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Managing change on Newbury Street: a case study analysis

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Managing change on Newbury Street: a case study analysis

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Managing Change on Newbury Street
A Case Study Analysis

By

Zining Ye

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION
August 2022

Copyright 2022 Zining Ye
ii
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to thesis committee chair
Trudi Sandmeier for her support continuous support of my master study and thesis research, and
for her patience, motivation, and enthusiasm. Trudi’s knowledge about Boston also provided
huge help for my thesis research. Trudi is so warm and kind, she is the best.
I also would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee, Vinayak Bharne and Meredith
Drake Reitan, for their support, help, and insightful comments.
My sincere thanks also go to Susan Prindle, director of the Neighborhood Association of the
Back Bay. I am grateful for her selfless help providing information about the Back Bay
Architectural Commission design review.
I am extremely grateful to my parents for their love and understanding. I cannot do anything
without their love and support. I am also very thankful to my little brother for supporting and
inspiring me. I thank the whole family for loving, caring, and supporting me for my whole life. I
would also like to thank yiwei, my most close friend for accompanying me during my whole
bachelor’s and master’s journey.
Finally, I am grateful to have the two best friends ever, Shek Chen and Lia Zhuo. Shek,
thank you for accompanying me during my whole USC journey. Lia, thank you for being the
best big sister, although we are not related.

iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ ii
List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. v
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... vi
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Chapter 1: History of the Back Bay Neighborhood ........................................................................ 5
1.1 The history of Boston ............................................................................................................ 5
1.2 The history of the Back Bay neighborhood ........................................................................... 7
1.3 Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and Commonwealth Avenue ......................................... 10
1.3.1 Boylston Street ............................................................................................................. 10
1.3.2 Newbury Street ............................................................................................................. 11
1.3.3 Commonwealth Avenue ............................................................................................... 13
Chapter 2: Architecture and Architectural Preservation ................................................................ 15
2.1 Architectural Styles Analysis .............................................................................................. 15
2.2 Architectural Conservation in the Back Bay ....................................................................... 16
2.2.1 The Establishment of Back Bay Architectural District ................................................ 17
2.2.2 Establishment of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) ........................... 19
2.2.3 Back Bay Architectural Commission Design Review .................................................. 23
2.2.4 Guidelines for BBAC Design Review .......................................................................... 26
2.2.5 Preservation Guidelines of the Back Bay Architectural District .................................. 28
Chapter 3 Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street ............................................................................... 37
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 37
3.1 What Is Adaptive Reuse? .................................................................................................... 38
3.1.1 The definition of Adaptive Reuse ................................................................................. 38
3.1.2 Why Adaptive Reuse? .................................................................................................. 39
iv
3.1.3 Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Conservation ................................................................. 41
3.2 Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street ..................................................................................... 43
3.2.1 Current Situation .......................................................................................................... 44
3.2.2 The Application of Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street ............................................... 45
3.2.3 How did Adaptive Reuse Happen on Newbury Street? ............................................... 51
3.3 Adaptive Reuse Case Study --- 252 Newbury Street .......................................................... 59
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 65
Chapter 4: Influences and Challenges ........................................................................................... 66
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 66
4.1 Profound Influences ............................................................................................................. 67
4.2 Challenges ........................................................................................................................... 69
4.2.1 Bad Living Environment .............................................................................................. 69
4.2.2 Foundation Issues ......................................................................................................... 73
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 77
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 81

v
List of Figures
Figure 0-1 Map of Research Area. .................................................................................................. 2
Figure 1-1 Back Bay (1858). ........................................................................................................... 8
Figure 1-2 Street View of Boylston Street. ................................................................................... 11
Figure 1-3 Newbury Street (1880). ............................................................................................... 12
Figure 1-4 Street View of Newbury Street. ................................................................................... 13
Figure 1-5 Street View of Commonwealth Avenue. ..................................................................... 14
Figure 2-1 Boundary of Back Bay Architectural District. ............................................................ 18
Figure 2-2 Map of Back Bay District. ........................................................................................... 19
Figure 3-1 Buildings on Newbury Street Categorized by Use. ..................................................... 45
Figure 3-2 109 Newbury Street, Back Bay (1942). ....................................................................... 52
Figure 3-3 109 Newbury Street, Back Bay (2022). ....................................................................... 54
Figure 3-4 Construction of Basement Commercial Space, Newbury Street (1970s). ................... 57
Figure 3-5 Basement Commercial Space in Newbury Street (2022) ............................................ 58
Figure 3-6 Original Condition of 252 Newbury Street (2020). ..................................................... 60
Figure 3-7 First Design Draft of 252 Newbury Street (2020). ...................................................... 61
Figure 3-8 Second Design Draft of 252 Newbury Street .............................................................. 64
Figure 4-1 Traffic situation in Newbury Street. ............................................................................ 70
Figure 4-2 Trash bins in residential area in Newbury Street. ........................................................ 73

vi
Abstract
Historic residential areas are not only the carriers of urban history and culture, but also
urban elements that endow cities with a unique identity. How to balance the preservation of
historic residential areas and the need for the development of mixed-use commercial districts is
an important issue that planners, developers, and preservationists must manage carefully.
Through the examination of the evolution of Boston’s Back Bay Historic District and
specifically the changes to Newbury Street, this thesis will explore how these historic residential
blocks have changed over time as the district has transformed in the past fifty years.
As one of the oldest cities in North America, Boston has a profound history. Newbury
Street, Commonwealth Avenue, and Boylston Street in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston
were originally residential blocks. These three streets have had three different trajectories – one
is still residential, one mixed use, and one largely commercial, with varying degrees of
conservation of their original architecture. Newbury Street serves as a successful model of
adaptive reuse and a strategy for maintaining the character of an evolving neighborhood while
managing the changes needed for urbanization.

1
Introduction
Historic residential districts provide clues regarding local culture, economic development,
and the people who live there. However, with the growth of the city and rapid development,
historic residential districts are threatened by the demands of economic development and
urbanization. This thesis describes the evolution of historical residential blocks in Boston where
adaptive reuse has successfully transformed a street into a model of mixed-use functionality.

Motivation
In my hometown, Nanjing, a city in southern China, every First Full Moon Festival, one of
the traditional festivals in China, thousands of tourists and Nanjing citizens visit the East
Zhonghua-Gate Historical Cultural Block. East Zhonghua-Gate Historical Cultural Block used to
be a historic residential block and a birthplace of Nanjing vernacular culture and intangible
heritage, but it was demolished due to economic development in 2009. It was then recreated as a
tourist attraction and commercial block although no Nanjing residents live there anymore.
Except for a few original buildings, the rest of the buildings in this historic block are rebuilt
pseudo-classic buildings, which imitate the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties.
There are also plenty of foreign restaurants, stores, and cafes, which are inappropriate within the
historic block. Although this block used to be a historic block, it is no longer.
As a Nanjing citizen and a conservation student, I feel sad about the demolition of the
historic residential area and its intangible vernacular heritage. Admittedly, development is
sometimes unavoidable. I began to consider other feasible strategies to balance conservation and
2
development. When I visited Boston and first saw Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and
Commonwealth Avenue, it seemed that these might serve as good models to study. Most of the
buildings on Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue are preserved in good condition and
visitors still experience the nineteenth century brick and stone architecture. Newbury Street is
one of the trendiest streets in Boston. Facing the dilemma of development and the conservation
of historic residential areas, this area seems to provide an inspirational method for planners and
conservationists to study. The zoning codes, strategies of planning, and urban policies are
different in Nanjing and Boston. However, planners and developers still could learn from Boston
to find inspiration. Therefore, I took Newbury Street as the main research site to analyze how it
was converted from a residential area into a residential and commercial mixed-use area.
The research area of this thesis looks at three streets within the Back Bay Architectural
District - Commonwealth Avenue as the northern boundary, Arlington Street as the eastern
boundary, Boylston Street as the southern boundary, and Massachusetts Avenue as the western
boundary. [Figure 0.1]

Figure 0-1 Map of Research Area.
Made by Author.
3

These three streets were all originally residential. Now, Boylston Street is a commercial
street while Commonwealth Avenue remains a residential street. Newbury Street is a residential
and commercial mixed-use street, which is an intermediate zone between Boylston Street and
Newbury Street. Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and Commonwealth Avenue represent a
snapshot of three different ways that historic residential streets have evolved in the City of
Boston. In this research area, historic buildings, original street landscape, and original residential
function are all kept while at the same time, new retail and commercial uses have been added.
Chapter 1 will introduce the history of Boston and the Back Bay district. Chapter 1 also will
introduce the history of Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and Commonwealth Avenue to provide
a general picture of the historic background of the research area.
Chapter 2 will focus on architectural preservation efforts in the research area. In 1966, the
City of Boston established the Back Bay Architectural District and the Back Bay Architectural
Commission to preserve the architecture of the Back Bay. Chapter 2 documents the creation of
the Back Bay Architectural District and Back Bay Architectural Commission and provides a
detailed overview of how the Back Bay Architectural Commission is responsible for
conservation. The official guidelines that govern any alterations, new construction, or demolition
of buildings in the Back Bay Architectural District will also be discussed.
Chapter 3 will focus on how Newbury Street is adaptively reused as a residential and
commercial mixed-use area, which balances the demand of commercial development and historic
preservation.
4
Chapter 4 will analyze the influence that the research area, especially Newbury Street put
on the historic preservation in the City of Boston. Although Newbury Street s an inspirational
strategy about how to balance commercial development and preservation of historic residential
areas, the district is facing several challenges brought on by development during the past
decades. Chapter 4 will research these challenges to gain a deeper understanding of the balance
between development and preservation.

5
Chapter 1: History of the Back Bay Neighborhood

1.1 The history of Boston
About 7,500 years ago, there were several native American archaeological settlements
located in the area now known as Boston.
1
In the 1620s, European colonists arrived in Boston
and began to settle. In 1629, colonists signed the Cambridge Agreement, to establish a self-
governing colony. In 1630, Governor Winthrop officially founded the town of Boston, naming it
after the town of Boston in England.
2

During the colonial era, Massachusetts and the surrounding colonies were largely linked
through trade. In this period, Boston went through several major disasters such as a smallpox,
earthquake, and fire, which caused serious damage to both public health and wealth.
3

In the early 1770s, the Britain tried to control the thirteen colonies, mainly through taxation,
which prompted the colonists to protest and launch the American Revolution. In 1775, the
American Revolution broke out near Boston. Several early battles of the American Revolution,
such as the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston,
all took place in or near Boston. The Boston Tea Party, a landmark event in the American
Revolution and in American history took place in Boston.

1
Ann-Eliza H. Lewis, “Archaeology and the Big Dig,” in Highway to the Past: The Archaeology of Boston’ s Big Dig,
ed. Ann-Eliza H. Lewis (Massachusetts Historical Commission Press, 2008), 1-6.
2
“Boston, Town of (1000),” Records in the City Archives, City of Boston, accessed January 19, 2022,
https://web.archive.org/web/20130420050502/https://www.cityofboston.gov/archivesandrecords/guide/town.asp.
3
Ballard C. Campbell, American disasters: 201 calamities that shook the nation, (Checkmark Books Press, 2008),
32-35.
6
In the middle of the nineteenth century, the economy shifted from commerce to
manufacturing, which affected the development of Boston.
4
In the nineteenth century, Boston
was one of the largest manufacturing centers in the United States. Boston’s population grew
rapidly due to large numbers of European immigrants who came looking for jobs. From 1830-
1890, to accommodate the growing city, the physical land area of Boston was tripled by filing in
mud flats and marshes.
5
The Back Bay neighborhood is a typical example of this landfill work.
In the middle of the twentieth century, the Boston economy began to decline, as factories
became old and outdated.
6
Businesses and merchants moved to other cities to look for better
opportunities and cheaper labor. In the 1970s, Boston began to recover from previous the
economic decline.
Now, Boston is one of the biggest cities in northeast America. In addition, it also is one of
intellectual and technological centers of the United States. As one of the oldest cities in the
United States, Boston plays a significant and profound role in the history of the United States.

4
Lawrence W. Kennedy, Planning the City upon a Hill: Boston since 1630 (University of Massachusetts Press, 1992),
44.
5
William A. Newman and Wilfred E. Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay: the story of America’ s greatest nineteenth-century
landfill project. (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2006), 187-188.
6
Barry Bluestone and Mary Huff Stevenson, The Boston Renaissance: race, space, and economic change in an
American metropolis, (Russell Sage Foundation Press, 2000).
7
1.2 The history of the Back Bay neighborhood
Back Bay used to be a tidal body of water and the water was used for mill operations.
7
In
the nineteenth century, strong economic development made more people wealthy, which resulted
in an increased demand for luxury houses. Older residential neighborhoods were crowded and
densely settled.
8
Dams in the Back Bay caused increased water pollution.
9
Therefore, in the
middle of the nineteenth century, the government of Boston began to implement landfill projects,
creating more than 450 acres of usable land. The Back Bay neighborhood was established on the
land created through landfill. The Back Bay neighborhood was named after its geographic
location because it was literally a bay. [Figure 1.1]

7
“History,” Back Bay architectural district, City of Boson, accessed February 9, 2022,
https://www.boston.gov/historic-district/back-bay-architectural-district.
8
Thomas M. Menino, Back Bay/ Bay State Road (Boston Landmarks Commission,1998).
9
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 23.
8

Figure 1-1 Back Bay (1858).
Peter Vanderwarker, Boston Then and Now: 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present, New York: Dover
Publications Press, 1982, 98.
The street plan of the Back Bay neighborhood was designed by Arthur Gilman (1821-1882),
who was also the architect of its earliest public building, the Arlington Street Church (1858).
10

Gilman designed the Back Bay neighborhood as a great boulevard system, which Baron
Haussmann had devised for contemporary Second Empire Paris.
11
Therefore, it is not difficult to
understand that why there are many characteristics of French architecture in the architectural
design in the Back Bay neighborhood, such as restricted height limits and a common cornice

10
Margaret Henderson Floyd, “Copley Square and Dartmouth Street,” in Victorian Boston T oday: T en W alking T ours,
edited by Pauline Chase Harrell and Margaret Supplee Smith, (Boston: Society Press, 1975), 41.
11
Floyd, “Copley Square and Dartmouth Street,” 41.
9
line. The grid plan of streets in the Back Bay neighborhood is different from the irregular early
streets of Boston and the curving crescents of the South End, which had been the first expansion
area outward from Boston.
12

Originally, the Back Bay neighborhood was designed as a neighborhood for wealthy
families.
13
Commercial activities were excluded from Back Bay until the end of the nineteenth
century. However, due to increasing consumer demand, Back Bay opened to commercial
activities.
14
The commercial development of Back Bay began around 1880 on Boylston Street
and in the early twentieth centuries on Newbury Street.
15

At the end of nineteenth century, the Back Bay neighborhood was a successful and wealthy
residential area that provided a rich social and cultural life to its residents.
16
By 1920, the Back
Bay neighborhood began to decline, made worse by the stock market crash in 1929.
17
However,
the Back Bay began to recover in the early 1960s because more people wanted to live closer to
the city center.
18
Another important reason for the revival of the Back Bay neighborhood was the
support of business leaders, who promoted redevelopment and helped bring in tax breaks for new
construction.
19

12
Floyd, “Copley Square and Dartmouth Street,” 41.
13
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 187.
14
Menino, Back Bay/ Bay State Road.
15
City of Boston, “History.”
16
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 189.
17
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 189.
18
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 190.
19
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 190.
10
Today, the Back Bay neighborhood is one of the most appealing neighborhoods in Boston.
This neighborhood is primarily an upscale residential neighborhood with attractive luxury
apartments and condominiums. It is also known for its exclusive shops, hotels, and classic
Victorian architecture.
20

1.3 Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and Commonwealth Avenue

1.3.1 Boylston Street
In the original plan, in addition to its residential development, Boylston Street was also
planned for institutional uses such as the Public Library, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
21
The commercial development of Boylston Street
began in the 1880s and continues to the present day. Although the Boston and Providence
Railroad Station is located at Providence Square (now Park Square), just outside the Back Bay, it
stimulated the commercial development of Boylston Street because public transportation made
Boylston Street accessible to the public.
22
Boylston Street tended to be a combination of office
and retail uses.
23

20
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 187.
21
Boston Landmarks Commission, Berkeley Building: Boston Landmarks Commission Study Report, 1985.
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Berkeley%20Building%2091_tcm3-43282.pdf.
22
U.S. National Register of Historic Places, Massachusetts Back Bay Historic District Inventory.
https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/63796724/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73001948.pdf.
23
Back Bay, U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
11
Now, Boylston Street is a mixture of fashionable shops, chain stores, and office buildings.
24

Unlike Newbury Street, Boylston Street does not have much original architecture except several
important commercial buildings. [Figure 1-2]

Figure 1-2 Street View of Boylston Street.
Taken by Author.
1.3.2 Newbury Street
Newbury Street was originally a residential street planned for wealthy and upper-middle
class people. Residential buildings on Newbury Street were large and equipped with amenities.
During the 1880s and 1890s, Newbury Street was considered one of the desirable places to live
in within Boston. The transformation of Newbury Street from a residential street to a mixed-use
commercial street happened in the early twentieth century.
25
Lower story commercial

24
Anthony N. Penna and Conrad Edick Wright, Remaking Boston: An Environmental History of the City and Its
Surroundings (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009), 4.
25
City of Boston, “History.”
12
conversions and the construction of new buildings contributed to the commercialization of
Newbury Street.
26
In addition, the beginning of the conversion of large single-family homes into
apartments in the Back Bay also probably promoted the commercial development of Newbury
Street.
27
[Figure 1-3]

Figure 1-3 Newbury Street (1880).
“Newbury Street, Boston,” Lost New England, accessed June 14, 2022,
https://lostnewengland.com/2016/02/newbury-street-boston/.
Today, there are also many luxury shops and galleries on Newbury Street. Compared with
Commonwealth Ave and Boylston Street, Newbury Street has more restaurants, cafés, and bars.
Newbury Street still has housing as well. Although the original architecture from the nineteenth

26
Back Bay, U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
27
Back Bay, U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
13
century has changed due to commercialization, there still are plenty of luxury apartments and
residential properties on Newbury Street. [Figure 1-4]

Figure 1-4 Street View of Newbury Street.
Taken by Author.
1.3.3 Commonwealth Avenue
Commonwealth Avenue was also designed to attract wealthy people to purchase lots. In
1856, designer Arthur Gilman. was inspired by visiting broad Parisian boulevards and British
urban garden squares.
28
Gilman’s design was wider than a previous design, and the increased
width created the “mall” in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue.
29
The “mall” was designed
for trees, shrubbery, and other ornamental purposes.
30

28
“Icons Among Us: Comm Ave,” Boston University, accessed February 14, 2022,
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2009/icons-among-us-comm-ave/.
29
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 68.
30
Newman and Holton, Boston’ s Back Bay, 68.
14
Commonwealth Avenue did not have public transportation until 1909, so its development
was slow. After 1909, with the arrival of the streetcars, Commonwealth Avenue developed
rapidly.
31

Unlike Newbury Street and Boylston Street, there are few restaurants and hotels on
Commonwealth Avenue. Most buildings are luxury apartments or condominiums. [Figure 1-5]

Figure 1-5 Street View of Commonwealth Avenue.
Taken by Author.

31
“Icons Among Us: Comm Ave.”
15
Chapter 2: Architecture and Architectural Preservation

2.1 Architectural Styles Analysis
Geographically, the term Back Bay refers to the land created by filling in the tidal flats of
the Back Bay. However, when people talk about the Back Bay, what first comes to mind is the
appealing rows of Victorian brownstone buildings and fancy luxury stores. The Back Bay
neighborhood is considered one of the best-preserved examples of nineteenth century urban
design in the United States. In addition, the Back Bay neighborhood features important examples
of architectural styles of the nineteenth century. In the national register nomination form for the
Back Bay Architectural District, the neighborhood was described as “a superb retrospective view
of American architecture in the last half of the nineteenth century.”
32

In the 1850s and 1860s, Boston followed French fashion. This trend was reflected not only
in dress, decoration, and manners, but also in architecture.
33
During this period, the street plan of
the Back Bay neighborhood and the architectural styles both showed a strong French influence.
From the late 1870s to the middle of the 1880s, architectural styles reflected the most
individualistic and the most complex period in Back Bay history. The main architectural styles

32
“National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Back Bay Historic District,” United States Department of the
Interior National Park Service, 1973, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796724.
33 Douglass Shand-Tucci, Built in Boston, City and Suburb, 1800-2000 (Amherst: University of Massachusetts
Press, 1999), 35.
16
during this period were Gothic, Queen Anne, Academic Brownstone, Brownstone Gothic, and
Academic Brick.
34

From the end of nineteenth century to the beginning of twentieth century, people’s passion
for French style faded. The Georgian architectural style and authentic became popular again in
people’s life. In this period, the main architectural styles were Georgian Revival, Italian
Renaissance, and the Federal style.
35

2.2 Architectural Conservation in the Back Bay
Architecture plays an important role in social culture because it narrates how people
construct their space and environment. Architecture also represents a community’s lifestyle and
people’s aesthetic attitudes in different times. Preserving and maintaining architecture is
important, and not only for large important buildings. Vernacular architecture in a historic
district is also important because it contributes to the significance of the district as well. Most
buildings on Newbury Street and Commonwealth Avenue still keep their original exterior design
and are in good condition. These vernacular buildings show the unique architectural style of the
Back Bay neighborhood. In addition, they also represent the urban history of Boston vividly.
In the Back Bay Architectural District, anyone desiring to change a building’s exterior must
apply for building permit, and the application is reviewed by the Back Bay Architectural District

34
Bainbridge Bunting, Houses of Boston’s Back Bay: An Architectural History, 1840-1917 (Cambridge: Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press, 1967), 167.
35
Bunting, Houses of Boston’s Back Bay: An Architectural History, 1840-1917, 287.
17
Commission (BBAC). This process is usually called design review. Only if the applicants obtain
the approval of the Back Bay Architectural District Commission (BBAC) can the proposed
project be implemented.
This section will introduce the establishment of the Back Bay Architectural District briefly.
Then, this section will explore the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) and the process
of design review. In addition, this section also will research the guidelines that govern the Back
Bay Architectural Commission design review process. Finally, this chapter will discuss the
preservation guidelines for the Back Bay Architectural District.

2.2.1 The Establishment of Back Bay Architectural District
The Back Bay Architectural District (BBAD) and Back Bay Architectural District
Commission (BBAC) were established in 1966 (Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966, passed by General
Court in 1966). They have subsequently been amended four times during the following decades:
Chapter 463 of the Acts of 1974, Chapter 645 of the Acts of 1979, Chapter 624 of the Acts of
1981, and Chapter 624 of 1982.
According to Section 2 of Chapter 645 of the Acts of 1979, which was the last time that the
boundary of Back Bay Architectural District was amended, the official BBAD boundary is:
There is hereby created in the city of Boston a district to be known as the Back Bay
Architectural District, bounded and described as follows: starting at the intersection of
the center line of Newbury Street and the center line of Charlesgate East, thence
running northerly by the center line of Charlesgate East to the center line of Back
Street; thence running easterly by the center line of Back Street to the center line of
Embankment Road; thence running southerly by the center line of Embankment Road
to the center line of Beacon Street; thence running easterly by the center line of Beacon
18
Street to the center line of Arlington Street; thence running southerly by the center line
of Arlington Street to the center line of Boylston Street; thence running westerly by the
center line of Boylston Street to the center line of Massachusetts Avenue thence
running northerly by the center line of Massachusetts Avenue to the center line of
Newbury Street; thence running westerly along the center line of Newbury Street to the
point of beginning.
36
[Figure 2-1]

Figure 2-1 Boundary of Back Bay Architectural District.
City of Boston, “Back Bay Architectural District map,” accessed June 14, 2022,
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Back%20Bay%20Architectural%20District%20map_tcm3-13456.pdf.

The scale of Back Bay Architectural District is smaller than the scale of the Back Bay
neighborhood, which people are more familiar with. The Back Bay Architectural District
excludes the Charles River Esplanade, Copley Square, and plenty of modern architecture like the

36
The boundary of Back Bay Architectural District was initially enacted in the Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966, extended
in the Chapter 463 of Acts of 1974 and Chapter 645 of Acts of 1979, and then most recently amended in the Chapter
624 of Acts of 1981. In the Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966, the name of “Back Bay Architectural District” used to be
“Back Bay Residential District,” and it was amended as “Back Bay Architectural District” in Chapter 463 of Acts of
1974.
19
Skywalk Observatory and the Prudential Center. The architectural district follows the grid streets
and features mainly brownstone architecture, which represents the very distinctive architectural
style and history of the Back Bay neighborhood. [Figure 2-2]

Figure 2-2 Map of Back Bay District.
Boston Planning & Development Agency, “Boston Back Bay Neighborhood,” last updated August 2019.
http://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/4c6e5eff-0892-44b2-a8a3-7cb597879a75/.

2.2.2 Establishment of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC)
Like the Back Bay Architectural District, chapter 625 of Acts of 1966 also establishes the
Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC). According to Section 4 of Chapter 625 of Acts of
1966, “There shall be in the Boston Redevelopment Authority a board, known as the Back Bay
Architectural Commission.”
37

37
“Board” was amended as “commission” in the Section 3 of Chapter 463 of Acts of 1974. “Boston Redevelopment
Authority” replaced by “Environment Department” by Section 5 of Chapter 624 of Acts of 1981.
20
The Back Bay Architectural Commission consists of nine commissioners and five
alternates. All commissioners and alternates should be appointed by Major and nominated by the
Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the Boston
Society of Architects, the Back Bay Association, and the Mayor.
38
If there is an opening on the
commission, people who are interested in becoming a commissioner can apply for the position
on the official website of the City of Boston. In Section 3 of Chapter 463 of Acts of 1974
amended, the requirements for the members of the Back Bay Architectural Commission selected
by the mayor, at least one of them should have an interest in a retail business in the Back Bay
Architectural District. This amendment has close relationship with the commercial and retail
development on Newbury Street and Boylston Street, especially on Newbury Street. With
increasing retail development in the Back Bay, more and more first floors of buildings on
Newbury Street have been transformed into commercial spaces. This creates huge challenges for
the preservation of architecture in the Back Bay Architectural District. In this situation, the Back
Bay Architectural Commission needs a member who is interested in retail .
The purpose of the Back Bay Architectural Commission is defined in the Section 1 of
Chapter 624 of Acts of 1981:
The purposes of this act are as follows: (a) to promote the economic, cultural,
educational, and general welfare of the public through high standards of design
throughout the Back Bay and through the preservation of the residential portion of the
Back Bay area in the city of Boston; (b) to safeguard the heritage of the city of Boston
by preventing the despoliation of a district in that city which reflects important

38
Section 4 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966 enacted that the “Back Bay Architectural Commission consists of five
commissioners and five alternates” and it was amended as “nine commissioners and five alternates” in Section 3 of
Chapter 463 in Acts of 1974.
21
elements of its cultural, social, economic and political history; (c) to stabilize and
strengthen residential property values in such area; (d) to foster civic beauty and (e) to
strengthen the economy of the commonwealth and the city of Boston.
39

Generally, the statement of purpose recognizes the values and significance of architecture in
the Back Bay Architectural District and defines it as the heritage of city of Boston. In addition,
the statement also recognizes and emphasizes the residential function, which is the original
function of the Back Bay Architectural District. The architecture in the Bay Architectural District
has a close connection between architecture and Boston’s cultural, social, economic, and
political history. In addition, these beautiful brownstone buildings also help to cultivate citizens’
aesthetic value. Considering the commercial and retail development in the Back Bay
Architectural District, especially in Boylston Street and Newbury Street, it is also an important
mission for the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) to both preserve architecture and
create economic development at the same time.
The main duty of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) is to review the
application of proposed exterior changes and alterations and decide whether to approve it. The
review is not only required for ordinary maintenance like cleaning and changing exterior
functional elements like ducts and air conditioners, which usually do not have much impact on
the exterior architecture features, but also for major renovation and major landscaping projects.

39
The “Purpose” was initially enacted by Section 1 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966 and amended by Section 1 of
Chapter 463 of Acts of 1974, and then amended by Section 1 of Chapter 624 of Acts of 1981.
22
The Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC), when a proposed project involves the
exterior architectural features of a building, considers whether the proposed project is
appropriate to the Back Bay Architectural District.
40

To be appropriate, the proposed project should ensure that the architectural values and
significance of the building will be kept. The proposed project should also make sure that the
project will be compatible with the whole architectural district, not just in architectural style and
general design, but also in exterior texture, material, and color, etc.
41
Except architecture,
landscape also is significant part of the architectural district. Therefore, when commission
members review the application, it is necessary to consider if the landscape is in harmony with
the architectural style and aesthetic value of the whole architectural district.
The architectural commission only considers the exterior architectural features and does not
consider the interior design, unless it impacts the exterior. Therefore, most architecture in the
Back Bay Architectural District keeps a relatively uniform architectural style. In addition, it is

40
“Exterior architecture feature,” the architectural style and general arrangement of the exterior of a structure or any
portion of it including but not limited to kind, color and texture of the building material, type and design of all
windows, doors, lights, signs, and other fixtures, the location and adequacy of vehicular access, if any, type and
design of landscaping, fences and walls, and the location and treatment of any parting space for motor vehicles. The
definition of “Exterior Architectural Feature” was enacted by Section 2 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966 and amended
by Section 2 of Chapter 624 of Acts of 1981.
41
In Acts of 1966, it defines the appropriateness of proposed projects clearly: “In passing upon appropriateness, the
commission shall consider, (a) the historical and architectural value and significance of the structure and its
relationship to the surrounding area; (b) the relationship of the exterior architectural feature of such structure to the
rest of the structure and to the surrounding area and to exterior architectural features of other structures in the
neighborhood; (c) architectural style, general design, compatibility with neighboring structures, arrangements,
texture, materials and colors of the original structure and of the proposed change or addition; (d) any landscaping
features proposed by the applicant; and any aesthetic or other factor which it deems to be pertinent.”
23
common that most architecture in the Back Bay Architectural District has historic exterior design
but modern interior design and facilities.
Although the primary goal of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) is to
preserve the architectural district, the commission can be lenient in its judgement for specific
situations. If the structure has little significance, and if the project will not seriously impair the
architectural value of the surrounding structures, the BBAC can evaluate the appropriateness of a
proposed project less strictly.
42
Commission members also consider projects that seek to convert
residential space to commercial space differently.
43
Converting residential space for commercial
or retail use involves more alteration such as signs, show windows, and outdoor dining areas. To
some degree, the Act and the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) encourage the
transformation of residential structures into commercial structures.

2.2.3 Back Bay Architectural Commission Design Review
For the applicants, the process of Back Bay Architectural Commission Design Review can
be divided into four parts, which are preparation, application submission, hearings, and decision.
In preparation, applicants need to deal with any unsolved zoning issues before they submit
their application. Usually, the Back Bay Architectural Commission will not process the
application unless the application complies with the Boston zoning laws or if the applicant
already has a zoning variance. According to Boston zoning laws, in the Back Bay Architectural

42
Section 8 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966.
43
Section 8 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966.
24
District, buildings can be no higher than 65 feet, and the mass of the building can be no more
than three times the lot size.
44
Applicants will need to obtain a zoning variance if they plan to
alter the shape of the structure. In addition, applicants should check the Back Bay Architectural
District Commercial Standards and Back Bay Architectural Commission Guidelines for the
Residential District to make sure the proposed project is allowed, and it is compliant.
45
Different
applicants are required to submit different special documents, and current, clear, color
photographs are required for all applications. Screenshots from Google Street View or other
online mapping services are unacceptable.
46
The last step of preparation is to preview the
application carefully.
After finishing the preparation, applicants should submit their application and make sure
that the application is complete. The Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) will not begin
to deal with the application until the application is completed.
The next phase is a hearing. The Back Bay Architectural Commission meets once a month
and is open to public. To be added to a hearing agenda, an application must be determined to be
complete by the staff fifteen business days prior to the hearing date.
47
However, usually, there is

44
Sue Prindle and Susie Shafer, “Introduction to the Back Bay Architectural Commission,” Neighborhood
Association of the Back Bay, https://www.nabbonline.org/files/Introduction_to_the_BBAC.pdf.
45
The Back Bay Architectural Commission Commercial Guidelines were adopted in November 2010,
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/BBAC%20Commercial%20Guidelines_tcm3-21448.pdf; The
Back Bay Architectural Commission Guidelines for the Residential District was adopted in February 1990,
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Back%20Bay%20Guidelines%20for%20the%20Residential%20D
istrict_tcm3-13458.pdf.
46
“Instruction for Completing a Design Review Application,” City of Boston, 2022,
https://www.boston.gov/sites/default/files/file/2022/02/Application%20%26%20Fee%20Instructions_6.pdf.
47
“Introduction to the Back Bay Architectural Commission.”
25
an administrative review before the hearing. To improve the productiveness of reviewing
applications, the commission usually delegates the review of certain work items such as ordinary
maintenance, restoration, and replacement with minimal impact on architectural exterior features
to a staff member.
48
If the application complies with the act and guidelines, the application may
be approved administratively, and an applicant will not be required to attend the hearing and
make a presentation. Otherwise, applicants still have to attend the hearing if the proposed project
is inconsistent with act and guidelines or will impact architectural exterior features and
surrounding structures.
The last part of process of design review is waiting for the decision. If an application is
approved, the applicant can use the approval letter to obtain a building permit with the
Inspectional Services Department (ISD). During the implementation of the project, the approval
placard and building permit should be displayed at the construction site and be visible to public.
However, if the application is denied, the proposed project will not be allowed. If applicants
conduct an exterior alteration project without approval or violate the act, they will be punished
by a fine. In addition, the commission also may bring the applicant to its Violations Committee
and require that new construction to be stopped, mitigated, or moved.
49
Therefore, there is a
friendly suggestion on the official website of Back Bay Architectural District that says, “Do not

48
“Introduction to the Back Bay Architectural Commission.”
49
“Introduction to the Back Bay Architectural Commission.”
26
begin any work, or buy materials until after you have received confirmation your project has
been approved.”
50

2.2.4 Guidelines for BBAC Design Review
Generally, the design review of Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) is in
accordance with the Act and related guidelines. The Act that the design review process of the
Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) is based on is Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966, which
was amended several times. The related guidelines are the Back Bay Architectural Commission
Guidelines for the Residential District and the Back Bay Architectural District Commercial
Guidelines. The Back Bay Architectural Commission Guidelines for the Residential District were
adopted in 1990 and they are known as the “Back Bay Residential Standard.” The Back Bay
Architectural District Commercial Guidelines, also known as the “Back Bay Commercial
Standard,” were adopted in 2010 and they are a supplement to the “Back Bay Residential
Standard.
51
The “Back Bay Commercial Standard” was enacted to meet the increasing need of
transforming existing structures in the business zone because of the booming retail and
commercial development in Back Bay Architectural District.
Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966 give overall guidance while the “Back Bay Residential
Standard” and the “Back Bay Commercial Standard” give detailed and particular instruction,

50
“Design Review Process,” City of Boston, 2022, https://www.boston.gov/historic-district/back-bay-architectural-
district.
51
Back Bay Architectural Commission, Back Bay Architectural District Commercial Guidelines, 2010,
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/BBAC%20Commercial%20Guidelines_tcm3-21448.pdf.
27
which specifically addresses the Back Bay Architectural District. The Acts of 1966 and two
guidelines provide a comprehensive source for commissioners to refer to when they review
applications.
In Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966, there were no explicit actions prohibited. However, the Act
does instruct the commission that it shall not prevent the construction, reconstruction, alteration,
or demolition of an exterior architecture feature if this exterior architecture feature causes a risk
to public safety.
52

The “Back Bay Residential Standard” and the “Back Bay Commercial Standard” detail
what actions are expressly prohibited and give more specific instructions. In the “Back Bay
Commercial Standard,” the demolition of historic buildings listed on the National Register of
Historic Places is not allowed. For buildings which are not listed in the national, state, or local
register of historic places, demolition is also not allowed unless the replacement is appropriate
with the architecture and surrounding street.
53
There are also several situations that are generally
not allowed, but still can be approved based on a specific situation. For example, video cameras:
externally mounted surveillance cameras are considered inappropriate unless the cameras are
installed within the frame of the windows. In addition, encapsulating surveillance cameras within
decorative lighting fixtures also may be appropriate.
54

52
Section 9 of Chapter 625 of Acts of 1966.
53
In the “Back Bay Commercial Standard”, it states: “Demolition, not generally allowed, unless it is clearly
demonstrated that any replacement is justifiable architecturally as well as in its urban design impact on the street.”
54
Back Bay Commercial Guidelines, Back Bay Architectural Commission, 2010, 6.
https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/BBAC%20Commercial%20Guidelines_tcm3-21448.pdf.
28
In the “Back Bay Residential Standard,” the demolition of historic structures in the
residential portion of the district is prohibited.
55
Removing significant architectural features and
altering historic facades are inappropriate and will not be approved. Destroying a portion of a
structure may be acceptable when it involves removal of an inappropriate alteration or addition
to a building.
56

Both the act and the guidelines underscore the importance and necessity of respecting and
preserving the exterior architecture features and surrounding landscape in the Back Bay
Architectural District. There is no explicit standard of approval because each structure and each
application are unique. In addition, except demolition of historic structures and several definitive
prohibited situations, most other situations are not expressly forbidden and can be discussed on a
case-by-case basis.

2.2.5 Preservation Guidelines of the Back Bay Architectural District
Under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the Secretary of the Interior enacts
professional standards and guidance, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment
of Historic Properties. The standards are widely used. They can be applied to historic properties

55
There is no clear definition of “historic structure.” The author assumes the demolition part of the “Back Bay
Commercial Guideline” is the supplementary instruction for the “Back Bay Residential Guideline”. Therefore, the
“historic structures” in the “Back Bay Residential Guidelines” means structures listed as contributors to the National
Register Historic District.
56
“Back Bay Residential Guidelines.”
29
of all types, materials, construction, sizes, and use.
57
The standards also address exteriors,
interiors, and a property’s landscape features, site, environment, as well as related new
construction.
58
Federal state and local agencies all use these standards to guide design reviews
and preservation projects. However, The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment
of Historic Properties are general advisory guidelines. Local agencies can enact specific
preservation guidelines according to its own architectural characteristics.
Based on The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties,
the Back Bay Architectural Commission enacted the “Back Bay Residential Standard,” which
provides detailed instruction for exterior alterations, changes, and demolition in the Back Bay
Architectural District. Except roof, window, masonry, door and entrance, these building features
mentioned in The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties,
“Back Bay Residential Standard” also enacts guidelines for other features like ironwork, rear
yard, and landscaping, according to the specific situation of the Back Bay Architectural District.

2.2.5.1 Roof
A roof is an important design element of historic buildings and it also one of the key points
in a preservation project. For roof preservation, the “Back Bay Residential Standard” mainly
makes provisions for roofing materials.

57
“The Treatment of Historic Properties,” National Park Service, accessed 2022,
https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards.htm.
58
“The Treatment of Historic Properties.”
30
Under normal circumstances, it is not recommended to use materials different from the
original material, unless the original material is very rare.
59
In the Back Bay Architectural
District, the replacement slate shall match the original in design, color, coursing, and texture.
According to the “Back Bay Residential Standard,” synthetic slate and asphalt shingles are
inappropriate.
60
In addition, the roofing materials should be nonreflective and dark in color. For
a penthouse, the renovation of penthouses shall be appropriate with all building elevations. The
appropriate materials should include slate, copper, and standing seam metal; end walls or party
walls should be brick.
61

In addition, original roof configurations and dominance of historic cornice lines shall be
maintained on both the front and rear elevations.
62
The Back Bay Residential Standard” also has
specific cornice guidelines. As the decorated projection at the top of a wall provided to protect
the wall face or to ornament and finish the eaves, a cornice is one of the important elements of a
roof. Historic cornice lines should be maintained. It is inappropriate to build new dominant
cornice lines. Replacing cornices is acceptable, but the replacement shall replicate the existing
forms and materials.
63

2.2.5.2 Rear Yard

59
Donald W. Insall, The Care of Old Building Today, a Practical Guide, (London: The Architectural Press, 1972),
93.
60
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
61
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
62
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
63
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
31
The Back Bay neighborhood is compact. Although the Back Bay neighborhood was
originally planned as a residential neighborhood, most residential buildings are townhouses,
which usually do not have yards like single family residential houses usually have. Therefore, in
most situations, the rear yard in the “Back Bay Residential Standard” refer to alleys. For
example, there is an alley between Newbury Street and Boylston Street.
The guidelines for rear yards aim to restore historic or characteristic architectural features,
and to encourage alterations which facilitate the service function of the alleys while enhancing
their residential character.
64

According to the statement of the purpose of guidelines, the removal of historic landscaping
is inappropriate, which means it will not be approved by the Back Bay Architectural
Commission.
The maintenance and addition of historic gardens and garden walls are encouraged, but the
material should be carefully picked. The wall and fence for rear yards and parking courts will
appropriate in brick, wrought iron, or vertical board painted in appropriate color.
65
Chain link or
stockade fencing, and barbed or razor wire do not suit the architecture and surrounding.
66
For
the paving, the “Back Bay Residential Standard” also gives suggestions for materials, like brick
and other unit pavers.

64
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
65
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
66
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
32
2.2.5.3 Windows
Windows is one of characteristics that usually used to distinguish the architectural style.
Therefore, like a roof, windows also are notable elements in the architectural preservation. In the
“Back Bay Residential Standard,” there is an expressly stated preservation guideline:
Original window material shall be retained whenever possible; if it if beyond repair,
the existing openings, sash, glass, lintels, sills, shutter hardware, frames, surrounds,
and all other details shall be duplicated in the same configuration, dimensions, style,
and materials as existing. Retention of original historic material such as curved, leaded,
or stained glass is mandatory.
67

In addition, the paint color shall be appropriate to the whole district. Most buildings in the
Back Bay Architectural District are brownstones with strong architectural style like the Queen
Anne, the Brownstone Gothic, and the Academic Brownstone styles. Matte, dark, and reddish
colors are appropriate for the district. Appropriate paint colors for dark masonry buildings
include but are not limited to semigloss black, slate gray, dark brown, dark red, gray brown, and
deep green.
68

According to the architectural styles of the Back Bay Architectural District, the “Back Bay
Residential Standard” also gives specific suggestion for materials. Inappropriate materials
include but are not limited to multi-paned aluminum, vinyl, metal-clad or vinyl-clad replacement
sash. Among these materials, vinyl was not widely used until the late twentieth century and is not
appropriate to the architectural style of this district. In the Back Bay Architectural District, wood
is the main material for windows.

67
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
68
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
33
From the design and shape perspective, alteration to the design and arrangement of window
openings on the historic façade only can be restored to documented historical condition. In
addition, the size or shape of the opening is unchangeable.

2.2.5.4 Masonry
Among historic building materials, masonry is one of the most lasting materials, it is also
very susceptible to damage by exposure, improper maintenance or repair, abrasive cleaning, or
the application of non-permeable coatings.
69
Therefore, it is necessary to preserve and maintain
masonry professionally and carefully. In addition, in the Back Bay Architectural District,
masonry is the main construction material, and it is the most distinguishable characteristic of the
architectural style. To preserve the Back Bay Architectural District, masonry must be treated
carefully and seriously.
Since improper cleaning will damage masonry and cause irreversible effects, all the
cleaning projects shall adopt most gentle method. Wire brushing sandblasting, and other abrasive
techniques are not allowed.
70
Compared with other cleaning and maintenance projects, the
commission pays close attention to masonry cleaning. All proposed masonry cleaning and
ordinary maintenance needs be reviewed by the commission prior to the work.
71
In order to keep
masonry for a longer time, the treatment used on the masonry should be as simple as possible.
72

69
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, National Park Service, 4.
70
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
71
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
72
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
34
Any materials and coatings related to the brownstone needs to be reviewed. Unless it is approved
by the commission, paint is not allowed.
Except repair and preservation, during the process of repointing, masonry also needs
protection. The new mortar used in the repointing shall have a high sand and lime content to
preserve the softer nineteenth-century brick. Methods and specifications of repointing all need be
reviewed by commission prior to the work.
In general, compared with other features, the commission requires more careful and serious
treatment for masonry because masonry is one of the most important architectural features in the
Back Bay Architectural District.

2.2.5.5 Doors and entrances
Entrances and porches are often the focus of historic American buildings since they are
significant in defining the historic character of a building.
73
In the Back Bay Architectural
District, most buildings do not have decorative porches. However, the details of doors and
entrances are still very significant to the architectural style.
The alterations to the design, proportions, and arrangement of door openings on the historic
façade only can be restored to documented historical conditions. The original doors, transoms,
and sidelights should be retained and repaired, if possible. For the front façade, entry vestibules,
porticos, and porches shall not be altered, removed, or enclosed.

73
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, 14.
35
Replacements are allowed. However, all replacement of doors shall maintain the original
materials, colors, proportion, and forms. If it is difficult to use original materials or colors, the
replacement shall use materials or colors that are appropriate to the original design and
architectural style. Existing doors with inappropriate elements, such as aluminum doors, sliding
doors, and flush doors, should be replaced with more historically appropriate elements.
Hardware and house numbers shall follow the original forms and materials. House numbers
should be brass or bronze, no more than six inches in height.
74
Mailboxes, buzzers, and
intercoms should be small in size and brass or a dark finish.

2.2.5.6 Landscaping
For landscape, the “Back Bay Residential Standard” has few guidelines. Historic front yard
configurations shall not be altered or moved. Restoration is encouraged when the traditional
alignment method of brick was changed.
75

2.2.5.7 Ironwork
Metal features are usually highly decorative and practical elements in architecture and are
important in distinguishing the overall character of historic American buildings.
76

74
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
75
“Back Bay Residential Standard.”
76
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, 6.
36
In the Back Bay Architectural District, the ironwork should be painted black or a dark color
appropriate to the district. The restoration of perimeter fencing, and original iron or stonework
handrails are encouraged. The materials and color should be appropriate to the original design.

2.2.5.8 Public areas
To enhance the historic and architectural character of the Back Bay Architectural District,
proper preservation of public areas is necessary. Existing granite, brick, or concrete sidewalks
should be repaired and restored in kind. If the original materials of sidewalks have been replaced,
it is necessary to restore them. In addition, in the open space, historic fabric should be reflected
in the design of public spaces.
37
Chapter 3 Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street

Introduction
The Back Bay neighborhood was originally designed as a residential district for upper class
people. With the need of urbanization and economic development, today’s Back Bay district is
not only one of the most attractive residential districts with well-preserved nineteenth century
brown brick architecture in Boston, but also a trendy shopping and commercial center.
Commercial activity is one of the most important aspects of the Back Bay neighborhood and is
concentrated on Boylston Street and Newbury Street. Commonwealth Avenue continues to serve
its original function as a wealthy residential street while Boylston Street and Newbury Street
have both changed. Boylston Street has completely converted into a commercial area while
Newbury Street keeps some of its original residential function and architecture. Newbury Street
adaptively reused buildings by altering interiors and making limited exterior design alterations to
change the function of the buildings. The adaptive reuse method not only preserves the original
buildings and the residential function of Newbury Street, but also meets the commercial and
economic needs of the neighborhood.
Generally, Newbury Street provides an answer, which is worth learning, about how to
preserve historic residential area and develop economic viability at the same time, when facing
the huge demand of commercial development. This chapter will focus on Newbury Street to
research the process of how adaptive reuse has been applied. First, this chapter will introduce the
essence and basic information of adaptive reuse. In addition, this chapter will analyze several
38
adaptive reuse methods as well. Then, author will research a case study about adaptive reuse on
Newbury Street.

3.1 What Is Adaptive Reuse?

3.1.1 The definition of Adaptive Reuse
Compared with adaptive reuse, people maybe are more familiar with the construction of
new architecture and demolition of old architecture. However, in fact, people have been reusing
buildings for centuries.
77
The adaptive reuse of buildings happens more than people might
expect. For example, plenty of unused factories in American cities are now adaptively reused as
apartments.
Scholars give different definitions for adaptive reuse with subtle differences:
l A change of function, of a building whose previous use is now obsolete and therefore is
changed to accommodate a new function, with new occupiers with different needs and
priorities.
78

l Any work to a building over and above maintenance to change its capacity, function, or
performance (i.e., any intervention to adjust, reuse or upgrade a building to suit new
conditions or requirements).
79

77
Sally Stone, Undoing Buildings: Adaptive Reuse and Cultural Memory (New York: Routledge
Press, 2020), xv.
78
Stone, Undoing Buildings: Adaptive Reuse and Cultural Memory, 4.
79
James Douglas, Building Adaption, 2nd ed, (Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann Press, 2006), 1.
39
l Rehabilitation or renovation of existing buildings or structures for any uses other than
the present uses.
80

l A process that changes a disused or effective item into a new item that can be used for a
different purpose.
81

Although these definitions have subtle differences, it is not hard to see the nature of
adaptive reuse is the conversion that changes the original architectural design to suit new
requirements and conditions. The term also can be used to describe improvement work such as
changes to buildings for use by disabled or elderly people. Adaptive reuse may involve
converting a building to undertake a change of function required by new or existing owners.
82

3.1.2 Why Adaptive Reuse?
With rapid urbanization, plenty of buildings become obsolete and inappropriate. Some
buildings are discarded because of political and cultural reasons. Dealing with obsolete buildings
can be a challenge.
Destroying obsolete and inappropriate buildings, and constructing new buildings seems a
direct and effective solution. In fact, it is not an advisable option. In consideration of global
warming and other environmental problems, protecting the environment is a factor that must be

80
Fay Dolnick and Michael Davidson, A Glossary of Zoning, Development, and Planning Terms, (Chicago:
American Planning Association Press, 1999), 28.
81
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, Adaptive Reuse: Preserving Our Past,
Building Our Future (Canberra: Department of Environment and Heritage, 2004), 3.
82
Peter A. Bullen, and Peter E.D Love, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings,” Structural Survey, no.5 (2011):
412.
40
considered. Buildings are the largest source of the world’s carbon emission. Of those total
emissions, building operations as responsible for 28% annually, while building materials and
construction are responsible for an additional 11% annually.
83
During the process of
construction, material transportation will also produce carbon emission. Therefore, constructing
new buildings puts more pressure on the current serious environmental issues.
The other reasons that why adaptive reuse is a better choice is that most buildings are
resilient and sustainable.
84
The dynamic nature of occupation and ownership determines that any
building can have many uses and forms throughout its life. In addition, another reason is that
adaptive reuse plays a profound role in sustainable development. It is a more environmentally
friendly method than redevelopment.
85
The existing structure and fabric of the building usually
can be fully utilized, which also avoids unnecessary waste of material. Adaptive reuse may help
to reduce the environmental and economic costs of continual urban development and
expansion.
86
It is usually much cheaper to adapt an existing building than to demolish it and
construct a new one. Besides, adaptive reuse also avoids wholesale demolition of buildings,
which is expensive and wasteful activity. In addition, adaptive reuse helps to revitalize existing
neighborhoods efficiently.

83
“Why the Building Sector?” Architecture 2030, accessed by April 2022, https://architecture2030.org/why-the-
building-sector/.
84
Stone, Undoing Buildings: Adaptive Reuse and Cultural Memory, 3.
85
Douglas, Building Adaption, 15.
86
Bullen and Love, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings,” 412.
41
Generally, rapid urbanization, serious environmental issues, and abundant obsolete
buildings motivate designers, architects, and developers to seek a solution. Compared with
redevelopment, adaptive reuse is a better choice because adaptive reuse is a sustainable method.

3.1.3 Adaptive Reuse and Heritage Conservation
It goes without saying that heritage has a profound meaning to human beings and the whole
world. Heritage can often refer to the idea of a monument.
87
The Convention concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by the UNESCO General
Conference at its seventeenth session in Paris, on 16 November 1972, states the definition of
monuments very clearly:
Monuments are architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting,
elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings and
combinations of features, which are of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of history, art, or science.
88

Based on the evaluation of historic, aesthetic, cultural, and scientific values, architecture can
be categorized as heritage.
89
As immovable heritage, architecture is one of the most valuable
components of cultural heritage, both in terms of direct material value and in relation to the wide
array of possibilities of embedding extra-cultural components.
90
Historic architecture also has

87
Ionut Dohotariu and Andrei Purcaru, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Ensembles and Buildings. Architectural
Conversion,” Buletinul Institutului Politehnic din lasi. Sectia 6, Constructii, Arhitectura 66, no.2 (2022): 68.
88
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Basic Texts of the 1972 World Heritage
Convention, (Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Press, 2021), 3.
89
Dohotariu and Purcaru, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Ensembles and Buildings. Architectural Conversion,” 69.

90
Dohotariu and Purcaru, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Ensembles and Buildings. Architectural Conversion,” 68.
42
close connections with individuals. Historic architecture creates a sense of continuity and sense
of belonging to people.
91
Heritage does not just constitute the history and memory for each
individual, but also for the community, nation, and even the whole world. Historic buildings
provide a valuable glimpse of history and lend character to communities and societies.
Therefore, historic architecture should be conserved for the future generations.
The scope of heritage conservation and the increased number and variety of listed buildings
and sites make it impossible to conserve all heritage assets in a strictly restorative manner.
92

Therefore, among the methodological approaches of heritage conservation, adaptive reuse has
become increasingly important. There are several reasons that motivate the practice of adaptive
reuse in heritage conservation.
The nature of adaptive reuse is conversion, which also is a regeneration of historic
architecture. Adaptive reuse extends the life of historic buildings, which preserves historic
architecture for future generations. In addition, usually, the adaptive reuse not only keeps most
part of structure, material, and fabric, but also conserves the effort, skill, and dedication of the
original constructors. In addition, adaptive reuse also helps to maintain spatial coherence by
keeping the structure and materials. Spatial continuity is one of the important elements that
maintains the integrity of historic architecture. Spatial continuity helps people have a sense of
history and the real feeling of historic architecture. Feelings is one of the aspects of the integrity

91
Thompson Mayes, “Introduction: Why Do Old Places Matter?” Forum Journal 29, no.3 (2015): 7-16.
92
Bie Plevoets and Koenraad Van Cleempoel, Adaptive Reuse of the Built Heritage: Concepts and Cases of an
Emerging Discipline, 1st ed, (Milton: Routledge, 2019), 1.
43
of historic architecture.
93
In addition, adaptive reuse also preserves architectural, social, cultural,
and historical values.
94

Adaptive reuse both preserves the heritage and develops the urban environment at the same
time. Adaptive reuse conserves the structure and exterior design of old architecture but alters the
interior function. It conserves the historic architecture while also meets the need of or urban and
economic development.
Adaptive reuse helps to extend the life of historic architecture and keeps the vitality of
historic architecture at the same time. In addition, it preserves the historic architecture and
promotes sustainable urbanization.

3.2 Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street
In the beginning of twentieth century, commercial development began on Boylston Street
and Newbury Street. The need for commerce and retail drove Newbury Street to convert from a
residential area to a commercial and residential mixed-use area through adaptive reuse. In
Newbury Street, plenty of residential buildings converted to residential and commercial mixed-
use buildings or commercial buildings. Old buildings in Newbury Street adaptively reused their
interior design to suit the new function and need rather than changing their exterior design.

93
The National Register criteria recognize seven aspects of the concept of integrity. They are location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association.
94
Bullen and Love, “Adaptive Reuse of Heritage Buildings,” 412.
44
3.2.1 Current Situation
Today’s Newbury Street is a commercial and residential mixed-use area. Most original
residential buildings on Newbury Street have been converted to commercial buildings or
residential and commercial mixed-use buildings. Only few buildings still serve as solely
residential buildings.
The buildings at the ends of Newbury Street are mainly commercial buildings. The east end
of Newbury Street, which is near the Boston Common, has mostly luxury stores and
internationally famous brand stores. The buildings on west end of Newbury Street are retail
stores and chain stores. The residential and commercial mixed-use buildings are concentrated in
the middle blocks of Newbury Street. In these residential and commercial mixed-use buildings,
the first floors are retail, restaurants, cafes, and other commercial function stores. Many mixed-
use buildings extended their basements and also use basements as commercial spaces. The upper
floors continue to be used as residential space.
In terms of quantity, almost half of buildings in Newbury Street are commercial buildings.
There are few solely residential buildings. The residential and commercial mixed-use buildings
make up the rest. [Figure 3-1]
45

Figure 3-1 Buildings on Newbury Street Categorized by Use.
Chart by Author.
3.2.2 The Application of Adaptive Reuse in Newbury Street
The adaptive reuse of Newbury Street has a close connection with its commercial
development as the adaptive reuse was caused by the commercial development on Newbury
Street.
1900-1920
When the Back Bay landfilling was completed in the late 1880s, commercial development
took hold. As a new wealthy neighborhood, there was a huge demand for services. In addition,
the land along Boylston Street was relatively cheap and available, so that was used for mercantile
purposes.
95
In the beginning of twentieth century, as a buffer zone between Boylston Street and
the other residential areas in the Back Bay district, Newbury Street began to cater to wealthy

95
Clarke G. Theodore, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and the Building of Boston’s Golden Age (Charleston: History Press,
2010), 104.
91
13
83
1
14
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Commerical
Building
Residential Building Residential and
Commercial Mixed-
use Buildings
Parking Without Notice
46
residents in the Back Bay district by providing upscale shopping. In 1905, the first retail store in
Newbury Street opened.
96

The 1900s to 1920s was an important period as it was the first period that Newbury Street
started the conversion of function and began to do adaptive reuse informally. During this period,
Newbury Street began to lose its residential aspect. Many townhouses were converted to shops.
By the late 1920s, Newbury Street had become a shopping destination for upper class Boston
residents. At this point, it had only been decades since this street was built. Buildings in
Newbury Street could not be considered as old buildings. However, the residential function of
buildings in Newbury Street began to be obsolete as commercial demand increased and the
original function could not satisfy the new need anymore. People did not plan the adaptive reuse
consciously and it was an adventurous but successful experiment.

1920-1940
After 1920, the adaptive reuse continued on Newbury Street. Rapid development brought
huge demand to Newbury Street and caused more adaptive reuse activities. If the conversions in
the 1900s to 1920s were to meet the need of the wealthy residents of the Back Bay district, then
the later continuous conversion was promoted by several complicated reasons. The most
important reason was the development of automobiles and public transportation, which made the
whole Back Bay district accessible. The accessibility of the Back Bay district brought many

96
“Five Things You Didn’t Know about Newbury Street,” CBS BOSTON, accessed May 2022,
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-newbury-street/.
47
more people to Newbury Street and further promoted the commercial development and function
conversion. During this period, Newbury Street became one of the primary commercial areas in
Boston.
In the beginning of the establishment of the Back Bay district, the Back Bay was a suburban
neighborhood far from the city center. The Back Bay district was hard to access because there
was no convenient public transportation. To some degree, the Back Bay district was isolated
from the other areas of Boston. It not only separated the Back Bay district from other areas
geographically, but also separated Back Bay district sociologically. The Back Bay district only
belonged to upper class and wealthy people. However, this isolation was broken because of the
development of transportation. The first Model T, an automobile that launched in 1908, and the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (M.B.T.A. system) both had profound impact on
the future development of whole Back Bay district.
97
The Model T was designed by Henry Ford,
and it was a boxlike vehicle which was easy to operate and simple to repair.
98
In addition, the
price of Model T was not as high as expected. Ford even dropped the price of Model T from
$950 in 1910 to $290 in 1924.
99
In addition, rising wages made a Model T affordable to most
people. The increasing ownership of automobiles further promoted the accessibility of the whole

97
“Transportation Revolution in the Back Bay: No More Isolation!” A Cross Section of the Back Bay accessed May
2022, http://web.mit.edu/thecity/archive/projects_2015/ledoux/template/changes.html.
98
Kenneth T. Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1985), 160.
99
Jackson, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States, 160.
48
Back Bay district. The opening of the Back Bay neighborhood to more people brought a huge
new market to Newbury Street.
Another factor was the development of public transportation. In 1909, streetcars came to
Commonwealth Avenue, which made Commonwealth Avenue develop rapidly.
100

Commonwealth Avenue and Newbury Street are very close. Therefore, the arrival of streetcars
also made Newbury Street easier to access than before. In 1914, Copley Station, which is located
in Copley Square, opened. Generally, automobiles and M.B.T.A. system were both effective and
convenient transportation methods that promoted the accessibility of the whole Back Bay district
greatly and laid a foundation for the further commercial development in Newbury Street.
If the development of automobiles and public transportation enabled people to be able to go
to the Back Bay district easily, then how people thought of suburban areas also made people
willing to go to the Back Bay district. Eastern cities were denser and compact, which was
thought of as sources of illness and insecurity
101
. In the 1920s, low-density suburban
development was thought of as a more advanced and elegant lifestyle. This idea drove people to
swarm into the Back Bay district after the Back Bay district was not only open to wealthy people
but all Bostonians. The abundant visitors brought huge market and demand.
During this period, Newbury Street was already a competitive retail and commercial area in
Boston. Department stores and other downtown retailers became concerned that they might lose

100
“Icons Among Us: Comm Ave.”
101
“Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement Context. Context: Residential Development and
Suburbanization, 1880-1980.” Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey. Survey LA, December 2020.
49
shoppers to Newbury Street because of lack of competitiveness.
102
Compared with the
downtown commercial area, Newbury Street had fewer parking prohibitions and other
restrictions for wealthy automobile driving customers.
103
There were also more garages near
Newbury Street than other areas.
104
Garages were built to store and maintain automobiles.
Congested areas like downtown, high real estate prices, and existing business and traffic
difficulties made the construction of garages an economic challenge.
105
However, constructing
garages near Newbury Street was a wise economic decision because the Back Bay district was
suburban, so the cost was much lower. In addition, the construction of a parking lot near
Newbury Street and Boylston Street also brought convenience to automobile driving
customers.
106

In this period, the prevalence of automobiles, development of public transportation, and the
construction of automobile facilities not only opened the whole Back Bay district to the rest
areas of Boston, but also brought huge demand and market to Newbury Street. Newbury Street
had a larger customer base rather than just wealthy residents who lived in the Back Bay district.
To meet the increasing demand caused by rapid development, more adaptive reuse happened in
Newbury Street. Commercial activities and retail boomed in the Newbury Street. At this point,

102
John Christopher Spelman, “Boston Motordom: Automobiles and the Transformation of the City, 1899-1930”
(PhD diss., Harvard University, 2014), 151.
103
Spelman, “Boston Motordom: Automobiles and the Transformation of the City, 1899-1930”, 151.
104
Spelman, “Boston Motordom: Automobiles and the Transformation of the City, 1899-1930”, 78.
105
Spelman, “Boston Motordom: Automobiles and the Transformation of the City, 1899-1930”, 78.
106
Spelman, “Boston Motordom: Automobiles and the Transformation of the City, 1899-1930”, 151.
50
residential function was not the main function of Newbury Street anymore. By 1937, single
family homes decreased starkly, and shops, hotels, and apartments increased quickly.
107

1970s-1980s
The overall transition from residential area to residential and commercial mixed-use
continued though 1940s and 1950s. After the second World War, both population and investment
began to flow out of Boston into its suburbs, a trend seen in nearly every American urban center
during this era.
108

The customer base expanded again in 1970. Boston attracted abundant students and scholars
due to its rich education and academic resources. The retail market was partially fueled by the
large resident student population.
109
Boston’s rich history largely from its role as a critical site in
the Revolutionary War and the strong role it has played in the nation’s cultural development
from colonial times brought increased tourism to the Back Bay district, particularly linked to the
bicentennial celebrations of 1976, which also expanded the commercial demand. There are lots
of historic sites near Newbury Street, such as Trinity Church, Old South Church, and the Boston
Public Library. It was no surprise that tourism industry also brought visitors and demands to
Newbury Street. Therefore, entering the 1970s, the retail trade economy continued to do well in

107
“Transportation Revolution in the Back Bay: No More Isolation!.”
108
City of Boston, History of Boson’s Economy: Growth and Transition, 1970-1998, Report #529, Boston: City of
Boston Press, 1999, 4.
109
City of Boston, History of Boson’s Economy: Growth and Transition, 1970-1998, 10.
51
Boston and Newbury Street remained Boston’s premier retail market.
110
There were a lot of
adaptive reuse activities in Newbury Street, which led the Back Bay Architectural District to
draft and adopt the Back Bay Architectural District Commercial Guidelines for Exterior Design
in the 1980s.
What deserves to be mentioned is that the adaptive reuse activities in Newbury Street in
1970s did not only include high-level retails and shops, but also many art galleries, music
instrument stores, and other fashionable retailers. Shops in Newbury Street had maintained its
high-level until 1970s. Since 1970s, Newbury Street began to be thought as a trendy commercial
district.

1990s-now
Newbury Street already transformed into a residential and commercial mixed-use area and
is one of the most attractive streets in Boston. In this period, Newbury Street did not change
much. During the pandemic period, Newbury Street thrived, especially when the downtown
shopping area is empty due to COVID and the lack of office workers.

3.2.3 How did Adaptive Reuse Happen on Newbury Street?
Generally, adaptive reuse on Newbury Street alters the function of building to meet new
needs through altering the interior design and limited exterior design changes. Although during

110
City of Boston, History of Boson’s Economy: Growth and Transition, 1970-1998, 10.
52
the adaptive reuse activities in the beginning of twentieth century, buildings in the two ends of
Newbury Street did change some exterior design, most historic buildings were kept in good
condition. People were careful in their adaptive reuse projects on Newbury Street, especially
after the establishment of the Back Bay Architectural District and the Back Bay Architectural
Commission in 1966. This section will introduce several strategies Bostonians used to convert
Newbury Street into a residential and commercial mixed-use area.
The first method is to completely change the interior design to meet the new function of
building but kept the exterior design intact. In the middle of Newbury Street, most buildings took
this approach. This method develops the new function and preserves the original buildings’
exterior design and structure at the same time. For example, the 109 Newbury Street adopted this
adaptive reuse method.

Figure 3-2 109 Newbury Street, Back Bay (1942).
“230 Clarendon (109 Newbury),” Back Bay House, accessed June 14, 2022,
https://backbayhouses.org/230-clarendon-109-newbury/.
53
109 Newbury Street was a classic Victorian brick row house built in 1871 and designed by
famous architect Charles Amos Cummings.
111
[Figure 3-2] 109 Newbury Street was a residential
building, and Charles Amos Cummings lived in this house with his wife until his death in 1905.
Then, his wife remained in the 109 Newbury Street until 1922.
112
In 1923, 109 Newbury Street
was sold to Mary Bryant Brandegee and by 1925, it had come a retail store and commercial
office building rather than a residential building.
113
It remains a commercial building.
114
[Figure
3-3]

111
“Architecture History: Charles Amos Cummings House,” Newbury Street Boston, accessed May 2022,
https://www.newburystboston.com/architecture-history-charles-amos-cummings-house/.
112
“230 Clarendon (109 Newbury),” Back Bay Houses, accessed May 2022, https://backbayhouses.org/230-
clarendon-109-newbury/.
113
“230 Clarendon (109 Newbury).”
114
“Architecture History: Charles Amos Cummings House.”
54

Figure 3-3 109 Newbury Street, Back Bay (2022).
“Architectural History: Charles Amos Cummings House,” Newbury Street, accessed Jun 14,2022,
https://www.newburystboston.com/architecture-history-charles-amos-cummings-house/.
The second adaptive reuse method not only changes the interior design to meet the new
need, but also alters the front façade to add more commercial characteristics. This method mainly
appeared in the beginning of twentieth century, and it was often used to adaptively reuse
buildings in the two ends of Newbury Street. Some buildings’ façades were rebuilt with
55
exaggerated neoclassical details.
115
Compared with nineteenth century, the facades of buildings
in the two ends of Newbury Street changed a lot. Admittedly, rebuilding facades and adding
commercial characteristics did cater to the need of developing commercial and retail stores.
However, it is not a recommended choice to preserve the historic architecture. In addition, it also
harms the architectural harmony of Newbury Street. When you walk on Newbury Street from the
east end to the west end, you can perceive that the buildings in the middle of Newbury Street are
different from the two ends of Newbury Street and express the nineteenth century’s brownstone
architecture. However, considering that most historic buildings on Newbury Street are kept, the
scale of buildings that façade have been changed seems acceptable.
Compared with changing the façade, the more common method was to convert the first
floor to retail shops and commercial space while keep the upper residential spaces, which means
this method convert residential building to residential and commercial mixed-use buildings. This
method also was widely used in the adaptive reuse activities in the 1920s to 1940s. It was mainly
used in the middle of Newbury Street. It was this more common approach that preserved most
exterior architectural designs in Newbury Street, giving today’s people a glimpse of nineteenth
century brownstone architecture. The biggest advantage of this method is to keep the residential
function of Newbury Street. Newbury Street was design for upper class and wealthy people. The
whole adaptive reuse and conversion process in Newbury Street was caused by the commercial
and retail demand of wealthy residents who lived in Newbury Street. In addition, keeping the

115
Anthony Mitchell Sammarco, Boston’s Back Bay (New Hampshire: Arcadia Publishing Press, 1997), 127.
56
original function is also helpful to keep the integrity of Newbury Street. From this perspective,
converting a residential building into a residential and commercial building seems a better
adaptive reuse method.
The fourth method is similar to the previous one. It altered the building into a residential
and commercial mixed-use building as well. However, the two methods have distinguishable
difference. The previous method alters only the first floor as a commercial area while the upper
space still works as residential space. The fourth method extends the basement and uses only the
basement as commercial space while the remaining building is kept as residential space. This
method appeared a lot in the 1970s. [Figure 3-4]
57

Figure 3-4 Construction of Basement Commercial Space, Newbury Street (1970s).
“Newbury Street Now and Then,” Boston.com, accessed June 14, 2022,
http://archive.boston.com/business/gallery/newbury_street_now_and_then?pg=11.
Compared with previous methods, this one was more complicated and needed more
restrictions, which is why the Commercial Guidelines were adopted in the 1980s.
116
Mostly the
effort was to dig out the front gardens to create basement space for commercial use.
117
These
basement spaces usually became retail, restaurants, and beauty shops. Buildings that dug out the
basement for more commercial space are concentrated on middle of Newbury Street as well.
[Figure 3-5]

116
Susan D. Prindle, director of Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, interviewed by author, May 2022.
117
Susan D. Prindle, director of Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, interviewed by author, May 2022.
58

Figure 3-5 Basement Commercial Space in Newbury Street (2022)
Take by Author.
Additionally, front yards also used for restaurants’ outdoor dining areas. The upper floors
generally are services like hairdressers, or offices, or residential units. It is understandable why
Bostonians adopted to this method to adaptive reuse these buildings because Boston is a compact
city and there was not enough extra land. Digging out basement space helps to keep the intact
exterior design of old buildings in Newbury Street. Besides, it also helps to keep the residential
function of buildings and of this area. However, digging out basement also brought some issues
to Newbury Street. It made pedestrian access to the first-floor shops more confusing and led to a
lot of requests for excessive signage. Besides, the entrance to the basement caused problems with
the Architectural Access Board. The Architectural Access Board (AAB) develops and enforces
regulations designed to make public buildings accessible to, functional for, and safe for the use
59
by persons with disabilities.
118
The space of entrance of basement usually was very small and
the entrance was almost always stairs. It was very difficult for disabled people and old people.
Later, these basement shops got a waiver to provide alley access.
119

3.3 Adaptive Reuse Case Study --- 252 Newbury Street
252 Newbury Street has been a residential and commercial mixed-use building since
1985.
120
Between 2001-2002, it was converted to apartment building temporarily. In 2003, it
went back to residential and commercial mixed-use building and remains so.
121
The adaptive
reuse project was intended to redesign the storefront and entry way of basement to improve
visibility of storefront and enforce the commercial characteristics.

Original Condition
252 Newbury Street is a classic brown brick row house in the Newbury Street and its
exterior architectural design is kept in well condition. The bottom three floor are used for
commercial purpose.
122
The upper two floor are apartment units and used for Air BNB units.
The basement was dug out as commercial space. There was a little front garden. The entrance of

118
“Architectural Access Board (AAB),” Massachusetts Government, accessed in May 2022,
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/architectural-access-board.
119
Susan D. Prindle, director of Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, interviewed by author, May 2022.
120
“252 Newbury Street Accessor Report,” City of Boston, accessed May 2022,
https://www.cityofboston.gov/assessing/search/?pid=0503157000.
121
“252 Newbury Street Accessor Report.”
122
“252 Newbury Street,” Google Map, accessed May 2022.
60
basement was on the left side of front garden. As many other basement stores in Newbury Street,
space of entrance was very small. The stairs leading to the basement were winding, which was
not very convenient for customers. There was fencing around the front garden, which limited the
visibility of the basement. Pedestrians cannot see the basement store very clearly. [Figure 3-6]

Figure 3-6 Original Condition of 252 Newbury Street (2020).

Back Bay Architectural Commission, 252 Newbury Street Application of Design Approval, 2020

Process of Design Review
First Design Draft
61
The main purpose of this project was to enhance the retailer presence on Newbury Street for
both the first-floor retail space and the basement retail space. There is a brief outline of the
proposed project:
• Introduce a new storefront bump out to enhance the retailer presence on Newbury
Street and to create a retail presence for the lower-level retail space. Glaze to be
clear low E glass so existing building architecture will remain visible from the
sidewalk through the new storefront bump out.
• Bump out material will be composite metal panel system to match in color the
adjacent limestone detailing at 254 Newbury Street.
• New storefront glazing will be aluminum frames painted in a Black Kynar finish to
match the windows in the building. Extend bump out to the lower-level retail which
currently as a single door and 1/4 windows with no street visibility.
• Redesign the entryway and dig out to the lower-level retailer: remove existing
garden and fencing and replace with new wrought iron fencing; introduce a center
stairway from the sidewalk to the new lower level retail façade; create new planters
to flank the sides of the new stairway to the lower level.
123

Figure 3-7 First Design Draft of 252 Newbury Street (2020).
Back Bay Architectural Commission, 252 Newbury Street Application of Design Approval, 2020.

The biggest controversy was the box design on the outside of the masonry wall. [Figure 3-7]
This design aroused the disagreement of Back Bay Architectural Commission during the design

123
Thomas Trykowski, 252 Newbury Street Application of Design Approval, 2020.
62
review. Architect Thomas Trykowski thought the box design would be helpful to improve the
commercial visibility. He also believed that the box design could be altered or removed without
any harm to the architecture exterior. However, members of Back Bay Architectural Commission
still insisted that buildings on Newbury Street need more traditional details while the box design
would be distracting and affect the original masonry wall. The commercial tenants strongly
pushed for the box design. However, committee members underscored the importance of
preserving the historic streetscape under the need of improving commercial viability. In the
decision of the design review, the use of box structure is jarring and shows a lack of sympathy
for the existing streetscape and architecture. In addition, this design also harms the symmetry of
block. The box design would impact all of the buildings on this block.
Considering that nineteenth century brown brick architecture is one of reason that why
Newbury Street is attractive, it is important to protect the traditional details and historic
streetscape. The application was denied.
Second Design Draft
In the revised design application of 252 Newbury Street, the proposed goal was unchanged,
but the design was altered. The scope of work was stated again:
• Introduce a new storefront design to enhance the retailer’s presence on the
Newbury Street first floor and to create a stronger retail presence for the lower
level retail space.
• Remove of existing storefront material and replace it with new cast stone façade
elements coated to match the remaining coated architectural details on the building.
• New storefront glazing will be aluminum frames painted in a Black Kynar finish.
• Extend storefront design to the lower level retail which currently as a single door
and 1/4 windows with no street visibility.
63
• Re-design the entryway and dig out to the lower level retailer: remove existing
garden and fencing, and replace with new wrought iron fencing; introduce a center
stairway from the sidewalk to the new lower level iron fencing; create new planters
to flank the sides of the new stairway to the lower level.
124

In the hearing on 21 January 2021, the revised application was approved. The biggest
difference between the first draft and the second draft is the shape of the storefront window. The
architect revised the design of storefront window and changed it into a bay shape.
125
The circle
wall of the basement retail space also was changed into a bay shape. The new cast stone curb
used new wrought iron to match the brownstone of the façade of the building. The existing steps
to the lower level retail space were removed and the existing front garden area was removed as
well. Brown stone cladding at side walls appropriated the architectural style and original material
of the building. New steps used brown stone as well and the new steps with integral lighting. The
entrance kept the design of first draft and the new entrance was at the facade center of basement
retail. Although previous front garden was removed, there are two planters at the two sides of
new entrance, which makes the entrance look lively. [Figure 3-8]

124
Thomas Trykowski, 252 Newbury Street Application of Design Approval, 2021.
125
According to Oxford Language, Bay Window is a window built to project outward from an outside wall.
64

Figure 3-8 Second Design Draft of 252 Newbury Street
Back Bay Architectural Commission, 252 Newbury Street Application of Design Approval, 2021.

Outcome
The bay shape and material of the bay window appropriate with the architectural style of
252 Newbury Street was kept and it is in harmony with the surrounding environment of
Newbury Street. At the same time, it also enhances the retail presence of 252 Newbury Street.
The redesign of front garden and the entrance of basement retail space promote the visibility of
lower floor retail space. The simple design of the entrance is convenient for visitors and
customers, which improved the competitiveness of the basement retail space indirectly as well.
65
Generally, this project respected the original architectural style of this building and further
enhanced the commercial function of 252 Newbury Street, which made the building better suited
for commercial use.

Conclusion
Facing the dilemma of preservation and development, many urban historic districts lost
their direction. Newbury Street provides an inspirational solution for urban planners and governs
to refer. With more and more people begin to realize the importance of heritage and pay attention
to preservation, adaptive reuse does a feasible method. Today’s Newbury Street is one of the
most attractive and prominent streets in Boston, which is not only credited to the trendy and
luxury stores, but also these well-preserved architectures that present the nineteenth century
architecture to visitors. For now, Newbury Street does use adaptive reuse to get a subtle balance
between preservation and development. However, there still are some limitations. For example,
the basement space is unfriendly to disable people. In addition, although the original residential
function is kept, the commercial function is far heavier than residential function in Newbury
Street. These commercial activities brought several issues to residents in Newbury Street and
Chapter 4 will further discuss these issues.
66
Chapter 4: Influences and Challenges
Introduction
During the past several decades, the City of Boston and the Back Bay neighborhood have
been committed to balancing the preservation of heritage and need for economic and urban
development. Commerce and business continue to boom on Boylston Street. People enjoy the
retail, luxury stores, and galleries in Newbury Street. This area still is considered as one of the
best preserved nineteenth century urban designs in the United States. The preservation of the
Back Bay Architectural District, especially Newbury Street has had a profound influence on the
heritage preservation in City of Boston. The preservation practice of Back Bay Architectural
District is affected by Beacon Hill Architectural District and Beacon Hill Architecture
Commission profoundly, but also affected the preservation of historic commercial districts in the
city through the Main Street Program in Boston.
However, this area also faces huge challenges. As mentioned before, the whole Back Bay
district was constructed on land created by a landfilling program, which means that the
foundation of most buildings in the Back Bay district are below the water table. This unique
construction method of foundation brings unavoidable concerns about the stability and safety of
buildings. Also, although the original residential function of Newbury Street is kept, continued
commercial development in this area puts pressure on the living environment and lowers the life
quality of people who live on Newbury Street.
67
4.1 Profound Influences
Before the establishment of the Back Bay Architectural District and the Back Bay
Architectural Commission, Bostonians already had strong awareness of protecting history and
heritage of the city. The public and community participated in preservation. The City of Boston
established the Beacon Hill Architectural District and Beacon Hill Architectural Commission in
1955 to manage the exterior alterations of buildings in the Beacon Hill Architectural District.
When the Back Bay met the challenge of preserving buildings in 1965, this district chose to
imitate previous practical experience of the Beacon Hill Architectural District without hesitation.
After the Back Bay Architectural District was established, the City of Boston established several
architectural districts like Aberdeen Architectural Conservation District in 2001, the Back Bay
Road / Back Bay West Area Architectural Conservation District in 1979, and the Mission Hill
Triangle Architectural Conservation District in 1985.
126
These architectural districts all follow
the Beacon Hill Architectural District and the Back Bay Architectural District precedents and use
the same method to manage exterior alteration of buildings. They play an important role in the
preservation of history and heritage of City of Boston because it is a good example of preserving
a nineteenth century neighborhood in Boston and it has developed as one of the most attractive
neighborhoods in Boston. It also strengthens public awareness of preservation one more time.

126
“Historic Districts,” City of Boston,
https://www.boston.gov/departments/landmarks-commission#historic-districts.
68
People also can see similarities between the successful adaptive reuse of Newbury Street
and the Boston Main Street Program, which is an important preservation and development
program in Boston.
Boston Main Street started in 1983, when the City Councilor Thomas M. Menino brought
Main Street to Roslindale.
127
In 1995, Boston cooperated with the National Trust for Historic
Preservation and started the first citywide, multi-district Main Street Program.
128
The Main
Street program is intended to revitalize historic commercial districts, build vibrant
neighborhoods, and thriving economies.
129
The core of the Main Street program is local
economic redevelopment and historic preservation. The nature of the Main Street program shares
many common features with Newbury Street. Newbury Street is a relatively successful win-win
example of balancing preservation and development. Although the development of Newbury
Street is based on historic residential district while the development of Main Street Program is
based on historic commercial district, they both emphasize the historic preservation and
economic development at the same time. Although the Back Bay Architectural District and the
Main Street program use different methods, these different methods all serve the same aim,
which is preserving and revitalizing historic districts.

127
“Boston Main Streets,” City of Boston, accessed in May 2022, https://www.boston.gov/departments/economic-
development/boston-main-streets.
128
Ryan Rinn, “Opportunities and Challenges of Citywide Main Street Programs: Examining the Urban
Environment, Coordinating Structures and Political Realities in the Application of the Four Point Approach”
(Master diss., Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012), 2.
129
“Who We Are,” Main Street America, accessed in May 2022, https://www.mainstreet.org/aboutus.
69
Admittedly, the Main Street program was not inspired by Newbury Street, and it was
developed by National Trust for Historic Preservation originally in mid-1970s. Then, Thomas M.
Menino brought Main Street Program to Roslindale, which was the first time that Main Street
Program came to Boston. However, it is undeniable that Newbury Street promoted the
connection between Boston and Main Street Program. Newbury Street was already successful
before 1985. In the 1970s, retail and commercial uses bloomed on Newbury Street.
130
At the
same time, the old buildings’ exterior design and structures were preserved through adaptive
reuse. It proved that the concept of simultaneous preservation and development is feasible, and it
also is a win-win success. At the same time, the main goal and essence of the Main Street
program, preservation and development, was consistent with Boston’s previous successful
practical experience. Therefore, it is reasonable to say that the success of Newbury Street showed
the potential success of the Main Street program.

4.2 Challenges

4.2.1 Bad Living Environment
The Back Bay district was a residential area for wealthy and upper-middle class Bostonians.
Although now Newbury Street still has substantial apartments and private condos, the
surrounding living environment is not like the original design anymore. The current living

130
Susan D. Prindle, director of Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, interviewed by author, April 2022.
70
environment is unhygienic and noisy. In addition, there is huge traffic pressure on Newbury
Street.

4.2.1.1 Terrible Traffic Condition
As two of the most prominent streets in Boston, the traffic situation on Boylston Street and
Newbury Street is terrible, especially on Newbury Street. The current road cannot satisfy the
large number of visitors. In addition to Newbury Street being overloaded, the surrounding roads
are also very fully loaded.
131
If you are driving on Commonwealth Avenue and want to turn
right onto Newbury Street, you will be stressed because of the horrible traffic condition. There
are two main reasons that results in the traffic pressure. [Figure 4-1]

Figure 4-1 Traffic situation in Newbury Street.
Taken by Author.

131
Wenqi Yang, “Boston Back Bay Historic District Preservation Research” (Master diss., Xi’an University of
Architecture and Technology, 2017), 43.
71
The first reason is the unbalanced relationship between limited road space and the large
number of visitors. Newbury Street is not very broad. The two sides of Newbury Street are both
street parking, which means the space for automobiles to drive is limited. Besides, Newbury
Street is one-way driving, which makes the traffic situation worse. Except visitor’s private
automobiles, plenty of delivery trucks visit Newbury Street every day because there are
substantial retail stores and restaurants on Newbury Street. These trucks stop in Newbury Street
to drop off deliveries. Unlike private automobiles, delivery trucks are bigger and occupy more
space. Besides, there is no loading zone for delivery trucks to drop off deliveries. In this
situation, the limited space does not allow other automobiles to pass, and cars are forced to wait.
It usually causes a traffic jam. Therefore, these delivery trucks lower the traffic efficiency and
worsen the traffic condition.
Additionally, there are only three public parking lots near Newbury Street. Three parking
lots cannot meet the needs of visitors. The public parking lots are not convenient because people
must walk several minutes to arrive on Newbury Street. The parking fees are much more
expensive than street parking. Usually, visitors try to find street parking on Newbury Street first.
Visitors have to drive through Newbury Street first to see if there is an available street parking. It
also increases the traffic pressure in Newbury Street. What worth mentioning is that on Sunday,
it is free to park on Newbury Street, which makes more people look for street parking. It also one
of the reasons that why the traffic is so terrible in Newbury Street.

72
4.2.1.2 Unsanitary Living Environment
The retail development and commercial development bring unavoidable negative influences
on the living environment on Newbury Street. The two main factors are noise and sanitation
issues.
132

On Newbury Street, there are plenty of residential and commercial mixed-use buildings.
The retail is usually on the first floor while the residential areas are usually on the upper floor.
Besides, there also are many restaurants, bars, and cafes on the first floor. Among these
restaurants, many of them also have outdoor dining areas. When people dine and talk, there is
lots of noise. In addition, there are plenty of pedestrians and automobiles on Newbury Street.
They are all the source of noise. Generally, the living environment in Newbury Street is noisy
rather than quiet, especially on the weekend, when the number of visitors increase.
Another environmental issue is sanitation. As mentioned before, there are residential
apartments and private condos in Newbury Street. Among these buildings, some entrances are in
the front elevation while some entrances are in the rear elevations. There is an alley between
Newbury Street and Boylston Street, which means that the rear elevation of Newbury Street
faces the rear elevation of Boylston Street. The alley is very narrow, and it is usually used as
private parking. What makes the living environment unsanitary is that many restaurants and bars
in Boylston Street put their food trash cans in the alley. These food trash cans are very close to

132
Susan D. Prindle, director of Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, interviewed by author, April 2022.
73
residential area and private parking, bringing both unpleasant smells and vermin. The ground is
also very dirty. [Figure 4-2]

Figure 4-2 Trash bins in residential area in Newbury Street.
Taken by Author.
Maintaining a good living environment is not just for the people who are living on the
Newbury Street now, but also for the integrity of Newbury Street. Although these food trash cans
are put in the rear elevation and people cannot see it from the front elevation, it still harms the
whole landscape and environment of Newbury Street. The planner and managers should not just
keep the residential function of Newbury Street, but also consider how to balance the living
environment and restaurants and retail development.

4.2.2 Foundation Issues
As mentioned before, the whole Back Bay neighborhood was constructed on the land that
created by a landfill project in the nineteenth century. How to support heavy brick and stone
74
buildings on the soft, filled land is a big engineering challenge. In the nineteenth century, the
period of construction of the Back Bay neighborhood, the solution was to drive untreated wood
piles into the ground through the landfill sediment and underlying organic soils to reach firmer
layers of sand and gravel or the oxidized zone of blue clay below the fill.
133
The piles were tree
trucks with all the branches removed and their tops cut off. Most of the piles are spruce trees
measuring about twelve inches in diameter at the butt end and between twenty and forty feet
long.
134
These piles are below the groundwater level to prevent rotting. The main function of the
piles is to prevent buildings from sinking, tipping, or cracking.
135
Usually, two row houses in the
Back Bay are supported by about 270 piles under the foundation walls.
136
Large and heavy
buildings in the Back Bay like churches and other institution usually required more piles. For
example, the Trinity Church in Copley Square is a massive structure with a large central tower,
which weighed an estimated 9,500 tons. The tower alone required about 2,800 piles and the
entire Trinity Church has over 4,500 piles under its foundation.
137
Generally, these piles play an
important role in the construction of the Back Bay neighborhood because they stabilize buildings
and protect the buildings from sinking, tipping, and cracking. They made the construction of

133
William A. Newman and Wilfred E. Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth
Century Landfill Project, (Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2006), 164.
134
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
165.
135
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
165.
136
George P. Baker, The Formation of the New England Railroad System, (Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1937), 45.
137
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
167.
75
buildings on the land made by landfill possible. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that these
piles are one of the decisive factors that affect the life and future of the Back Bay neighborhood.
Now, the condition of the piles is a serious concern.
The untreated wooden piles behave satisfactorily when they are completely below the
water. Once these piles are exposed to air, they rot and endanger the stability of the foundations
and buildings. The main reason the piles are exposed to air is the drop of groundwater level.
There are natural factors and human factors that result in the drop of groundwater level. The
main natural factor is drought. Usually, continued drought raises concerns about the building
foundations in the Back Bay.
138
The main human factor is building construction urbanization.
The groundwater level can drop due to underground infrastructure like tunnels, pipes, and
basements.
139
In addition, leaks also result in the drop of the groundwater level.
140
In the Back
Bay, lower groundwater level results primarily from leakage into sewers, drains through
underpasses, building foundations, and other structures.
141
In addition, the groundwater level
also drops temporarily due to pumping from excavations to facilitate construction.
142

138
Fred Thys, “Continued Drought Spells Concern about Building Foundations in Back Bay,” WBUR, October 31,
2016, https://www.wbur.org/morningedition/2016/10/31/drought-back-bay.
139
Amanda Stoll, “Underneath Boston: A City Built on Wood Piles Preserved by Groundwater,” last modified
September 27, 2018,
https://northendwaterfront.com/2018/09/underneath-boston-a-city-built-on-wood-piles-preserved-by-groundwater/.
140
Stoll, “Underneath Boston: A City Built on Wood Piles Preserved by Groundwater.”
141
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
172.
142
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
172.
76
If the groundwater level drops below the tops of the piles, piles may be exposed to air and
conditions may be favorable for fungus growth and insect attack. Once started, the fungi will
slowly and steadily work through the wood cell structure and cause the wood to progressively
weaken, eventually to the point where there is not enough sound wood left to support building
loads.
143
Wood borer grubs, termites, and other insects may attack the exposed wood.
144
Fungus
and insects both promote the rot of piles. Besides, the butts of piles are surrounded by sand,
gravel, ashes, and cinders. These materials are more like to rot than impervious soils and they
may promote the rot of piles.
145
It is not hard to see that these untreated wood piles are very
vulnerable when groundwater level drops.
In the past hundred years, City of Boston has periodically experienced the problem of rising
and falling of groundwater level and deterioration of untreated timber piles.
146
Since the 1930s,
foundation damage in the Back Bay has been recorded, and Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and
Commonwealth Avenue are not exceptions.
147
Since the 1930s, the structural integrity of older
buildings in the Back Bay has been in jeopardy. It already has been a concern for a long time.
The situation of piles and groundwater in water is recorded:

143
American Society for Engineering Education, AC 2008-1977: The Problem of Groundwater and Wood Piles in
Boston, an Unending Need for Vigilant Surveillance, James Lambrechts,
https://www.bostongroundwater.org/uploads/2/0/5/1/20517842/ac2008full1977_1.pdf.
144
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
171.
145
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
171.
146
Newman and Holton, Boston’s Back Bay: The Story of America’s Greatest Nineteenth Century Landfill Project,
171.
147
“Groundwater,” Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, accessed May 2022,
https://www.nabbonline.org/committees/groundwater/.
77
The most recent well readings indicate that groundwater levels in 146 of the 571 wells
were below five feet. This alarming statistic indicates that, within the monitoring area,
roughly one fourth of wood piles are exposed to air.
148

The damage caused to the piles is irreversible. In addition, it is difficult and expensive to
repair or replace wood piles. Although more and more citizens and organizations realize the
importance of wood piles and have begun to take action, the condition of the piles still is critical.
The City of Boston established the Boston Groundwater Trust to monitor groundwater levels in
areas of the city where foundations are threatened by low groundwater level in 1986.
149
How to
protect building foundation and old buildings in the Back Bay neighborhood is a serious issue
that people need to solve with no time to delay because Boston will always be vulnerable to
groundwater related problems.
150

Conclusion
Unquestionably, the study area, especially Newbury Street, is a good example of balancing
historic preservation and economic development. It has a profound influence in preservation in
Boston. However, there also are some challenges that this district needs to solve without any
delay. Considering the unique construction method, the stability and safety of foundation of most
buildings are one of these urgent issues. Although this area does keep the original residential
function, the commercial developments bring unavoidable issues to the living environment.

148
Tamar Shoham, “Groundwater Decline and the Preservation of Property in Boston,” (Master diss.,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006), 16.
149
“Overview,” Boston Groundwater Trust, accessed May 2022,
https://www.bostongroundwater.org/overview.html.
150
“Groundwater.”
78
Conclusion
Facing the rapid society development and the huge demand of urbanization development
and commercial development, Boylston Street, Newbury Street, and Commonwealth Avenue
provide an inspirational strategy. Boylston Street completely converted to a commercial street
while Commonwealth Avenue is still a residential area for upper class and wealthy people.
Newbury Street is a residential and commercial mixed-use area, which acts like a buffer between
Boylston Street and Commonwealth Avenue. This area both develops the economy and
preserves old buildings at the same time.
From a preservation perspective, the City of Boston established the Back Bay Architectural
District and Back Bay Architectural Commission to preserve the architecture of the Back Bay
Architectural District. All the alterations, new construction, or demolition of the exterior design
need to be reviewed by the Back Bay Architectural Commission before construction, which is
called design review. The general standard is that all the alterations, new construction, or
demolition of the exterior should be appropriate to the original architectural style and
surrounding landscape. The Back Bay Architectural Commission and design review play an
important role in preserving the Back Bay Architectural District and they give people a window
into nineteenth century architecture and well-preserved street planning.
This area has also changed to accommodate the needs of commercial and economic
development. Boylston Street converted into a commercial area to satisfy Bostonian’s demand
for commerce. More noteworthy is that Newbury Street is adaptively reused as a residential and
commercial mixed-use area. On Newbury Street, most buildings’ exterior designs are well-
79
preserved. However, the interior design is altered to meet the needs of new functions. The first
floor and extended basement spaces work as commercial space while the upper space still works
as residential units. Some residential buildings are completely adaptive reused as commercial
buildings as well. Today’s Newbury Street is one of the trendiest streets in Boston. There are
abundant luxury stores, retail, and art galleries in Newbury Street. Additionally, there are also
luxury apartments and residential units on Newbury Street. The well-preserved architecture is
one of the reasons that attracts thousands of visitors and tourists to visit Newbury Street every
year. The adaptive reuse is a win-win strategy to balance the need of development and
preservation.
As one of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston has long history of preserving
heritage. Therefore, it is not a surprise to find that this city provides this inspirational practical
experience for planners, developers, and scholars to refer. However, this area also is facing
unprecedented challenges. These challenges also are worth considering seriously and learn from
it. The commercial development in Newbury Street and Boylston Street brings huge pressure on
the living environment and affect quality of life for residents who live on Newbury Street and
Commonwealth Avenue.
Newbury Street can also serve as a good example for other cities to study. Well-preserved
historic architecture is one of reasons that why a block can be attractive. Establishing a policy to
guide how planners, owners, and officials treat historic architecture is an effective method to
preserve the architecture and the block. Admittedly, development is an unavoidable trend now
and in the future. However, demolishing old architecture and reconstructing replicas is not
80
necessary. Adaptive reuse provides a better solution while and the example of Newbury Street
proves that it is a feasible strategy.
Todays’ world goes through rapid technological, economic, and social development. More
and more old places are becoming obsolete, and they cannot satisfy the new need. How to deal
with these old places and how to balance preservation and development is serious issue.
Admittedly, every city has different zoning and planning policy and standard, western countries
have already gained rich practical experience in the past decades while they also met challenges.
These valuable experiences can inspire other countries, regions, and cities to treat preservation
and development from a fresh perspective.

81
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Asset Metadata

Creator Ye, Zining (author)

Core Title Managing change on Newbury Street: a case study analysis

School School of Architecture

Degree Master of Heritage Conservation

Degree Program Heritage Conservation

Degree Conferral Date 2022-08

Publication Date 07/27/2022

Defense Date 07/27/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag adaptive reuse,Boston Back Bay,commercial mixed-use,historic district,OAI-PMH Harvest

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sandmeier, Trudi (committee chair), Bharne, Vinayak (committee member), Reitan, Meredith (committee member)

Creator Email yeziinng@gmail.com,ziningye@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC111375235

Unique identifier UC111375235

Legacy Identifier etd-YeZining-11015

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Ye, Zining

Type texts

Source 20220728-usctheses-batch-962 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA

Repository Email cisadmin@lib.usc.edu