{"nrhp_refnum":"80000463","name":"Russia Wharf Buildings","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"518-540 Atlantic Ave., 270 Congress St. and 276-290 Congress St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Boston","county":"Suffolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.35338439100008,"lon":-71.05262904799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-12-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A group of three seven-story brick Classical Revival commercial/industrial buildings at 518-540 Atlantic Avenue and 270 and 276-290 Congress Street in Boston, built 1897-98 on the site of the former Russia Wharf.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the three buildings are an intact trio of turn-of-the-century commercial/industrial buildings in an otherwise much-altered waterfront area. They were built together for one owner and show a consistent urban design. The Atlantic Avenue building was designed by Peabody and Stearns, and the site has earlier links to the Boston Tea Party and the Russian trade.","narrative":"Three seven-story brick buildings at 518-540 Atlantic Avenue and 270 and 276-290 Congress Street in Boston occupy the former Russia Wharf site. A wharf stood here from the early 18th century until the Great Boston Fire of 1872 destroyed its structures. The present buildings date from 1897-98 and share a Classical Revival design: a two-story base, four identical tiers of windows, and a separate seventh story and cornice. Peabody and Stearns designed the Atlantic Avenue corner building, which has granite lower stories, a bevelled corner entrance and carved tiger heads. Rand & Taylor and Kendall & Stevens designed 270 Congress Street, the Graphic Arts Building, and probably the larger 276-290 Congress Street. Built at one time for one owner, the group was first used for commerce and light industry, notably printing and publishing. The buildings were valued as an intact, unified block in a waterfront area that has otherwise changed greatly, and for their relationship to nearby South Station.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900- (specific date 1898)","architect_builder":"Peabody & Stearns (518-540 Atlantic Avenue); Rand & Taylor and Kendall & Stevens (270 Congress Street, and probably 276-290 Congress Street)","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as in excellent to good condition, unaltered, occupied, with commercial use and work in progress at the time of nomination.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.92075-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/32/7970/63797032/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/80000463.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000463/e522ab39dc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80000463/e522ab39dc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jameslwoodward","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russia_Wharf_Buildings_Boston_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jameslwoodward</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Russia_Wharf_Buildings_Boston_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797032","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_Wharf_Buildings","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7381952"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/suffolk-county/russia-wharf-buildings-80000463/"}