Throwback Boston Thursday: Central Wharf and the Boston Waterfront
Maybe you know this building on Milk Street, right next to the Custom House:
Photo by the author
It’s another one of those old brick Boston buildings that’s probably historic, right? Of course it is — that’s why we’re here!
This building sits on a block between Atlantic Avenue, Central Street, India Street, and Milk Street. It’s an old warehouse building constructed in 1815 in the Federalist style, though it’s obviously been updated. Today, it holds the Granary Tavern and the Central Wharf Co. restaurant, among other things. In the distance you’ll see the fountains on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Keep going and you’ll get to the New England Aquarium.
Here’s the other side of it, with the Aquarium way in the distance:
Photo by the author
What if I told you that this building used to extend alllllll the way out here?
That’s right. This building is what’s left of the warehouses of Central Wharf, that extended from India Street over Atlantic Ave. and the Greenway, past that little park, past the Duck Tour pick-up, past the ticket stands, all the way through the New England Aquarium. It was a total of fifty-four buildings when it was completed in 1815, the largest wharf in the city at the time at 1,240 feet long. Of Central Wharf, Deputy Sheriff John Shubael Bell said “the completion of this undertaking, unparalleled in commercial History, is a proof of the enterprize, the wealth, and persevering industry of Bostonians.”
Historic Boston Wharves
I don’t know if you actively think about the Boston waterfront and the history of its wharves like I do, but, like all the other historical stuff I’m interested in in Boston, it’s fascinating to think about what once was, how the structures were developed, and where we are today.
If we’re going to talk about a star of the wharves, it’s going to be Long Wharf by a quite literal long shot. Still around today (where you’ll find me reading most afternoons trying to avoid tourists taking selfies of them and the harbor), Long Wharf was built in 1710 (yes), and can be found on John Bonner’s 1722 map:
At the time, it extended half a mile into the harbor, so that large vessels could dock. If it seems a lot shorter today, it is — but that Western edge is still the same as it was then, we just back-filled in the harbor. (Today’s waterline is where those sketched barriers are on this map.) Central Wharf would eventually be built just to the South of Long Wharf, where Pool’s Wharf is on this map. On the right edge of this map you can see wharves in the North End that still exist today.
Fun fact: Long Wharf was the last place the British touched before evacuating the city in 1776.
Another fun fact: The first train to arrive in America was off-loaded at Long Wharf.
India Wharf
19th Century Shipping
Boston became a major hub for shipping and trade in the 19th century, with ships arriving from all over the world. Thus the building of Central Wharf to accomodate industrial needs, as well as India Wharf, built in 1804, another massive row of warehouses that used to be where the Harbor Towers are now. Atlantic Avenue was built as a conduit between these wharves to allow the transport of goods. Quincy Market was built in 1825 right next to the waterfront to accept imports directly from the docked ships.
T wharf was another little wharf that spun off from Long Wharf. It’s gone today, but it was where you catch the harbor ferry in front of Columbus Park.
T Wharf, where you catch the ferry today
Today
The decline of sea trade saw less need for the wharves, so warehouses were torn down, land was filled in, and roads were built. In some cases, unless you’re looking for it, it’s not even evident there was once a wharf under your feet. Today, you can walk the Harborwalk around the outline of a once bustling hub of international trade and may not even be aware of the history. But the next time you’re down at Long Wharf, Central Wharf, India Wharf, look for historic placards and imagine the bustling commercial world that was once there.
