access is con- EMPLOYMENT just over 1,000 acres. While this expan- cerned, the Massachusetts Turnpike Boston is one of the few cities in the sion has allowed for development of the (Interstate 90) begins in downtown country that generates more jobs than it waterfront, residential areas, and a mod- Boston and runs west across the state. has resident workers, and every day ern downtown business district, down- Interstate 93 runs north/south through downtown Boston attracts some 240,000 town Boston’s still modest dimensions downtown Boston. Downtown is con- workers, almost 2/3 of them (180,000) to and human scale are almost unique nected to adjoining neighborhoods and work in the nearly 50 million sq. ft. of among America’s cities. Even today, no communities across the water by six private office space that exists down- point within it is more than 3/4 of a mile bridges (Longfellow, Science Museum, town. (a 20 minute walk) from its center. North Washington Street, Northern Boston has been successful in making TOPOGRAPHY Avenue, Congress Street and Summer Street) and three tunnels (Sumner, the transition from a manufacturing Two-thirds of the 4.65 mile perimeter Callahan, and the new Ted Williams). economy to a service economy. Today, of downtown Boston is still surrounded Boston’s impressive downtown skyline by water. A pedestrian accessible water- But what makes downtown Boston so reflects its place as an international cen- front extends from the Esplanade along unique and what accounts for Boston’s ter for business, professional and finan- the Charles River, to the Harborwalk reputation as a "walking city" is the cial services. Indeed, all but two (the along Boston’s waterfront, and then number of people who travel on foot. historic Custom House and the "old" around to the Fort Point Channel before An estimated 1.2 million "person trips" John Hancock building) of the 20+ office reconnecting to the mainland. are made into and out of downtown towers that soar over 400 feet in the city Boston every day, 28% by mass transit With the exception of Beacon Hill, have been built in the last 35 years, and and 35% by car. But approximately 25% much of the original hilly peninsula has Boston’s Class A office market is one of of those trips - a very high percentage in been leveled to fill in the waterfront and the hottest in the country. this day and age - are made on foot, and various tidal bays. While a fairly dense a full 75% of all trips made within down- GOVERNMENT mix of residential, commercial and town are made by people walking from Almost exactly in the middle of industrial uses now occupies much of the one spot to another. downtown Boston sits the aptly named land, over 140 acres of open space Government Center, site of Boston City remains in downtown Boston. More RESIDENTIAL Hall, several regional federal, state and than half of that open space is comprised Boston is the 20th largest city in the county office buildings and courthouses, of Boston Common (the oldest public country in terms of population, but also and close to the Massachusetts State park in the nation and preserved as the center of the seventh most populated House, which is located on nearby "common" land since 1634), its some- metropolitan area in the United States Beacon Hill. Some 60,000 public sector what younger neighbor the Public which includes over 5 million people. employees work in these offices - 14,400 Garden (created in 1838), and the vast, for the federal government, 39,800 for brick surfaced City Hall Plaza created as While the centers of many cities have the state, and 5,900 for the county and part of Government Center in the 1960s. been losing population over the last 25 years, downtown Boston has actually city. TRANSPORTATION gained residents as everyone from young RETAIL SHOPPING Downtown Boston is connected to the professionals to "empty nesters" have Downtown Boston contains almost 6 rest of the city, surrounding communi- discovered the advantages of living million sq. ft. of retail space, and offers a ties, and the rest of New England by the there. Today, downtown Boston has complete range of retail shopping oppor- spokes of a multi-modal transportation over 27,000 residents living in neighbor- tunities, from traditional full-service system. hoods as diverse as historic Beacon Hill, department stores like Filene’s and the picturesque Waterfront, the old world Boston was the home of the first Macy’s, to boutique specialty stores and North End, the artsy South Station and underground subway in the United off-price bargain outlets. Fort Point Channel areas, bustling States. Today, the city’s downtown is Chinatown, and high-rise Harbor Towers Two of the three busiest shopping centers in Massachusetts are also located 5,200 guests every night. last few years, Harborlights has estab- in the center of the city - Downtown lished a very popular series of summer But with Boston setting records for Crossing and Quincy Market/Faneuil concerts held in a large tent erected on hotel occupancy each of the last two Hall Marketplace. Each of these districts the edge of the Fort Point Channel. years, the demand for hotel rooms has welcomes over 650,000 different shop- begun to outstrip the supply. The result Boston’s restaurant scene has under- pers every three months, many of whom is that a number of former office build- gone a renaissance in recent years. come several times a month. All told, ings are in the process of being convert- While downtown Boston has long been the retail industry in the center of the city ed for use as "business" or "European" the home of a number of traditional New generates $2 billion in annual sales. style hotels downtown where devel- England dining establishments (The HOSPITALS opable parcels are scarce. Just outside Union Oyster House, Durgin Park and Boston is an international center for downtown, where more land is available, Jake Wirth’s are examples), in recent health care and medical research, and a number of new, large hotels are in con- years a flood of new restaurants have five of the city’s 27 hospitals are located struction or in the planning stages. also opened downtown serving every kind of domestic and international cui- downtown (Massachusetts General TOURISM Hospital, which is the city’s largest pri- sine. Today, over 50,000 people dine out Of the 10 million people who visit vate employer, New England Medical every day and evening in downtown Boston every year, close to 3 million of Center, Shriner’s Hospital and Burns Boston. them are tourists, most of whom visit Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear downtown. The historic Freedom Trail SPECIAL EVENTS Infirmary, and the Spaulding is the top tourist attraction in the state As filled with activity as downtown Rehabilitation Center). Together, these with over 1.7 million annual visitors. Boston is on a daily and nightly basis, it institutions employ nearly 20,000 work- But the chain of museums that ring the is also the site for a number of the city’s ers, provide over 1,700 hospital beds for downtown waterfront are almost as pop- annual "mega events." One is the annu- in-patients, and admit over 60,000 in- ular. The Museum of Science draws al July 4th Boston Pops concert on the patients and treat over 1.2 million out- over 1.5 million annual visitors. The Esplanade along the Charles River. patients each year. New England Aquarium has over 1.3 Another is the annual First Night COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES million visitors. The Children’s Celebration, a tradition which began in Boston has long been known as the Museum averages close to 350,000 Boston and has since spread to cities "Athens of America" due to the presence annual admissions, and the Computer throughout the country. In both summer of the 32 colleges and universities and Museum counts 120,000. On peak days, and winter, each draws approximately a 135,000 students located within its city it is estimated that some 30,000 visitors quarter of a million visitors to the city. limits. Two of these schools - Suffolk are drawn to downtown Boston. The Harbor itself occasionally hosts events, including an annual week-long University and Emerson College - are ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT located right downtown and are expand- Harbor Fest celebration in July and occa- Boston’s range of arts and entertain- ing their campuses downtown, convert- sional visits by the Tall Ships and Sail ment opportunities are almost limitless ing existing office buildings into class- Boston, which have attracted as many as and most of them are located downtown. room space and dormitories and plan- 800,000 visitors during a given week. Boston’s five commercial theaters (the ning new construction as well. The com- Wang Center, Wilbur, Shubert, Colonial CONCLUSION bined enrollment of the two schools adds and Next Move) are located in the Though a geographically small over 9,000 students to the population Theater District and present everything area, downtown Boston is an extreme- mix of downtown both during the day from pre- and post- Broadway produc- ly important area - historically, eco- and at night. tions to dinner theater. There are also nomically, socially and culturally - and HOTELS 235 non-profit arts and cultural venues in one that makes Boston such an acces- Boston has become one of the top the city, most of them located downtown, sible and exciting place to live, work, "destination cities" in the country for which attract more than 10 million do business and visit. Many city and travelers and conventioneers, who can patrons annually. Several first-run area residents have grown accustomed choose from a dozen hotels located in the movie houses and comedy clubs are to all that happens in downtown center of the city (The Omni-Parker located downtown as well. Boston. Some may even take it for granted. But the wealth, variety and House and the Swissotel in Downtown Downtown Boston also hosts many of accessibility of opportunities and Crossing; Tremont House in the Theater the city’s large scale sports and other experiences in downtown Boston are District; the Meridien, Rowes Wharf and entertainment events. The Fleet Center matched by few other cities in the Marriott/Long Wharf on the waterfront; (built above the new North Station com- country or even around the world. It the Bostonian at Haymarket; and the muter rail terminal) is home to Boston’s is largely because of downtown Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, Park Plaza, professional basketball and hockey Boston’s extraordinary vitality that and Radisson hotels near the Public teams, the Celtics and Bruins. The new the city is seen as such a desirable Garden; and the Holiday Inn in the old facility also hosts annual visits by ice place to live, work, visit and do busi- West End). Together, they provide 4,500 shows and the circus and a year-long ness. rooms, and accommodate more than schedule of pop music concerts. In the BOSTON’S DYNAMIC DOWNTOWN is lHas actually gained residents over the a geographically small but important last 25 years.

area - historically, economically, socially lContains 15,000 residences, from the and culturally. No point within it is more historic to the high rise. than 3/4 of a mile or a 20 minute walk lContains nearly 50 million square feet of from its center. private office space.

Downtown Boston: lContains almost 6 million sq. ft. of retail

lIs only 1.5 square miles of land. space with $2 billion in sales.

l lIs home to over 27,000 residents. Has two of the three busiest shopping centers in state - Downtown Crossing lIs workplace for 240,000 employees. and Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall lDraws an additional 100,000 every work- Marketplace. ing day for lContains five major hospitals, which various activities. admit over 60,000 in-patients and treat lContains over 140 acres of open space. over 1.2 million out-patients each year.

lAccommodates people making 1.2 mil- lContains a dozen hotels with 4,500 lion trips into and out of downtown every rooms. day. l Draws close to 3 million tourists a year. lIs a place for walking - 75% of all trips lAttracts over 1.7 million annual visitors to made there are made by people walk- the historic Freedom Trail - the state’s ing. top tourist attraction.

lContains over 200 arts and cultural venues which attract 10 million patrons annually.

lAccommodates over 50,000 people daily who dine out in its many restaurants.

H E

J

Central Artery D C I A 5 min-

B 10 min-

15 min- G F

Reference Points: 20 min- A Esplanade B Boston Common/Public Gardens C Government Center D Beacon Hill E North End F South Station G Chinatown H North Station / Fleet Center I New England Aquarium J Mass. General Hospital