Fulton-Commercial Streets District
Why it's listed
Along Fulton, Commercial, Mercantile, Lewis and Richmond Streets in Boston stands a waterfront district of about 80 brick row buildings, most built in the 1830s and 1840s. Development followed the construction of the Quincy Markets in 1825-26, when fill created new land for stores and warehouses serving the port. Three developers, Robert G. Shaw, Samuel S. Lewis and Henry Gardner, wrote height and material restrictions into deeds, so nearly all buildings are four-story brick rows with granite posts and lintels at street level. Three larger buildings anchor the district: the granite Mercantile Wharf Building of 1856, designed by Gridley J. F. Bryant; the Commercial Block of 1857; and the McLauthlin Building of about 1864, with the earliest surviving cast iron front in New England. The area declined after the 1890s and was cut off by the Fitzgerald Expressway in the 1950s. Most properties were later acquired for urban renewal and left vacant.
Significance in brief: The district is one of the last remnants of Boston's 19th century waterfront and has unusually coherent streetscapes of commercial architecture from the 1830s to 1860s. Deed restrictions on height and material, set by three developers, produced uniform granite-and-brick row buildings. The district also holds the Mercantile Wharf Building, the Commercial Block and the McLauthlin Building, the earliest extant cast iron front in New England.
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 73000319, listed March 21, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Fulton, Commercial, Mercantile, Lewis, and Richmond Sts., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | March 21, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000319 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1830's to 1860's |
| Architect / builder | Mercantile Wharf Building designed by Gridley J. F. Bryant; Commercial Block attributed to Bryant or Calvert Vaux; McLauthlin Building by an unknown architect; development controlled by Robert G. Shaw, Samuel S. Lewis and Henry Gardner |
| Architectural style | 19th century commercial architecture; Renaissance revival (Mercantile Wharf Building); cast iron front (McLauthlin Building) |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most properties were acquired by the Boston Redevelopment Authority for urban renewal and are vacant and deteriorated, though apparently structurally sound. Privately owned buildings are generally in good condition and house offices, apartments and businesses. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Within district | Fulton-Commercial Streets Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 42.36211, -71.05291 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 73000319.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5508394
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.