Bellingham Square Historic District

Bellingham Square is the civic and commercial heart of Chelsea, a small city just north of Boston. The district covers about 28 acres and 127 properties, nearly all built within twenty years after the Great Fire of 1908 destroyed almost every structure in the area. Reconstruction followed the old street pattern, with commercial blocks along Broadway, public buildings around the square, and working-class housing on side streets, including bowfront row houses and large apartment blocks. Brick buildings with Classical Revival detailing give the area a uniform character. City Hall by Peabody and Stearns, the Beaux Arts library by Guy Lowell, and a post office by James Knox Taylor set a high standard for design. The district is also significant for the planning controls adopted by a Board of Control after the fire, including zoning, building codes and fire limits, and for its association with the many Jewish property owners and immigrants who rebuilt the area. Eleven buildings are considered intrusions.