Frog Pond Playground
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to our historical walking tour of Boston University.“We’re going to begin our tour from none other than Boston Common, the same place where other historical tours such as the Freedom Train and Black Heritage Trail also begin.“Originating in 1634, the Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States. The Common had many purposes over the years, including simply serving as a cow pasture, a military camp for the British and Colonial armies, as well as the spot where Quaker Mary Dyer was hanged by the Puritans. “Because of its proximity, it also served as the stomping grounds for generations of Boston University community members. The photo you see in the app is of the Boston University Student Army Training Corp, preparing for World War I amid the flu pandemic of 1918.“Let’s start by making our way to where it all began for Boston University…”
37 1/2 Beacon Street
“In some ways, this is where it all started. 37½ Beacon Street, the home of Isaac Rich. Now, who was Isaac Rich?“At this location in 1869, Rich sat down at his rolltop desk and he, along with neighbors Lee Claflin and Jacob Sleeper, signed a charter that had been written by William Fairfield Warren to establish a new venture in higher education—Boston University.“The home itself was designed by renowned architect, Charles Bulfinch, and built in 1804 for John Phillips, the first mayor of the City of Boston and the father of the great abolitionist, Wendell Phillips. The building is the first Federal-style brick house on this site. We’ll see this style continued once we arrive back on the Charles River Campus and view the Bay State Road brownstones.“Little-known fact: That rolltop desk where the charter was signed. It was saved and used by the first five presidents of Boston University, and it now sits on the first floor of Mugar Library. See the photo in the app.”
24 Beacon Street
“As we make our way to our next stop, we'll pass by the Massachusetts State House. The State House sits on land that was once owned by John Hancock, Massachusetts' first Governor.“The building was also designed by Charles Bulfinch and constructed in 1798. Goldleaf was not added to the dome until a few short years after Boston University was founded. It was later painted black during World War II so as not to shine like a sitting duck to enemy aircraft (see attached photo).”
18-20 Beacon Street
“Here we are at The Claflin Building at 18-20 Beacon Street. Notice anything interesting about this building? “Named after a BU founder, Lee Claflin, the Claflin building was the very first home for Boston University’s newest school, the College of Liberal Arts in 1873. Prof. Alexander Graham Bell taught classes here, and it would later house the School for Religious Education and Social Services (now the School of Social Work).“Built in the Greek Revival style, William Fairfield Warren called this building ‘the choicest that even Boston can afford.’ Students, however, seemed to think the interior rooms were dark and gloomy.“Still, this building was acquired at a time when Boston was beginning to embrace the Industrial Revolution with open arms. At the time, only about 250,000 people lived in Boston. In just a few short decades, that number skyrocketed to 750,000 people. That population boom is absolutely critical to understanding the history of Boston University.“In the back of this building ran the historic Old Granary Burying Ground, which we’ll see up close in just a few minutes.“We’ll now make our way down Park Street…”
1 Park Street
Built in 1809, Park Street became a beacon for Christian Evangelicalism (see attached photo). To this day it is a major landmark for orienting around Boston.
Granary Burying Ground
As we round Park Street Church, we'll walk past the historic Granary Burying Ground where Paul Revere, John Hancock, Mother Goose, and the parents of Benjamin Franklin are burried. We'll then turn right onto Bromfield Street.
40-44 Bromfield Street
Here we are at 40-44 Bromfield Street. Depending upon how you date the beginning of Boston University, perhaps this site marks the true origin. Back in 1839, LaRoy Sunderland, along with a small group of other Methodists came together to discuss theological education. The result? $15,000 was raised to start the Newbury Biblical Institute, 170 miles north in Newbury, Vermont. 31 years later that institute would evolve into the founding School of Theology for Boston University.
36 Bromfield Street
Just next door we have 36 Bromfield Street.In 1870, Boston University found a new home for its founding School of Theology in this Second Empire structure (cf. attached photo). In doing so, the School of Theology had come full circle, coming back to the very street were it was imagined 31 years earlier.The School of Law would also move here in 1872.It’s also interesting to note that next door, the famous India Queen Tavern was bought by the teetotaling Methodists in order to be taken out of business. This entire block became a center for Methodists enterprises, including its Temperance Union.
12 Somerset Street
“The original building has been demolished, though an artist’s drawing appears in our app. But in the mid-1800s a Baptist Church with a grand spire stood here at 12 Somerset Street. In 1882, Boston University bought the church, took down the spire, added an imitation Renaissance façade, and named it Jacob Sleeper Hall who, like Lee Claflin, was one of Boston University's three founders.“So, in 1882, the College of Liberal Arts moved here. Why? “With a growing student enrollment (occasioned by Boston’s population boom and other social forces), the College had outgrown its home on Beacon Street, and moved here for its second home. The building had offices, a library, classrooms, and women’s study dubbed “the Parthenon.”
109 Court Street
Just one block over on Court Street was the building where Alexander Graham Bell, while a professor with BU’s School of Oratory in 1875, invented the telephone.
8 Ashburton Place
“Here at 8 Ashburton Place sat the new home for the School of Law in 1884. A photo appears in our app.“The advantage of this building is that it was less than a block away from the Suffolk County Courthouse.”
11 Ashburton Place
11 Ashburton Place marks the sixth home for School of Law. It’s now demolished, but Mt. Vernon Church once sat here. Boston University bought the granite building built in the Greek Revival Style and renamed it “Isaac Rich Hall" after BU's third founder. It was perhaps the most impressive of all of BU’s earliest buildings (see attached photos).Interesting fact: Early law students paid $100 for the first year’s tuition, $50 for and their second year’s tuition. Their 3rd year tuition was free.We'll now make our way back into the residential portion of Beacon Hill on the other side of the State House.
23 Pinckney Street
“Here we are at historic Pinckney Street in Beacon Hill. Back in 1867, this house at 23 Pinckney Street became the first Boston home of the Methodist Biblical Institute after it moved south from Concord, New Hampshire. It then changed its name to the Boston Theological School, and would soon relocate to Bromfield Street to join other Methodist enterprises.”
70-72 Mt. Vernon Street
"Here we are 70-72 Mount Vernon Street in the heart of Beacon Hill. This building served as the second home of the School of Theology, and would remain its home for nearly 70 years from 1884 to 1950. “In this twin mansion, there was sufficient space for lectures, reading rooms, faculty offices, a residence for the dean, and even lodging for students and professors. From the library, students could look out onto historic Louisburg Square. The building was considered the finest of any theological school in the country.”
Acorn Street
“This picturesque, cobblestone alleyway is reminiscent of colonial Boston.”
27 Chestnut Street
“In 1916, Boston University, for the first time ever in its history, did something that it had never done before and would not do again until the late 1930s. It constructed a building from scratch that was intended to exclusively serve a University purpose. That building was Robinson Chapel here at 27 Chestnut Street. Constructed in the Gothic style, it served as a place of worship and practice for the School of Theology.“Does the design of this building remind anyone of anything? In many ways it bares an uncanny resemblance to another diminutive chapel that would be built along Commonwealth Avenue in the late 1940s known as Marsh Chapel.“At this point, our tour of BU’s historical late 19th century/early 20th century campus is completed. Population and enrollment booms taking place both before and after World War I necessitated new space for the University, and it would eventually find it upon the freshly-filled mud flats of the Back Bay in Copley Square. That’s where we’re headed now.”
Boston Gardens
Part of the Emergeald Necklace system of of parks, this well-curated park was constructed atop mudflats and some 200 years after the Boston Common.”
146 Commonwealth Avenue
In 1933, with a gift of $15,000, the Boston University Women’s Council helped Boston University buy this brown-stone to provide subsidized housing for women students.Under the leadership of its first president, Louisa Holman Fisk, the Women’s Council undertook the responsibility of restoring and maintaining the house, establishing endowments and raising funds by sponsoring lectures, holding antique auctions, and hosting other events like a Symphony Hall recital that featured famed lyric tenor Roland Hayes.In 1940, President Daniel Marsh, and Boston University presented to the Council a portrait of Mrs. Fisk. The University awarded Mrs. Fisk an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters at Commencement in 1941; and in 1949, the Board of Trustees unanimously voted to name the building the Louisa Holman Fisk House.After World War II, as more and more women began coming to Boston University from around the country and abroad, the Women’s Council continued its support and also helped the University build more housing for women. In 1959, to honor a gift from the Women’s Council, the University named a lounge in the new Towers the Lucy Jenkins Franklin, in honor of the University’s first Dean of Women.In February 2020, the Boston University Women’s Council merged with the Boston University Women’s Guild. The Boston University Women’s Guild continues the traditions of the visionary women who started the Boston University Women’s Council by maintaining Fisk House, keeping facilities and appliances up-to-date, making repairs, and upholding safety and security standards.
525 Boylston Street (Walker Building)
“By 1913, the ratio of men to women attending the College of Liberal Arts had dropped to one in three. Does anyone know the reason?“In large part, the business courses in the evening were so successful in attracting men that the College of Business Administration was founded that same year. “In 1916, it moved to 525 Boylston Street, the Walker Building, which was leased from MIT. The School of Education would move in years later. The building was known as ‘Ye Olde Mille of Knowledge, Open day and night.”“As we’ll soon find out, MIT would later sell this building in the 1930s and thus have to evict Boston University. The event would be the culminating event leading BU to finally, finally, construct anew on its Charles River Campus.”
688 Boylston Street
“In 1913, and for the first time in its history, Boston University moved out of Beacon Hill and into Copley Square here at 688 Boylston Street, a building leased to the University by MIT. “That building is now demolished, but it once marked the third home for an ever-growing and ever-expanding College of Liberal Arts and later the College of Business Administration.”“The building and adjacent lots provided surplus space for the College, including a handsome library, observatory equipment on the roof, science labs, and—of course—“The Marble,” an eloquent lobby frequented by all students and faculty.”“After the Great Depression, Boston University was again seeing expanding student enrollments and with the eviction of BU from 525 Boylston Street, it faced both a challenge and a historic opportunity. We’ll now make our way westward to observe the migration of BU in the second half of the 20th century…”
512 Beacon Street
Danielsen Hall
4 Charlesgate
“In 1947, with its enrollments skyrocketing from 12,000 students to 25,000 students after World War II, Boston University purchased this beautiful hotel—The Charlesgate. It would become the University’s first large residence hall for women and it, along with the soon-to-be-purchased Myles Standish Hall, would mark Boston University’s transition from a commuter campus to a residential campus.”
30 Bay State Road
In 1949, thousands of men were entering college on the G.I. Bill. Consequently, Boston University bought this building, the historic Myles Standish Hotel, and converted it into the University’s first ever large residence hall for men.This building cherishes a wonderful history. Babe Ruth, the Great Bambino, once lived here. And, according to John Bustamante, roommate of Martin Luther King, Jr., a young King had an early meeting with a young music student named Coretta, at a gathering of gospel choirs on the first floor.
91 Bay State Road
In 1954, Boston University purchased this building, the Sheraton Hotel. Famous playwright, Eugene O’Neil lived and died here.After its purchase, it was renamed Shelton Hall and became another large residence hall for women. Today it serves as the residential home of Kilachand Honors College.
Bay State Road
In the middle of the 1800s, the waters of Boston's Back Bay were filled in to furnish dry land that could be developed. In fact, many of the Bay State Road brownstones were built over these title flats during a 10 year period from 1895 to 1905.
225 Bay State Road
Aside from Marsh Chapel, this building is perhaps the most detailed and ornate. Clearly constructed in the Gothic style, students have long referred to it affectionatley as “The Castle.” This building was constructed in 1905 by a fellow named William Lindsay. (Lindsay was a writer of Gothic novels, but he actually made his fortune with a simple little invention known as the ammunition belt, which he sold to the British military, promising that it would help them win the Boer War.)The building itself is in the Gothic tradition, specifically a Tudor-revival mansion, and Lindsay had planned to give it as a wedding gift to his daughter in 1915. Unfortunately, however, his daughter and her new husband had set off for their honeymoon on a ship known as the Lusitania, which we all now know was struck by a torpedo from a German U-boat during World War I. The couple died, and the event itself propelled the United States to enter the War.Broken-hearted, Lindsay allowed the house to fall into disrepair, especially during the Great Depression, and, in 1939, it was bought by a University Trustee for a tremendous bargain—simply the back taxes owed to the city. The Trustee donated the house to Boston University, and insisted that it serve as a home for the University President. Daniel L. Marsh, the fourth President of Boston University, and his family moved into the Castle that same year. The funny thing is that President Marsh was an ardent Prohibitionist so, with some irony, it’s worth noting that the place Marsh once called home is now the location of BU’s one and only pub on campus.
700 Commonwealth Avenue
Looking out the front door of the Castle, one can see three towers stretching into the sky. Those towers comprise the Warren Towers residence hall, which was constructed in the 1960s.The Tower on the left is named Fairfield Tower after William Fairfield Warren, the University's first president. The Tower in the middle is named Marshall Tower after President Warren's son, WIlliam Marshall Warren, who served as the Dean for the College of Liberal Arts. And, the Tower on the right is named Shields Tower after the President's grandson, Shields Warren, a scientist of atomic radiation during World War II and a University Trustee.
685 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston University struggled financially for nearly 6 decades after the Great Boston fire. In fact, it was never able to afford the purchase of a centralized college campus. Instead, BU buildings were scattered all over the City of Boston, from Beacon Hill to Copley Square and on to the South End. Our athletic fields were in Weston of all places. In the early 1920s, the trustees of Boston University finally bought a stretch of land here between Commonwealth Avenue and the banks of the Charles River with the dream that one day they’d build their new campus. But then the Stock Market crashed in 1929, and BU had to shelve its dream of building. In 1938, the building that the then College of Business Administration was leasing from MIT was sold, and BU was evicted. Then-President Daniel L. Marsh seized the moment as an excuse to finally build on this site. And, finally, in September of 1939, business students walked up these steps to the Charles Hayden Memorial Building for the very first time to go to class. As you might imagine, the whole University community was ecstatic and they hungered for more construction. But....that very same month, Hitler invaded Poland, ushering in yet another worldwide calamity that would foce Marsh, yet again, to forestall his dream of building the new campus.
725 Commonwealth Avenue
It would be nearly a decade before the University was able to construct more buildings on the Charles River Campus.But as soon as they were able, they added more Gothic buildings for the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Theology, and Marsh Chapel
735 Commonwealth Avenue
As we walk around this building, you might notice aspects of it that remind you of The Castle. That’s because this building makes use of the Neo-Gothic style, and it’s the very first building to take its architectural cues from the ethos of the University itself. Schelling, a German philosopher, likened Gothic architecture to music, specifically music frozen in space and time. By designing this building, and the School of Theology and Marsh Chapel in Gothic, BU was hearkening back to a historic past, a deep tradition in higher education, and a religious foundation. It appealed to the spiritual over the material, and sought to inspire a vision of greatness.In fact, when you look at this building, you’ll often see symbols hidden in the design of a grand tower.It’s a relief of a grand tower. In fact, you’ll see the exact same symbol above every doorway leading into these Gothic buildings as well and in stained glass inside Marsh Chapel. It’s an image of the Old Boston Stump from Boston’s namesake in Boston, England. Otherwise known as the St. Botolph’s Cathedral. When President Marsh was building these buildings, he had hoped to also build a magnificent tower that would have stretched 355’ above Marsh Chapel (see photos). In Marsh’s mind, this tower would fire the imagination of all who looked upon it, letting people know that an education at Boston University just might propel them to heights unknown. And that’s what the progressive mission of BU did for many:· In the mid-late 1800s, many women were prevented from accessing a higher education, but not at BU.· In the late 1800s, many African-American students were prohibited from accessing the resources of a large municipal university, but not at BU.· In the early 1900s, schools such as Harvard had quotas on the number of Jewish students they would admit, but not at BU.· After Pearl Harbor, many Japanese-Americans were precluded from obtaining an education, but at BU.· And during the Great Depression, many poor students were turned away, but not at BU. In fact, at one point, Maurice Tobin referred to BU as “a school for poor boys and poor girls.”· And, again, this tower was intended to symbolize those educational possibilities for all. Unfortunately, that building was never constructed so all we’re left with are the ghosts of it that are left here.Pres. Marsh's signature achievement was, perhaps, the construction of Marsh Chapel, which was constructed in 1949 and named in his honor. The building embodied his emphasis on character formation amid his educational philosophy and, by way of meticulous details etched into the building itself, it sought to capture the accumulated wisdom of the ages.The University's educational ethos extends out into the plaza with the University's Coat of Arms as well as the Free at Last statue designed by Sergio Castillo to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
765 Commonwealth Avenue
We’ll end our tour in front of 765 Commonwealth Avenue because from this vantage point, we have a view of the original Gothic architecture, but also a view of a morer modern style of architecture in the Law Tower/Mugar Library/GSU as well as another style in the Sumner Redstone Building.Sert (1950s, post-marsh) show a dramatic shift to French Modernism, Brutalism, and—in effect—a shift away from some of the earliest priorities of the University. Efficiency and innovation replaced the founding ideals that were based on religion. Instead, we have what one has called, a “great filing cabinet” in the sky.With that said, Sert’s architecture was forward-thinking. It was not steeped in tradition and history. Instead, it was avant-garde, futuristic, durable, creative, cosmopolitan, and urban.Boston University's newest buildings (Canon and post-Canon architects) such as the Student Village along Upper Commonwealth Avenue and the Sumner Redstone Building that houses the Law Library showcase the University's newest design schemes on campus. In some ways, these new buildings appear to be very neutral almost as if purposfully designed not to offend anyone at all...or perhaps not to say anthing at all.But, then again, new buildings, such as the new Data Science Center, will most certainly grab our attention for better or worse.
