By the late 1860s, the filling of the Back Bay had reached Hereford street on the north, along Beacon and Marlborough, and Exeter further south.

Detail from 1871 plan of the Back Bay; A Set of Plans Showing the Back Bay 1814-1881, by Fuller and Whitney

The map to the right, prepared by civil engineers Fuller and Whitney in 1881, shows the progress of the land fill by 1871.

Construction continued at a moderate pace in the post-Civil War period, but increased in 1869. Of the 142 houses built in the residential portion of the Back Bay between 1865 and 1869, 58 (41%) were built in 1869.

During this period, two churches were constructed in the residential portion of the Back Bay: the First Congregational Church (later the Church of the Covenant) at 67 Newbury (northwest corner of Berkeley) and First Church Boston at 60-64 Marlborough (southwest corner of Berkeley). Both churches had previously been located elsewhere, the Central Congregational Church in the South End and the First Church in Chauncy Place in Boston.

Arlington and Commonwealth (ca. 1869), detail from photograph courtesy of the Boston Public Library Print Department

Also during this period, the first multiple dwelling was built in the residential portion of the Back Bay: the Hotel Hamilton at 260 Clarendon (northwest corner of Commonwealth).

The map below indicates when a building was first constructed on a specific lot through 1869. Included are lots within the residential portion of the Back Bay as defined for purposes of this website, plus buildings on the north side of Newbury. The dates used are based on original permit applications or similar documentation, when available. When no such documentation is available, the dates provided in Bainbridge Bunting’s Houses of Boston’s Back Bay are used.

Following the map is a list of the 142 buildings constructed between 1865 and 1869 in the residential portion of the Back Bay.

Original construction through 1869

Click here for a link to maps showing the progress of construction from 1855 through 2015, in slideshow format.

Below is a list of the 143 buildings constructed between 1865 and 1869 in the residential portion of the Back Bay. Houses indicated as demolished were replaced by 2015.