Destination Excitement & Easy Living
Residential and commercial development is exploding in the Seaport. With so many new buildings popping up over the skyline, there are a berth of opportunities to live in one Boston's most exciting neighborhood destinations. There's also the nightlife and dining within the wide assortment of national and respected regional restaurants that include Morton's Steakhouse, Jerry Remy's, Temazcal, Del Frisco's, Sportello, Drink, and Legal Seafood Harborside. A growing cultural attraction, it also features The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston Tea Party Museum, Boston Children's Museum and the Bank of America Pavilion with regular concert performances. Further development plans include a major lifestyle retail center and grocery store.
History
Also thought of as South Boston's Waterfront, the Seaport started out as a tidal marsh and was largely underwater prior to the 1800's. From the 1830's to the 1880's the Boston Wharf Company developed the Fort Point Channel area, a 55 acre parcel within the Seaport, with a group of buildings connected with manufacturing and warehousing. For many years the Seaport was an active center for the shipping, manufacturing and trading of goods. Among other things sugar, molasses, wool, iron, soap, elevators, glass and bricks were all made, processed or stored there. By the mid 1940's, however, many of the businesses had closed or left the area. Warehouses were left abandoned and some of them destroyed without any plans for development other than additional surface parking on the rambling parking lots left in their wake. In the late 1960's, in addition to targeting Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market for redevelopment, Mayor Kevin White identified the then under-utilized Seaport as an area for improvement. The visions and plans for the Seaport came to fruition slowly with many political and economic challenges delaying its development over time. In the interim years, from the 1970's through the 1990's, many artists moved into some of the abandoned loft spaces and worked to have a voice in the community. Eventually, Mayor Thomas Menino became instrumental in advancing the planning and development of the growing mixed use neighborhood we see today. Important milestones have been the relocation of the Federal Courthouse from the Financial District to the Seaport in the early 1990's, and the opening of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in 2004. Still a work in progress, the Seaport is now one of the largest mixed use development projects of its kind in the U.S. For individuals and commercial businesses alike it has become one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Boston.
Architecture
The Seaport contains a blend of contemporary loft spaces in newer construction buildings like Channel Center, and more traditional, high character brick and beam spaces in converted historic masonry warehouse buildings like Fort Point Place and the Dockside. Recent developments like FP3 on Congress Street have combined sleek, modern interiors in buildings with handsome blonde brick facades.
Transportation
The MBTA Silver Line Bus which runs to and from South Station, the Financial District and Logan Airport is available for Seaport residents. In addition, many points in the Fort Point Channel are within walking distance to South Station and the Waterfront. All major roadways including access points to I-93 and direct access to Logan Airport are all within 2-3 minutes driving distance.
