Naval Hospital Boston Historic District

Naval Hospital Boston is a military medical campus on a hillside at 1 Broadway in Chelsea, overlooking the Mystic River. The district includes five buildings put up before 1858 and other structures from before 1920. Building 1, a Vermont granite hospital, opened on January 7, 1836, and was one of the first three hospitals authorized specifically for naval personnel, who had previously used Marine hospitals. Two granite magazine buildings date to about 1836, and Building 59, a brick Marine Hospital completed in 1857, later received a mansard roof and a fourth story. Quarters A, built in 1856, houses the commanding officer. The nomination describes it as the oldest naval hospital in continuous active service in the country. It also notes the site's earlier history, including Samuel Maverick's fortified house of 1625, the landing of the first ferry to Charlestown and Boston in 1631, and its role in the 1775 Bunker Hill period. The high, well-watered site was chosen for its healthful setting.