Historic Locations

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Dudley Square has been a center of commerce and development for centuries. Until the marshlands and waterways between Boston and Roxbury were filled, it was the first stopping point on the mainland when exiting Boston. By the turn of the 20th century, the area had a mix of department stores, residential hotels, movie theaters, banks, a bowling alley, dance halls, and churches. The square was also the second largest commercial district in the Boston area until it was overtaken by suburban malls.

Dudley Street Baptist Church was constructed in 1852 on the southern side of Dudley Square at the intersection of Warren and Dudley Streets. At a very prominent location, the church witnessed Dudley Square became a major transit hub when trolley service was added in the 1880s and followed by the El train in 1901. Palladio Hall and the Hotel Dartmouth were also constructed across the street from the church. In the 1960s, the church and the block around it were demolished as part of urban renewal and were replaced with a police station, courthouse, and library. That block, however, is currently being studied for another construction project which would move the police department to another location on Washington Street and find new uses for the remaining land.

The Ferdinand Building sits at the intersection of Washington and Warren Streets. Ferdinand and Co. had been in operation at this site since the 1880s and built the current five story structure in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the building fell into disrepair when the company went out of business. The City of Boston acquired the building through eminant domain in 2006 and has plans to redevelop it to house several city agencies.

Images courtesy of the City Record and News-Letter, the Bostonian Society, and the Boston Public Library Print Department.

Highland Park was once the location of the Roxbury High Fort, constructed to guard the land route out of Boston against the British. The fort fell into disrepair in the 19th century and was destroyed by the City of Boston to accommodate the Cochituate Stand Pipe (a water tower) after Roxbury was annexed in 1868. The water tower was decorated to allow enjoyment of the view, but was abandoned ten years later after construction of a new reservoir on Parker Hill. In 1917 a balcony was added for public use; it crashed to the ground in the mid-1970s and was not replaced.

The article was prepared during Mayor Kevin White's term of office in the late 1970s and appears on the Highland Park Neighborhood website. Postcard courtesy of the Boston Public Library Print Department.

In the 1630s, Roxbury's earliest mills were located along the Stony Brook (which now runs under the Southwest Corridor rail lines). Parker Hill, named after merchant John Parker who lived on the summit, was known for its farms and country estates until after the Revolutionary War. In the 19th century, breweries and manufacturers began clustering along the Stony Brook and were later followed by people interested in a suburban lifestyle. By the mid-1840's the Boston & Providence Railroad had a stop at Roxbury Crossing and streets were being cut through farmland. As many of the area's families were Roman Catholic, Church leadership asked the Sons of St. Alphonsus to establish a mission. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, commonly known as Mission Church, was constructed of Roxbury puddingstone from 1876-1878 in Romanesque Revival style. The spires were designed by a neighborhood architect and added in 1910. The church achieved basilica status in the 1950s.

Images courtesy of the Boston Landmarks Commission and from The Glories of Mary in Boston, Mission Church Press.

Congregation Mishkan Tefila once occupied one of the most prominent temples in Roxbury. Temple Mishkan Tefila was founded in 1895, but the structure on Seaver Street was built in 1925. After the congregation moved out of Roxbury in the 1950s, it fell into disrepair. It was acquired in 1968 by the Elma Lewis School for the Performing Arts then sold again in 1997 to United House of Prayer. The new owners completely renovated the building and returned it to religious use in 2001.

View a 1987 clip about the El.

Read a timeline of the highway protests

Until the marshlands and water around Boston Neck (Washington Street ) were filled, the Neck was the only land connection between Boston and Roxbury. While Roxbury was a farming town, horsedrawn carriages were the primary means of transportation between the two towns. As Roxbury became suburbanized, horsedrawn bus lines were established along Washington Street. The Boston and Providence Railroad also ran service along the Stony Brook beginning in 1835.

Electric trolley service in Roxbury began in 1887. Then, in 1901, The Boston Elevated Railway opened Dudley Station, which provided rapid train service over Washington Street to Boston and Charlestown. This rail line was later extended to Forest Hills in 1909 and became the MBTA's Orange Line.

In the 1950s, trolleys throughout most of Roxbury were replaced by buses, with Mission Hill being the one exception. The elevated Orange Line was torn down in 1987 and replaced by the Silver Line bus service along Washington Street. Orange Line service was moved to the Southwest Corridor, the route of the former Boston and Providence Railroad.

The Southwest Corridor, currently the location of multiple train lines, was once designated to be part of Boston's highway system as I-95, with connections to the proposed Inner Belt highway loop around downtown Boston. Opposition by neighborhood groups from Cambridge, Brookline, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, East Boston, the South End, and Charlestown prevented completion of these portions of the highway system.

Images courtesy of the Boston Public Library Print Department, the Library of Congress, and the Roxbury Crossing Historical Trust.

Roxbury residents have a long history of social activism, including opposing the construction of a highway through the community and advocating for improved schools. Residents have also been instrumental in pushing for the revitalization and preservation of historic buildings around the community. Many fine examples of restored properties can be found around Fort Hill, Eliot Square, and Dudley Square.

Images courtesy of Historic Boston Incorporated, the Roxbury Crossing Historical Trust, and the Bostonian Society.

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