South Boston Waterfront
The South Boston Waterfront is the formal name of an area in the South Boston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, but it has increasingly becoming known as the Seaport District.[1][2] It is part of the Port of Boston on Boston Harbor. While the area is not clearly defined, the Fort Point Channel forms one border and some parts of the area are also included in Fort Point neighborhood, an older, more historic term.
According to the Boston Waterfront Guide the South Boston Waterfront now has 55 restaurants, 4 hotels, 9 major attractions and continues to grow. The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center straddles D Street. The Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center is located on Commonwealth Pier. A new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art hangs over Boston Harbor just north of Northern Avenue. The John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse is on Fan Pier.[1]
The Silver Line of the MBTA provides public transportation to the area and the Boston Harborwalk runs through it.
History
The section of South Boston north of First Street has been targeted for massive redevelopment by the administration of Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).[3] As of September 2010, the Seaport Square project was expected to cost $3 billion and replace parking lots between the federal courthouse and convention center with a 6,300,000-square-foot (590,000 m2) mixed-use development. Construction was expected to begin in 2011.[4]
Initially referred to as the "Seaport District" by the BRA, this area was officially restyled the "South Boston Waterfront" after virulent protest from natives and local politicians, including City Council President James M. Kelly.[citation needed] The Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) Project, also known as the Big Dig, has created a completely new transportation network for this area and quite a few new hotel and office projects have come online in the past few years.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vogel, Chris; and Patrick Doyle and Matthew Reed Baker (July 2012). "The Rise of the Seaport". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ Chesto, Jon (2012-04-17). "The South Boston waterfront gets a new website – and another new name". Mass. Market. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ "South Boston Waterfront Public Realm Plan". Boston Redevelopment Authority. October 21, 2003. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ↑ "Seaport makeover to begin next year". Boston Metro, 23 September 2010, p 3.
- ↑ James M. Kelly, long-time city councilor and South Boston icon, dies. Boston Globe, January 9, 2007.