Old Corner Bookstore
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Washington and School Streets in downtown Boston, the Old Corner Bookstore is a brick, gambrel-roofed building of two and a half stories plus an attic. Thomas Crease, an apothecary, built it soon after the great fire of 1711, and it is the only eighteenth-century house left in this part of the city. It served as a dwelling for more than a hundred years before Timothy Carter remodeled it in 1828 as a bookstore. From 1833 it was home to William D. Ticknor and Company, later Ticknor and Fields. Under James T. Fields the firm published Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Longfellow, Tennyson and Dickens, and the shop became known as Parnassus Corner. It also issued the Atlantic Monthly. After 1903 the building declined until a non-profit group bought it and restored it to its 1828 appearance in 1964. It now serves as a Boston Globe office, and its value lies mainly in its exterior.
Significance in brief: It is the only eighteenth-century house remaining in this part of Boston. In the mid-nineteenth century it housed Ticknor and Fields, the most notable publishing house in America, and became a meeting place for leading American and English authors. It has also been certified as a Massachusetts Historic Landmark.
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 73000322, listed April 11, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW corner of Washington and School Sts., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | April 11, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000322 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 18th Century (specific dates 1711, 1833) |
| Architect / builder | Thomas Crease (builder, 1711); Timothy Carter (leased and remodeled, 1828) |
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored to its 1828 appearance in 1964; in excellent, unaltered condition, occupied and in commercial use as the in-town office of the Boston Globe. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.35759, -71.05839 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 73000322.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q387456
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.