| Bay Village | |
|---|---|
| — Neighborhood of Boston — | |
| Bay Village, Boston | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Suffolk |
| Neighborhood of | Boston |
| Population (2010) | 1,312 |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| Zip Code | 02116 |
| Area code(s) | 617 / 857 |
| Website | http://www.bayvillage.net |
Bay Village is the second smallest and arguably least-known officially-recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. As of 2010, its population was approximately 1,312 residents living in 837 housing units, most of which are small brick rowhouses.[1]
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The Massachusetts Turnpike is the southern boundary of the neighborhood, which coincides with the right-of-way of the Boston and Worcester Railroad, laid down in the 1830s. Marginal Road and Cortes Street are the surface roads that parallel the Pike. Across the Pike to the southwest lies the South End neighborhood; to the southeast of the Pike and Tremont Street is the southern edge of Chinatown. To the west of Berkeley Street and north of Columbus Street (west of Arlington Street) is the Back Bay neighborhood. To the north of Stuart Street is Park Square, and to the east of Charles Street is the Theatre District.[2][3]
The narrow one-way network and irregular grid arrangement of the streets make the interior urban spaces of Bay Village relatively quiet and pedestrian-friendly, due to sparse automobile traffic. Many of the sidewalks are paved with brick, and are lit by gas streetlamps at night. The exterior appearance of buildings is protected by a Historic District designation administered by the Bay Village Architectural Commission.[4]
There are a few "vest-pocket" parks located within or nearby Bay Village, notably Eliot Norton Park, which although technically located in the Theatre District, is just across Charles Street from the eastern boundary of the neighborhood.[3] The Boston Public Garden and Boston Common are located just two blocks away from the northern edge of Bay Village.
Traditionally middle to lower-middle class, the neighborhood has become relatively expensive and upscale, beginning around the 1990s. The Bay Village Neighborhood Association (BVNA) is very active in controlling urban nuisances, such as traffic, litter, graffiti, and pet wastes (an approved dog walking area is located next to Eliot Norton Park). The BVNA is also known for organizing Spring and Fall Cleanup days, a Book Club, and the Bay Village Annual Neighborhood Block Party (which often features restaurant tables and service literally in the middle of the narrow streets).[5]
The western part of the neighborhood was originally part of the body of water known as the Back Bay, west of the Boston Neck isthmus. This area was once known as South Bay, as the original waterline was in the area of Arlington Street (formerly Ferdinand Street). In the 1820s, the neighborhood was landfilled by developer Ephraim Marsh, in partnership with Francis Cabot Lowell, before the more extensive landfills of the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods.[6] Through its history, the neighborhood has been known at different times as the Church Street District, South Cove, and Kerry Village.[7]
Architecturally, many Bay Village homes look like smaller versions of Beacon Hill townhouses. This is largely because many of the craftspeople who built the Beacon Hill residences settled in this area and built the local residences for their own use. Fayette Street, named for the American Revolutionary War soldier Marquis de Lafayette, has numerous houses dating from the Federal Period. Grander five-story townhouses in the Greek Revival style may be found on Melrose Street. After the area west of Arlington Street (formerly known as Ferdinand Street) was filled in, developers built luxury residential "hotels" in the Victorian style on Cortes and Isabella Streets.
During the mid-to-late 19th century, some streets in Bay Village were raised 12–18 feet (4–6 m) as the adjacent South End and Back Bay neighborhoods were created by continued landfill. Visitors can see evidence of this today by noting the location of the basement windows in some of the buildings on Fayette Street, as well as arches opening to horsewalks that ran under the houses to stables in the rear. In addition, some private gardens were never raised, and remain near their original elevations.
Bay Village was the site of the November 1942 fire at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, in which 492 people lost their lives. Its terrible aftermath led to the creation and enforcement of stringent fire codes across the US, in the hope of preventing other such tragedies. Marking the 50th anniversary of the incident, the Bay Village Neighborhood Association placed a commemorative plaque in the brick sidewalk near the club’s former site on Piedmont Street, now occupied by the Radisson Hotel.[7]
Several MBTA rapid transit stations are located just beyond the boundaries of Bay Village, which is also served by several local bus routes. Commuter rail and Amtrak long-haul trains stop at Back Bay station and South Station, within walking distance to the west and east of Bay Village, respectively. Inter-city bus services depart from the regional bus terminal at South Station.
Nearby MBTA stations include:
On-street parking is very scarce within Bay Village, and is mostly reserved for holders of Residential Parking stickers. Commercial parking is available in numerous surface lots and parking garages located near or in the neighborhood. Entrance ramps to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) and the Central Artery (I-93) are a minute's drive away.
Adjacent neighborhoods and districts:
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