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February 17, 2026
It’s hard to imagine that one of Boston’s most iconic neighborhoods used to be a swamp. But before 1820, Back Bay was basically an expansive tidal marsh. By the mid-19th century, the city was in dire need of more space, in part because of the extreme overcrowding of the poor. The rapid influx of immigrants, namely from Ireland, was concerning to moneyed Protestant families, so they resolved to create their own neighborhood. Some 450 acres of swampy marshland was filled in with sand and gravel, and the Back Bay neighborhood was born. By the latter half of the 19th century, Back Bay emerged as Boston’s most elite neighborhood—and stayed that way. With its physical isolation from the rest of the city thanks to the Public Garden and the Charles River, Back Bay thrived as an exclusive enclave for the rich. One only needs to take a glance at the level of historical architectural grandeur that exists up and down Comm. Ave. to this day to understand it. In 1894, it was estimated that about 45 percent of Boston’s upper-class families lived in Back Bay. The neighborhood was immortalized (and not to the liking of everyone) in Henry James’s The Bostonians, which provided a satirical depiction of 19th-century Back Bay and its well-to-do residents.
February 17, 2026
February 17, 2026
