Boston Transit Commission Building
Also known as: Boston School Committee Building
Why it's listed
Rising ten stories on Beacon Street near the State House, this orange brick building with stone trim, a copper cornice and a cast iron ground floor was built in 1903-04 for the Beacon Hill Trust, a real estate investment group. Boston architect William Gibbons Preston designed it in the Classical Revival style with Beaux Arts features. As soon as it opened, it became the first consolidated office of the Boston Transit Commission, the nation's first public transportation agency, which built the first subway in the country. The City bought the building in 1920, and from 1923 to 1976 it housed the Boston School Committee. The interior was extensively remodelled in 1998-99 for hotel use, but the lobby layout, the central hallway plan and an original marble stairway with an ornate brass railing survive. The building is recognised for its ties to early mass transit and for Preston's architecture.
Significance in brief: Under Criterion A, it served as the headquarters of the Boston Transit Commission, the first public transportation agency in the U.S., which created the nation's first subway. Under Criterion C, it is a fine example of Classical Revival/Beaux Arts architecture by the noted Boston architect William Gibbons Preston. It later housed the Boston School Committee.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 07000861, listed August 31, 2007. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 15 Beacon St., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | August 31, 2007 |
| Reference number | 07000861 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1903-1957 |
| Architect / builder | William Gibbons Preston |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival/Beaux Arts |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Education, Politics/Government, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Converted from office to hotel use in 1998-99; currently used as a hotel, with the first-floor lobby arrangement and the original marble stairway retained. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.35834, -71.06226 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 07000861.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4948157
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.