Textile District

Located in the southern part of Boston's Central Business District, this roughly three-acre district takes in buildings along Chauncy, Essex, Edinboro and Kingston Streets. Most are five to eight stories, built between 1888 and 1922 of red or yellow brick with trim of brownstone, terracotta, cast stone and granite. Classical Revival detailing dominates, with Romanesque Revival and Renaissance Revival examples among them. The area grew into the center of Boston's dry goods trade, and textile businesses still occupied several storefronts when the district was documented. Its streets lie partly over land that was once waterfront, where Colonial wharves along Essex Street were buried when South Cove was filled between 1804 and 1833. The buildings are works of well-known Boston architects, including William Ralph Emerson, Stephen Codman and Fehmer & Page. The district was listed for its commercial history and for the quality and consistency of its architecture. Original storefronts survive on most buildings, while some have been modernized at street level.