Fifteen Magical Places in Boston

Written by Mackenzie Barrall and Corinne Muller. Photos by Matthew Dickey.

Originally published July 2020. Updated July 2021.

Just because you didn’t receive your Hogwarts letter in the mail (we’re still waiting on ours) doesn’t mean you can’t experience a little magic. You don’t have to be a wizard to Apparate to Hogwarts or Diagon Alley—with a flick of a wand, we Boston muggles can be immersed in the magic of the Wizarding World that surrounds us. Join us in honor of Harry Potter’s birthday (he’d be 41!) as we discover Venomous Tentaculas and glide on Thestrals to some of Boston’s most magical locales. Prepare to be spell-bound.

1. Hogwarts Library - Boston Athenaeum
Athenaeum-Matthew Dickey
The Boston Athenaeum

Although it might not be 1,000 years old like the Hogwarts Library, the Boston Athenaeum was founded in 1807 and is one of the United States’ oldest and most distinguished libraries. With treasures around every corner, we know Hermione would fall in love. Instead of a Restricted Section, the Athenaeum has an outstanding rare books and manuscripts collection and an archive you could get lost in. Make sure to keep your voice down and eye out for Madame Pince while you roam through the stacks. 

2. Potions Dungeons — Boston Public Library
BPL Matthew Dickey
Boston Public Library

The tiled, vaulted ceilings of the Boston Public Library were built by Spanish builder Rafael Guastavino. The library was his first project in the United States but he would go on to build magical tile vaults in over 600 buildings across the United States. The style of building vaults with thin interlocking terracotta tiles is an old technique that dates to ancient Roman temples and gothic cathedrals. However, this kind of cavernous space is also characteristic of Hogwarts—especially the dungeons. Dim the lights and start a fire in the fireplace, and we could easily picture Snape teaching Potions down here among the fumes.

3. Room of Requirement — Metropolitan Waterworks Museum
Waterworks Museum-Matthew Dickey
Waterworks Museum

Since the late 19th century, whatever water resources the City of Boston needed, the Waterworks Museum supplied. You never know what you’ll stumble upon at the museum: industrial machinery, amazing Romanesque architecture, biology labs, and so much other preserved history. Walking among the giant engines and water pumps, you’d expect to see a Vanishing Cabinet hidden in a corner. You can almost imagine a Bostonian standing a century ago in Hogwarts’ seventh-floor corridor, thinking I need somewhere to get water...and the Waterworks provided it!

4. Stables for the Thestrals — Charles River Speedway Complex
Notch at the Speedway-Matthew Dickey
Notch Brewery in Former Horse Stables 

Constructed in 1899, the Speedway Headquarters were home to constantly bustling stables as Muggles, and the occasional wizard, used the Charles River Speedway racetrack. Around the 1920’s the Speedway park and racetrack were losing popularity with the rise of the automobile. Although the speedway itself was razed around the 1960’s, nothing is stopping the Thestrals trained by Hagrid from roaming free and sleeping at the Headquarters, which have remained almost completely vacant since 1990. The Architecture Heritage Foundation has fully restored and renovated the speedway. It is now bustling with life with thirsty Muggles in search of a tankard of Notch beer.

5. Hogwarts Greenhouse — Dorothy McGee Greenhouse at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
McGee Greenhouse
McGee Greenhouse

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is famous for its combination of a world-class art museum and gorgeous gardens. The landscape and horticulture are an integral part of the museum’s character, just as Herbology is to Hogwarts. Hanging nasturtiums are an iconic feature of the Gardner Museum’s greenhouses. But watch out!—they might be Venomous Tentaculas in disguise, waiting to seize you from behind. Be prepared to use a Stunning Spell, just in case.

6. The Three Broomsticks - Warren Tavern
Warren Tavern
Warren Tavern

Anyone fancy a butterbeer? If you asked anybody in Hogsmeade where the best place for a drink was, they’d say the Three Broomsticks. In Charlestown, it’s Warren Tavern. Established in 1780, the tavern was a favorite haunt of historic notables like Paul Revere. It’s still located in its original building in Charlestown today. With its cozy and rustic atmosphere, it would surely be any villager’s go-to for a warm drink on a snowy day in Hogsmeade. (It’s also a Legacy Business of Boston) 

7. Honeydukes - Eldo Cake House
Eldo Cake House
Eldo Cake House

We’ve all dreamed of walking into Honeydukes and being faced with an infinite assortment of colorful candies and magical sweets: Chocolate Cauldrons, Acid Pops, and Licorice Wands galore! Luckily for us Bostonians, we don’t have to fly to Hogsmeade to satisfy our sweet tooth. Eldo Cake House in Chinatown has some of the very best cakes in New England. Serving sponge cakes topped with fresh fruits and cream, sweet buns, and tarts, Eldo is about as close to magical as you can get. There is even a street tucked behind the shop, as if hidden by some magic charm. Ron would go crazy here! 

8. Hogsmeade Station — Mattapan Trolley Station
Mattapan Station
Mattapan Station

The historic Mattapan Station at 1163 Blue Hill Avenue opened in 1856 as a major terminus for the railroad and commercial activity in the surrounding area. It’s easy to picture Hagrid standing by the tracks, waiting to guide eager young students to Hogwarts. After closing in the late 1920s, the building has taken on many identities, including a barbershop and several different pizzerias. Although it’s no longer in use as a station, who knows what goes on behind its facade—for all we know, it’s a hidden entrance to the Ministry of Magic!

9. The Shrieking Shack - Calf Pasture Pumping Station Complex
Calf Pasture Pumping
Calf Pasture Pumping Station Complex

Anybody would believe that this historic sewage pumping facility in Dorchester was haunted. Before it was constructed in the late 19th century, it was a largely uninhabited marshland where locals brought their cattle for grazing. The large Romanesque building has sat abandoned since 1968, when a new facility was built on Deer Island. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and is listed as one of the Most Endangered Buildings of Massachusetts. UMass officials are now seeking proposals for the Calf Pasture building. Listen at night, and you might just hear a werewolf howling inside—or is it a ghost?

10. Flourish and Blotts Bookseller — Brattle Book Shop
Brattle Books
Brattle Book Shop

Search through the shelves of Brattle Book Shop and you might just stumble upon Standard Book of Spells or A History of Magic for your classes at Hogwarts or even Ilvermorny. One of the oldest used bookshops in the country, opening in 1825, it has an impressive inventory of over 250,000 books spanning three floors, from average used books on the first two floors to antique and rare books on the third. Hopefully they have better luck keeping track of that pesky Invisible Book of Invisibility.

11. The Leaky Cauldron — Jacob Wirth Co.*
Jacob Wirth
Jacob Wirth Co.

Jacob Wirth’s sadly shuttered its doors in 2018 after 150 years of being a local favorite, but perhaps, like the Leaky Cauldron, it too appears differently to those who know that there’s magic going on inside. The German-American restaurant was opened in 1868 by the Wirth family who were from a small town in Germany, and remained the second oldest continually operated restaurant in Boston until its closing following a fire and water damage. The building, constructed in 1844, is protected as a local Boston Landmark and its significance recognized as a National Historic Landmark. Who knows, it might also hide a secret entrance to Diagon Alley. 

12. Gringotts Bank — Bruce C. Bolling Building
Bruce C. Bolling
Bruce C. Bolling Building 

There might be no dealing with goblins here, or money exchange for that matter. The Bruce C. Bolling Building was originally built in 1901 for the Ferdinand Furniture Store, and after a hefty construction project, the facade of the building was saved and incorporated into the new building. Following the motto of Gringotts, Fortius Quo Fidelius (Strength through loyalty), with its restoration of the facade which earned the project a Preservation Achievement Award in 2016. Today the building houses offices for Boston Public Schools among other things. Still wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye out for any stray Galleons, Sickles, or Knuts.

13. Potter House in Godric’s Hollow — The Pierce House
Pierce House
Pierce House 

The Pierce House did not see anything as tragic as the event that gained Harry the reputation of the ‘Boy Who Lived’, but it too took part in the end of a war. Built in 1683, the Pierce house was expanded over the generations, and its owner at the time, Col. Samuel Pierce, took part in the Revolutionary War, participating in the fortification of Dorchester Heights and leading some of his troops to join in battle with the continental army. 

14. St. Jerome’s Graveyard in Godric’s Hollow — Cedar Grove Cemetery
Mattapan Trolley
Mattapan Trolley 

Some of the most important figures of the Wizarding World are buried in Godric’s Hollow, like the Peverells, the Potters, and the Dumbledores. Much of Harry Potter’s history can be traced back to this graveyard. Although you might not uncover a clue to the Deathly Hallows at Cedar Grove, you will find many notable figures from New England’s past: Former Mayor of Boston George Hibbard, Samuel German (inventor of German chocolate), Boston City Councilor James Kelly, and many more who have left their mark on American history and culture. You won’t find this cemetery in the pages of Bathilda Bagshot’s A History of Magic, but you will see it in Ripley’s Believe It or Not and Harry Fig’s Believe It or Not for its unique claim to being the only cemetery in the country with a trolley running through it, the Old Colony Railroad (today, the Mattapan High-Speed Trolley, which runs a 2.6-mile route on the Red Line from Ashmont to Mattapan).

15. Malfoy Manor — The Dahod Family Alumni Center
Dahod Alumni
Dahod Alumni — Photo by Jane Messinger

You won’t find any Death Eaters here, unless someone has decided to take over the Wizarding and Muggle worlds…again, but you will find plenty of loyal alumni of Boston University. Commonly referred to as ‘The Castle’, it was completed in 1915 and served as a private residence until 1967, first housing a wealthy industrialist and then the Presidents of Boston University. A winner of the 2019 Preservation Awards, the building underwent a restoration executed by a large team led by Finegold Alexander Architects that added functionality as well as carefully restored historical elements. With such an attentive project, the Ministry of Magic may have investigated if any transfiguration spells were used.

Mischief managed. 

For more magical places in Boston, apparate on over to our previous list of magical places

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for similar stories and updates on our advocacy projects in Boston.

Subscribe

 

Donate today to help us preserve the magic of Boston.

Donate

Recent

EVENT: Landmark Love

“Love is showing the important things that they matter.” A Landmark Love quote from the Frederick Middle School.

Preservation Priorities: Letter to Mayor Wu

Update: February 29, 2024

The Boston Preservation Alliance has submitted a letter to the Wu Administration.

Now Accepting Nominations for 2024 Preservation Awards

Each year the Boston Preservation Alliance presents the Preservation Achievement Awards to recognize a group of exemplary historic preservation projects or activities in Boston.

Rudolph Spotted Around Boston

Written by Matthew Dickey

Walk with Me: 10,000+ Steps Exploring Boston

Written By: Sara Brown

Barbie's Boston Dream House

A Visual Guide to “Barbitecture” and Real-life Doll Houses

Written by: Sara Brown

A Short History of Boston’s Triple Deckers

A Short History of Boston’s Triple Deckers

5 Incredible Adaptive Reuse Projects in Boston

Written by Charlotte Henry.

Alliance Alert: Buckminster Hotel vote pulled from agenda at 11th hour

Alliance Executive Director Alison Frazee received a call last night from Mike Firestone, the City’s Chief of Policy, informing her that the Landmarks Commission has been…

7 Ways to Explore Boston During Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

2023 Preservation Month Events

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Councilor Bok, Preservation Advocate

On behalf of the Boston Preservation Alliance and Boston’s preservation community, we would like to thank Councilor Kenzie Bok for her dedication to our city’s historic resources.

My Boston Home: East Boston Library

Written by Dan Bailey

Tiny Story: Hibernian Hall

Written by Matthew Dickey

Now Accepting Nominations for 2023 Codman Lifetime Achievement Award

The Codman Award for lifetime achievement, named for John Codman who established Boston’s first historic district (Beacon Hill) in 1955, recognizes outstanding and career-long…

Event: Upham's Corner Heart Bombing

Talk Historic To Me.

Redefining Preservation

Thank you for helping us redefine preservation. Architecture is the surface of a city, but our history is deeper than a facade. It is the people, residents, and visitors that make Boston…

2022 Preservation Gift Guide

The leaves have been shaken off the trees, there is a chill in the air, and the sun sets just after 4 pm–that’s right, it’s nearly winter in New England and the gift-giving…

Tiny Story: Helen's Leather Shop

Written and photographed by Anan Shen, 2022 Summer Intern.

The West End: What We Will Lose

Written by Anan Shen. This is the first of a series of short stories about the West End.  

 

Doyle's Update

As an advocacy organization for historic preservation, the Alliance often advocates to save historic buildings because of their stunning architecture or articulated streetscape.

Seven Magical Places in Boston

Celebrate Harry Potter’s Birthday! 

 

East Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them

Written and researched by Dan Bailey.
All photos by Dan Bailey and Matthew Dickey.

Tour Your Boston: Pho Hoa

Stories about our neighborhoods are often told by adults for adults. But what landmarks and businesses define our neighborhoods through the eyes of the next generation? 

My Boston Home: The Dragon of JP

Thousands and thousands of buildings line Boston’s streets. But one house is different from all the rest. It takes a bit of determination to find it.

EVENT: A Weekend Photo Workshop with Peter Vanderwarker, Sept. 16-18

Photos by Peter Vanderwarker.

A Weekend Photo Workshop with Peter Vanderwarker, Sept. 16-18

2022 Boston Guide to Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Launch of the City's new Commemoration Commission

On May 1, 2022, Boston celebrated the 200th anniversary of incorporation as a city at the Old South Meeting House.

EVENT: Heartbombing 2022

Valentine’s Day is approaching and that means only one thing—it’s time to dust off those markers and share some love (Heart Bombs) for old buildings! What are heart bombs?

Tiny Story: The Star (Paczki) Baker of Dorchester

In a little triangle just south of Andrew Station, Polish and American flags fly in pairs. The air wafts with the smell of freshly fried dough.

A Vision for Preservation

Written by Alison Frazee, Executive Director

Most Watched Projects of 2021

Our Most-Watched Advocacy Projects of 2021 Are Below, But First…

The Alliance relies on generous supporters like you to continue our work in promoting, preserving,…

Preservation Highlights From 2021

The Alliance has been utilizing every opportunity to further our goals of historic preservation advocacy and telling the fuller story of Boston’s past. Below are a few of our 2021…

Event: Virtual Coffee Hour Featuring BPL McKim Building Master Plan

Thursday, December 2, 10:00-11:00 am.

2021 Mayoral Election: A Q&A with the Candidates

The Boston Preservation Alliance is Boston’s primary, non-profit advocacy organization that protects and promotes the use of historic buildings and landscapes in all of Boston’s…

Neighborhood Walking Tours

In partnership with Boston By Foot. 

The Pleasant Cafe

Written by Jennifer Dines.
Photos by Matthew Dickey.

Event: 2021 Libations for Preservation (at Sea!)

Turn on your favorite sea shanty and prepare for the water. The Young Advisors are bringing their annual Libations for Preservation event to the sea! 

Tiny Story: Explore A Slice Of The Boston Harborwalk

Written by Ava Yokanovich
Photos by Ava Yokanovich

My Boston Home: Roxbury Mini Mansard

Interview with Angela Ward Hyatt
Photos courtesy of Angela Ward Hyatt
Before and after photos below!

Tiny Story: Memories from the South End

Memories from former South End residents Judith Nee and Isabel O’Hara
Images from Neil Kadey and Judith Nee
Written by Judith Nee and Ava Yokanovich

Tiny Story: Boston Building Resources

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Photos by Ava Yokanovich

Victory! Budget Increased for Boston Landmarks Commission.

The Alliance works closely with the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC), which resides within the Environment Department at the City, to further preservation efforts in Boston.

Tiny Story: The Marliave Restaurant

Written by Jules Spector and Matthew Dickey

#ArtWorksHere #ArtStaysHere

Images and words by Matthew Dickey

Tiny Story: Red Hat History

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Photos by Matthew Dickey

Tiny Story: Forged Histories of the Public Garden

Written by Mackenzie Barrall

Photos by Ava Yokanovich

Tiny Story: Southwest Corridor Park

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Images taken by Ava Yokanovich along the Southwest Corridor Path near Titus Sparrow Park

 

14 Ways To Explore Boston This Preservation Month

Written by Matthew Dickey

AllianceALERT: Increase the budget for Preservation
There are untold stories in Boston being lost and we need your help to save them.

EVENT: Annual Meeting of Members

Save-The-Date

When: March 25
Time: 6 pm via Zoom
Featuring: Brent Leggs

This event is generously supported by the Nolan-Miller Fund

Tiny Story: Corita Kent

Corita Kent (1918–1986)

Artist, Educator, Advocate for Social Justice

Written by: Vicki Adjami

Event: Coffee Hour–Award Nominations

When: March 4
Time: 10 AM
Where: On Zoom
How: Register below to receive a zoom link

EVENT: Heart bombing Highland Park Addition

Virtual Heart Bombing

Feb. 1-15 

EVENT: Heart bombing Highland Park Addition

Virtual Heart Bombing

Feb. 1-15 

2020 Preservation Gift Guide

Written by Matthew Dickey

Event: Preservation Chatter

The Boston Preservation Alliance and the Young Advisors present: 

Preservation Chatter 2020

Thursday, November 19

6 — 7 PM

32nd Annual Preservation Achievement Awards

6:00 pm. October 15, 2020. Virtual and open to all. 

Tiny Story: Elma Lewis and the NCAAA

Written by Mackenzie Barrall.

Tiny Story: Now + There

Written by Corinne Muller.

Photos by Matthew Dickey.

An Interview with Boston Preservationist David Rodrigues

David Rodrigues is the Manager of Facilities and Preservation at

Tunney Lee's Chinatown Atlas

Written by Corinne Muller. Photos by Matthew Dickey.

 

The Boston Equality Trail

Written by Corinne Muller

Tiny Story: Elite's

Announcing our 2020 Preservation Achievement Award Winners

Preservation takes many forms and requires many hands.

Our Booklist for Pride Month

Written by Corinne Muller.

Dorchester Day

By Corinne Muller

Our Statement of Solidarity—Black Lives Matter

Boston Preservation Alliance stands united with the voices decrying the murder of George Floyd and the long-standing history of racism this tragedy demonstrates.

Meet Our Summer 2020 Interns

The Boston Preservation Alliance offers internships to graduate and undergraduate students to help train the next generation of preservationists by providing hands-on experience in…

A Wave of Generosity

Let’s come together to create a wave of generosity for the organizations that help Boston thrive.

EVENT: The Tale of Two City Halls

When: May 16

Time: 2PM

Where: Live on Instagram!

EVENT: Preservation Coffee Hour AMA

Have a preservation question? Want to hear updates about any of the preservation projects we’re monitoring?

ENF Filed with MEPA for Northern Avenue Bridge

An Environment Notification Form (ENF) has been filed with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office.

AllianceAlert: Your voice needed to help the BLC

Historic places need your help!

Your Boston Guide to Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Preservation Month in a Strange New World

Written by Greg Galer

How to choose which buildings to treasure, and which to trash

Written by Alison Frazee, Assistant Director, Boston Preservation Alliance.

Tiny Story: Pump Up the Music

We continue our series of tiny stories that uplift the soul.

2020 Preservation Award Nominations Now Open

2020 Preservation Award Nominations Now Open

POSTPONED EVENT: 2020 Annual Meeting of Members

Join us for our Annual Meeting of Members

When: Postponed. New date is TBD

Alliance Event Updates

In light of concerns with COVID-19, we have postponed several of our upcoming events.

EVENT: Heart Bombing

Heart Bombing

Feb. 15 | 1 — 4 pm | Amrheins, 80 W. Broadway, Boston

PLAN: Downtown Scenarios Workshop

Your Voice Needed to Preserve Downtown Boston  

A Preservationist Gift Guide

Is there a preservationist in your life? Or maybe you love architecture, history, and unique Boston stories as much as we do. If either of these is the case, then this is THE gift guide…

Boston's Mid-Century Marvels

With the proposed redevelopment of the Hurley Building, we thought this is a good time…

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

#SaveMyBoston

Detrimental: Preservation Advocates Ask MGH to Reconfigure Expansion Plans to Spare Three West End Buildings

Preservation advocates are imploring Massachusetts General Hospital to reconfigure its expansion plans to avoid demolition of three historic West End buildings, reports Dan Murphy of the…

Beer + Mortar: Another Round

BEER + MORTAR: A WALKING TOUR

Tracing Black History in Boston with the Green Book

By Isabella Labbe

August 6, 2019. Updated March 2023.

Seven Magical Places in Boston

Written by Matthew Dickey.

6th Annual Libations for Preservation

The Boston Preservation Alliance Board of Young Advisors presents:

 

Libations for Preservation

When:

Wednesday, July 24, 2019…

An Interview with Boston Artist Karen McFeaters

Karen McFeaters is a Boston-based painter whose work features locations around the city that highlight…

Tracing Queer History in Boston

Written by Izzy Labbe

Roger Webb and the "Democratic Donkey"

Roger Webb was the founder of the Architectural Heritage Foundation and…

Beer + Mortar: A Walking Tour

Save the date for Beer + Mortar, a walking tour through Dorchester and Roxbury led by Matthew Dickey of the Alliance and HBI.…

EVENT: COMMUNITY MEETING ON THE NORTHERN AVENUE BRIDGE

The City of Boston invites you to a Community Meeting on the Northern Ave Bridge

Monday, June 3, 2019

Announcing our 2019 Preservation Achievement Award Winners

Neighborhoods are living things. They evolve to the changing needs of their inhabitants. Rural farms become streetcar suburbs. Carriage lanes become roads. Thriving businesses fade.

Use GE money to fix the bridge, says Leung at the Boston Globe

The state gets a $98M cut of GE’s sale of its property in Fort Point. Where should that money go?

31 Things to do for Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Advocacy ALERT: National Register Threatened

Advocacy needed to OPPOSE a rule change to undercut the National Register of Historic Places

EVENT: 2019 Annual Meeting of Members

Please join us for our Annual Meeting | Registration is closed, but walk-ins welcome! 

EVENT: The Restoration of The Mother Church

Boston Design Week Event

Boston Design Week March 27-April 7 2019



EVENT: YA Meet and Greet with Cocktails!

The Alliance’s Young Advisor’s Board is seeking new board members for 2019!

Call for Nominations for the 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards

The Boston Preservation Alliance is now accepting nominations for our 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards! 

 

Less than Boston

The closing of Durgin Park (1827) following upon Jacob Wirth (1868) last year reminds us that Boston’s unique character comes from more than just architecture.

Marty Misses the Mark With Citgo Veto, says Banker & Tradesman Editorial

“An icon of the Boston skyline was very nearly protected against the city’s current rapacious development culture- but then the mayor stepped in.”

Marty Misses the Mark With Citgo Veto, says Banker & Tradesman Editorial

“An icon of the Boston skyline was very nearly protected against the city’s current rapacious development culture- but then the mayor stepped in.”

Walsh vetoes Citgo Sign Landmark designation, Sign to be moved

Mayor Walsh, Citgo, Related Beal (the developer of the site), and Boston University release a statement: 

Walsh vetoes Citgo Sign Landmark designation, Sign to be moved

Mayor Walsh, Citgo, Related Beal (the developer of the site), and Boston University release a statement: 

EVENT: Community Meeting on the Northern Avenue Bridge

The City of Boston invites you to a

Community Meeting on the Northern Ave Bridge

Meet our newest Young Advisors

The Young Advisors is a board of developing professionals whose role is to expand and amplify the Alliance’s mission of protecting places, promoting vibrancy, and preserving character.

The Alliance Looks to the Future at Milestone Event

On Monday, October 22, the Boston Preservation Alliance hosted the 2018…

Opening Remarks at the 30th Annual Preservation Achievement Awards

Opening Remarks: Chris Scoville, Board Chair
Preservation Achievement Awards and 40 30 10 Celebration 

Announcing the Winners of the Preservation Bucket List!

To celebrate our 40th Anniversary year, the Alliance launched a special social media campaign: The Preservation Bucket List photo competition.

EVENT: Preservation Achievement Awards & 40 30 10 Celebration

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Alliance, the 30th Anniversary of the Awards, and the 10th Anniversary of our Young Advisors Board.

EVENT: Tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery

Join the Alliance Young Advisors for a stroll through Mount Auburn Cemetery, the oldest rural cemetery in the US.

It’s time to have your say on the Citgo sign’s future

The debate over the future of the Citgo sign is still quietly grinding on.

It’s time to have your say on the Citgo sign’s future

The debate over the future of the Citgo sign is still quietly grinding on.

The Preservation Bucket List + Photo Competition

The Alliance is turning 40 this year!

September 7: Deadline for eligibility forms for Fall 2018 Community Preservation Funds

Boston has an estimated $20 million in annual funds to support capital projects in historic preservation, affordable housing, and parks and green spaces.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Boston, here's the chance to make Northern Avenue Bridge a real destination

Boston’s urban planners and placemakers have an opportunity to make the Northern Avenue Bridge, now a rusting relic in Fort Point Channel, a postcard-worthy destination that draws…

The Northern Avenue Bridge is being replaced, and the city is debating just who will be allowed to use it

It has been nearly four years since anyone could walk across the old Northern Avenue Bridge, and two decades since you could drive across it.

Alliance Included in National Best Practices Report

The Boston Preservation Alliance was included in a 2018 national report regarding best practices for public outreach and education to build a knowledgeable, engaged, and activated…

Defending Fenway’s Heritage

Emily Kahn, Boston Preservation Alliance Intern

Defending Fenway’s Heritage

Emily Kahn, Boston Preservation Alliance Intern

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

EVENT: Instagram Tour: Historic Breweries of Jamaica Plain

Boston was once home to 31 breweries, enough to bestow this storied city with the title of “most breweries per capita.” A majority of the city’s breweries are clustered around…

Meet Our 2018 Summer Interns

The Boston Preservation Alliance offers internships to graduate and undergraduate students to help train the next generation of preservationists by providing hands-on experience in the…

City Council Awards First Batch of Boston Community Preservation Funds

Boston City Council voted on Thursday, June 21, to approve the first batch of Boston Community Preservation funding requests.

City Council Awards First Batch of Boston Community Preservation Funds

Boston City Council voted on Thursday, June 21, to approve the first batch of Boston Community Preservation funding requests.

EVENT: Ladder Blocks Walking Tour

You’re invited to a special preview for Alliance and Boston By Foot members. The Ladder Blocks Walking Tour will take place on Sunday, May 20, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

EVENT: Preservation in Perpetuity: An Overview of Preservation Restrictions

Boston has a wonderful mix of historic buildings and sites, from stately row houses to 3-deckers, churches to commercial blocks.

EVENT: Preservation, Powered by PechaKucha

The Young Advisors of the Boston Preservation Alliance are hosting a PechaKucha night on Tuesday, May 15 at The Algonquin Club of Boston.

Director of Advocacy, Alison Frazee, recognized with highest honor at 2018 Tsongas Awards

The Alliance had an impressive showing at Preservation Massachusetts’s 30th Annual Paul & Niki Tsongas Awards Dinner held on May 9 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

Alliance ED Guest Editor of Boston Architecture Diary

May is Preservation Month. To mark the occasion, Boston Architecture Diary tapped Greg Galer to share recommendations for preservation events happening around the city.

Does the three-decker have lessons for us today? 

Alliance Executive Director Greg Galer was a moderator for “Preserving Affordability, Affording Preservation,” an April 27th conference hosted by Historic New England.

The Alliance Appoints New Board Chair and Elects New Board Member

The Boston Preservation Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Scoville as a new Board Chairman and the election of Sean Geary to the Board of Directors.

Alliance Celebrates 40 years, Looks Forward at 2018 Annual Meeting

The Boston Preservation Alliance is hosting its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 21 at historic Old South Church at Copley Square.

Density Done Right: Examples from Boston and Barcelona

By David Nagahiro, AIA, LEED AP

7 Buildings Living Their Best Second Lives

From old fire departments to post offices that succumbed to the demise of snail mail, buildings across the country have fallen prey to shifting markets and the rise of technology.

Paramount Theatre and the Boston Opera House Honored for Their Remarkable Makeovers

Last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Thank you to all our corporate members, including: