The Old Corner Bookstore is a two-and-a-half-story brick building with a distinctive gambrel roof that sits at the corner of Washington and School Streets. Constructed in seventeen eighteen by Thomas Crease as a residence and apothecary…
Literary Boston Historic Sites
This self-guided walk takes you through Downtown and Beacon Hill to visit the historic libraries, publishing hubs, and private homes where 19th-century America's greatest writers shaped the nation's intellectual soul.
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1. Old Corner Bookstore
2. Omni Parker House
The Omni Parker House stands on the corner of Tremont and School Streets, marked by its classic, multi-story masonry facade that has occupied this block since eighteen fifty-five. As the longest continuously operating hotel in the United…
3. Boston Athenaeum
The Boston Athenaeum is a distinctive, five-story building on Beacon Street, identifiable by its ornate, mid-nineteenth-century facade and the rows of windows overlooking the historic Granary Burying Ground. Founded in eighteen oh seven by…
4. Nichols House Museum
The Nichols House Museum is a four-story Federal-style townhouse built in eighteen oh four. It is recognized for its connection to the architect Charles Bulfinch, who designed the structure for the politician Jonathan Mason. The exterior…
5. Louisburg Square
Louisburg Square is defined by a small, private oval park enclosed by a black wrought-iron fence. This grassy retreat, centered between rows of Greek Revival townhouses, remains closed to the public and is maintained exclusively by the…
6. Charles Street Meeting House
The Charles Street Meeting House is a brick structure with a three-story tower and a wooden cupola that sits at the corner of Mount Vernon and Charles streets. Completed in eighteen oh seven, it was designed by the architect Asher Benjamin…
7. Edgar Allan Poe Statue
The Edgar Allan Poe statue is a life-sized bronze figure depicting the author mid-stride, rushing down Boylston Street with an oversized raven bursting from his open suitcase. Created by artist Stefanie Rocknak and installed in…