1682 Washington St # 8

Welcome to South EndSpanning nearly 1 square mile, the South End section of Boston is the largest Victorian neighborhood in America. With its bounty of Victorian rowhouses and new residential developments, the South End has become a first choice of Boston’s urban professionals. The South End is known for its diversity, food, and culture, as well as its close proximity to shopping, public transportation, the Back Bay, Symphony Hall, the Boston Ballet, and much more. Add to this such anticipated events as the annual Garden Tour, Open Artist Studios, Boston Center for the Arts performances, and numerous festivals, parades, and street fairs, and it is no wonder that so many call the South End home.  Originally laid out in 1801 by Charles Bulfinch, the South End was designed around the former "Boston Neck," a barren strip of land surrounded by marshes, which connected Boston to the mainland area of Roxbury. Constructed as a grid pattern of streets with center parks and Victorian rowhouses, the South End was infilled by the South Cove Company during the 1830s. During the 1840s and 1850s, residential expansion went into full gear. The residential streets of the "New South End" had center parks, enclosed by lavish cast-iron fences and fountains. Victorian-style rowhouses were built with red brick construction and uniform roof cornices. The new streets were based on a grid pattern, and were termed "a district well laid out." By 1860, this expansion had produced streets such as Union Park, Concord Square, Worcester Square, and Chester Park. Newly constructed single-family townhomes were occupied by Boston's upper class. With the residential expansion also came the emergence of a number of churches and synagogues, the Boston City Hospital, and the original Boston College. Business also flourished, with manufacturers such as Chickering, Emerson, and Vose Piano calling the South End home. During the 1870's however, the South End slipped out of fashion. The infill of the Back Bay led to the construction of larger mansions, which attracted many of the affluent South End residents. The Panic of 1873 also led to many failed mortgages, and the South End found itself transformed from an elegant residential neighborhood to a lodging and boardinghouse district. By World War II, the South End had emerged as a nexus for different cultures, religions, and beliefs. African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latino Americans, among other groups from around the world, came to call the South End home. While the culture of the South End thrived, much of the architecture fell into disrepair or was demolished to make way for new housing. By 1970 however, the architecture of the South End was rediscovered by urban professionals and Victorian architecture enthusiasts, who restored many of the rowhouses to their original glory. In 1973, the South End was named to the National Registry of Historical Places, and in 1983, the South End was designated a Landmark District. This designation provided guidelines for the construction and restoration of rowhouses, to preserve Charles Bullfinch's vision of an elegant Victorian neighborhood. Today, the South End continues to thrive as an energetic, multi-cultured community. The Victorian rowhouses of the 1800's have been restored as condominiums and single-family townhouses. Cultural centers, such as the Boston Ballet and Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) reside, as well as many successful businesses and restaurants. Since the late 1990s, over two billion dollars in residential construction has taken shape, making the South End a popular neighborhood for urban professionals, empty nesters, and families alike. Featured Developments100 Shawmut88 WarehamThe Quinn The Cosmopolitan Similar NeighborhoodsBay Village