Fort Point, Boston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort Point is a neighborhood or district of Boston, Massachusetts, which is named after the location of a fort which guarded the city in colonial times.
Fort Hill was located near what is today the intersection of Oliver and High Streets. At least until 1675, (see map) the hill jutted out into the Atlantic Ocean, hence the designation of being a "point". Its height and proximity to the sea made the hill an advantageous point to put defensive cannons. The hill survived until at least 1842 (see map), but today the land is flat and largely occupied by the towers of International Place. Landfill has also extended the shoreline outward, so the location of the old fort is no longer directly on the waterfront.
The boundaries of the modern neighborhood of Fort Point are somewhat nebulous. At its broadest extent, it includes the land for at least a few blocks on either side of the Fort Point Channel (which due to landfill is considerably smaller than in colonial times). The Fort Point artists' community[1] is located on opposite side of the channel. This is also called the South Boston Waterfront area or Seaport District. Real estate listings include "Fort Point" locations east of the channel and west of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and the Boston World Trade Center. (South of that is South Boston proper.) The Boston Redevelopment Authority defines the Fort Point District within the neighborhood of South Boston as "an area of approximately 100 acres defined by the Fort Point Channel to the west, Summer Street to the north, the Bypass Road to the east, and West 2nd Street to the south."[2]
The Summer Street Bridge, which crosses the channel, has a sign which welcomes eastbound travelers to South Boston, and westbound travelers to Fort Point. The United States Postal Service Bulk Mail Center at Fort Point Station is located between the channel and South Station. To the northwest is Chinatown. The northeastern section of the Fort Point neighborhood, on the east side of the channel, could be said to overlap with the Financial District.
The Fort Point neighborhood was featured in Martin Scorsese's 2006 film The Departed. An alley between Thompson Pl. and Farnsworth St. provided the setting for the fictional address "344 Wash." Additionally, the dramatic views of downtown Boston from the rooftops of Fort Point were prominently featured in the film.
In 2001, the Fort Point District was petitioned[3] as a Landmark District with the Boston Landmarks Commission[4]. In 2007, a Mayoral-appointed Study Committee began drafting District guidelines. With the approval of these guidelines by the Boston City Council and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, official designation of Fort Point as a Boston Landmark District is anticipated for Q4 2008.
[edit] References
- ^ Redirecting To Fpac Script
- ^ Planning Initiatives - Boston Redevelopment Authority
- ^ SAND News!
- ^ Fort Point Channel Landmark District - City of Boston
