In addition, requests made by Damrell to improve zoning were ignored. Photo B – Map of 1842 Boston, courtesy of Norman B. Leventhal Map Center. Since 1867, Damrell would plead with city officials to make changes. In 1871, a fire devastated the city of Chicago. ( Log Out /  This website was made possible by support from the Boston Public Library, the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Chief Engineer John Stanhope Damrell was Boston’s fire chief at the time. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 617-859-2387. Before the commercialization of the neighborhood, it was the location of one of Charles Bulfinch’s duplex townhouses. It took nearly 12 hours to quench the flames, but by then, the city from Boson Common to the waterfront was unrecognizable. More than 60 acres of downtown was lost, including nearly 800 buildings. Notes: Exhibited: "Boston in the Gilded Age: Mapping Public Places" organized by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, 2012-2013. Great Fire, Boston, Mass., 1872--Maps Boston (Mass.) The firestorm grew fast, going from one mansard roof to another. “The fire in the city of Chicago is without parallel in the history of the world,” said Damrell. Gas lines exploded and fed the flames, Photo A – Lithograph of Great Fire of 1872, courtesy of the Boston Fire Historical Society. Photo 1 – Historical plaque at origin of fire. Ironically, the city adopted every recommendation Damrell made for improving fire codes. In the case of the Great Fire of 1872, this delayed the Boston Fire Department (BFD) by twenty minutes. Although this sudden growth was an exciting era, zoning this segment of the city for safety was not a priority. To them, Chicago’s tragedy was due to its faulty structure as a wooden city. A horse flu epizootic had immobilized BFD horses, so fire equipment had to be pulled by volunteers on foot. For years, he warned the city aldermen of the potential dangers that awaited Boston if changes weren’t made. View all posts by robertallisonhistory. Created / Published 1872. Published by Haskell and Allen, 1873 . Oriented with north toward the upper right. 617-859-2387. This gave owners no incentive to build fire-safe buildings. Extent: 1 map ; 137 x 97 cm. Boston’s downtown was mostly made up of brick and granite, so they felt somewhat protected from such a threat. Unlike Europe, the mansard roofs were finished in wood instead of brick. Policemen also had keys to the box. Buildings were often insured at full value or above value. Fire alarm boxes in Boston were locked to prevent false alarms. Source: private collection. Posted by Listen Up! “If the streets were to be piped the size necessary for conflagration it would cost millions of dollars,” said Bradlee. Also, a new culture and identity amongst the people was in the making. Just over a year later, a similar tragedy would threaten the beloved city. ( Log Out /  NYPL The Summer Street fire, Boston, Nov. 9 and 10, 1872‎ (198 F) Media in category "Great Boston Fire of 1872" The following 200 files are in this category, out of 463 total. The five decades that followed saw tremendous growth and change, earning its reputation as the “Athens of America.” Architect Charles Bulfinch had much to do with Boston’s transformation. In addition, they were stuffed with flammable components like paper stock, textiles and oils. at 08:59. A half century of buildings were gone in a flash. Boston was becoming a city of Brahmins – a class of wealthy, educated, elite members of Boston society in the nineteenth century. Twelve hours later, the firestorm was defeated. Boston Public Library Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Collection (local): Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Collection Subjects: Great Fire, Boston, Mass., 1872--Maps Boston (Mass.) By Serghino Rene . Fire hydrant couplings were not standardized, The number of fire hydrants were insufficient for a commercial district. Looters and bystanders interfered with firefighting efforts. City officials criticized Damrell’s firefighting tactics, many of which are still in use today, over the course of several hearings. Although devastating, the fire helped fuel Boston’s growth. Over 50 engines came to the aid of the BPD. Trailblazing Women of the Boston Marathon by Gloria Serpe, Captain Malcolm Tarred and Feathered by Will Fahey, http://bostonfirehistory.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2016/02/bfd1872greatfirestereoviews.pdf, Make Way for Ducklings : Public Art and the Boston Public Garden by Norma Acevedo de Heine, Nancy Schön: Artist in Action     By Camilla Paulsson Nielsen, Michael J. Perkins – A Soldier From Southie by Martin Stallings, Boston’s Sacred Cod by Norma Acevedo de Heine, Madonna, “Queen of the Universe” Shrine, East Boston by Skyla Rose Buonopane. They included standards for more central fire houses, larger underground pipers, more hydrants and bigger fire engines. ( Log Out /  Feb 16, 2016 - The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83-87 Summer Street. It took 15 minutes for a policeman to hear shouts of “fire” before reaching a nearby alarm box. “The city wouldn’t be justified in making such an expenditure.”. Before it was brought under control, a large part of downtown Boston would be left in ruins. By the 1850s, the exclusive, highly sought after neighborhood he helped develop began turning into a thriving commercial center. 0th, ( Log Out /  Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Collection. They were unable to produce streams from hoses powerful enough to reach warehouses. 700 Boylston St, Copley Square, Boston MA 02116 More than 60 acres of downtown was lost, including nearly 800 buildings. Boston was incorporated as a city on March 4, 1822. Oliver Wendell Holmes coined the term in a novel in 1861, calling Boston’s elite families “the Brahmin Caste of New England.”. Boston wanted to be a world class city, in the likes of Paris London and Rome, pulling away from its fledgling, colonial port reputation. One photograph was taken shortly before the fire. Welcome to the History of Boston and Beyond! The underground pipes, originally made for the former residential neighborhood, where inadequate. Change ). This website was made possible by support from the Boston Public Library, the National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services. Here you will find most of the content from Suffolk's very popular HIstory of Boston MOOC, including the videos and links. Photo 2 – Present day Summer Street, looking towards Downtown Crossing. Boston was a disaster waiting to happen according to Damrell. In November of 1872, a ravenous and rapid fire destroyed Boston’s business district. Boston was incorporated as a city … thegreatfireinboston." Plan of burnt district by fire of Nov. 9th and 10th, 1872 : ... Plan of the burnt district : showing proposed improvements in ... Russell's map of Boston from the latest surveys : colored to show ... L'incendie de Boston : plan montrant les ravages causés par ... See more downloads (Warped PNG, KML, WMS, Tile URL). He noticed that the streets were too narrow for the bustling commerce that took place. For reference, the intersection at the upper left corner of the pink area is the location of the Filene's building at Washington and Summer Streets. 700 Boylston St, Copley Square, Boston MA 02116 Blog: The Great Boston Fire of 1872. Boston was not immune to this level of this destruction. As many as 20 people died. Historian; I teach at Suffolk University in Boston, and at the Harvard Extension School. “Their experience has proved that however well-protected a city may be from ordinary fires, large conflagration are possible.”. I will also post other historical materials to keep our interests focused. Merchants were not taxed for inventory in their attics, therefore offering incentive to stuff their wood attics with flammable goods such as wool, textiles, and paper stocks. [Stereographs of Great Boston Fire of 1872] Summary Photographs show ruined and damaged buildings around Boston in the aftermath of the Great Fire in 1872. It left 300 dead, 100,000 homeless and 18,000 buildings in dust. Gas supply lines could not be shut off promptly. It took nearly 12 hours to quench the flames, but by then, the city from Boson Common to the waterfront was unrecognizable. At the beginning of the firestorm, Damrell telegraphed for reinforcements from other parts of New England from Maine to Connecticut. Norman B. Leventhal Map Center Collection. Notes: Oriented with north toward the upper right. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. On November 9, 1872, a fire broke out in Boston's commercial district. Before the fire, the townhouses were replaced with a warehouse for importer William H. Horton & Company. The business community saw a greater opportunity to expand its presence downtown. The fire was finally contained 12 hours later, after it had consumed about 65 acres of Boston's downtown, 776 buildings and much of the financial district, and caused $73.5 million in damage. Map of the Great Boston Fire of 1872 Map showing the extent of the Great Boston Fire of 1872, burned area in pink. --Maps Places: Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston Publisher: Boston : [s.n.] Images range from cityscapes, panoramas, street views, and single buildings. . --Maps Places: Massachusetts > Suffolk (county) > Boston Publisher: Boston : [s.n.] Photo 3 – Present day Franklin Street. In November of 1872, a ravenous and rapid fire destroyed Boston’s business district. The city’s leaders did not heed Damrell’s warning. After his visit to post-fire Chicago, he warned the Boston City Council of Boston’s vulnerability to a potential fire storm.