Beacon Hill Boston

Boston's Beacon Hill is bordered on the East by the Charles River (separating Boston from Cambridge), with its riverside park known as The Esplanade, on the North by Cambridge Street, with Massachusetts General  Hospital, on the West by Bowdoin Street, which leads up to the historic State House, and on the South, by Beacon Street, with the Boston Common and the Public Garden.

Beacon Hill is well known as one of the most charming areas of the city. Houses dating from the earliest part of the 18th century line its' tree shaded streets. Most of the homes are townhouses and brownstones. These can be single family houses, or divided into apartments or condominiums.

Beacon Hill luxury and full service condo buildings and developments:
The Tudor, Bowdoin Place, The Claflin Building, The Lincolnshire.

The main shopping street is Charles Street, dominated by antique shops and  restaurants. The best way to see Beacon Hill is on foot. Walking the narrow streets, you will see the original 19th century homes. Since they are architecturally protected, the exteriors are almost exactly what you would have seen in the last century. Although there are still many single family homes there, most of the buildings are in use as multi-unit condominiums.

This is a very central neighborhood. A great location if you work anywhere downtown, or at any of the local hospitals: Mass General (MHG), Shriner's Burn Institute, Mass Eye and Ear, Tufts New England. The Massachusetts State House is on the Hill, as is Suffolk University.

Until the end of the 18th century, what became the Beacon Hill neighborhood was dominated by Trimount, a large, steep, 3 peaked hill that was considered undevelopable.

In the 1780’s, a primitive beacon, really nothing more than a fire sitting on top of a pole, was placed on top of one of the hills as a warning for ships to avoid running aground. It was later replaced with a more elegant column.

Beginning in 1795, Charles Bullfinch and Harrison Grey began work to develop the area. They cut the top 60 feet off of Trimount, using the dirt to fill in the area of the Charles river that later became known as The Flat of the Hill.  Bullfinch designed the new Massachusetts State House, famous for its golden dome, still used today.

In 1827,  Louisburg Square was finished, a development of lavish townhouses that still sits on top of Beacon Hill, all that remains of Trimount. The square is still one of Boston’s most exclusive luxury homes, where some of the wealthiest people in the country live.