Building Construction
Studying the Sanborn maps with its associated key, the varying colors and symbols indicate the type of buildings and building features within the South Market Street parcel. At first glance, the parcel is color-coded with yellow and pink, showing differing building materials and front facades of the parcel buildings. Zooming into the map, more minute details arise, providing more factual evidence about each building – specifically its structure and interior features. By breaking up the parcel into the four building structures presented in the map, readers will get a better sense of the differing building types and how their features accommodated the certain businesses and their functions.
1882 Sanborn Map of 55-122 South Market Street Outlined in White.
Sanborn, Atlas of the city of Boston, 1882.
55-67 South Market Street:
Screenshot of 1882 Sanborn map of 55-67 S. Market.
Sanborn, Atlas of the city of Boston, 1882.
Sanborn Key:
Yellow = Framed Building
Open Circle = Slate or metal roof
"Corrugated Iron" = Front façade made of Iron
Line in between unit 65 & 67 = division wall
Small opening in line in unit 67 = opening in division wall
Four-Story Frame Construction
The buildings inhabiting 55-67 S. Market Street are all exact in form. 55 S. Market serves as the cornerstone of Commercial and South Market street and marks the beginning of the parcel running east of Commercial Street. The section from 55-65 all seem to connect as one 4-story framed building with a slate or metal roof. Corrugated iron dresses the front façade of the building that faces out onto South Market Street. A framed building with slate or metal roof also inhabits 67 Market Street but the building/unit stands alone – a division wall separating the building from 55-65 S. Market. The standalone building also seems to connect to 9-11 Commercial Street through an iron door in its rear.
After performing extensive directory research, it appears that many separate entities inhabit this section of the parcel. Ranging from a printer and a shoemaker to a produce grocer and several restaurants, 55-67 South Market accommodates various functions within its framed walls. With the absence of an “S.” labeling any part of the section as a “store”, readers can assume that individual businesses perform services within the floors but do not sell any products. There are no elevators within the structure, making it more difficult to mobilize goods or people from floor to floor. Yet with the three restaurants inhabiting the section of the parcel closest to Quincy Market, market visitors could stop in for a bite to eat after purchasing goods just west of the street.
69-95 South Market Street:
Sanborn Key:
Pink = Brick building
Box labeled "Elev" = Elevator (with shaft hole)
58' = Height of bldg to Cornice (in feet)
12" = Division wall 12' above roof
5 = number of stories
Open Circle = Slate or Metal Roof
Closed Circle = Composition Roof
Crossed lines on 93-95 = Window opening in 3rd and 5th stories
Solid line dressing entrance = Brick or metal cornice
Screenshot of 1882 Sanborn map of 69-95 S. Market.
Sanborn, Atlas of the city of Boston, 1882.
Five-Story Masonry Construction with Elevators
Differing from its neighboring buildings to the west, 69-95 South Market street contains seven different units separated by 12-inch division walls. Built in brick material, the five-storied strip of units are 58 feet tall – from the street to the cornice—and have slate or metal roofs. Each unit contains an elevator (with the exception of unit 81-83, which has two elevators) and a shaft hole placed in the same exact spot within each unit (pass the middle of the unit and more towards the rear). Each unit also has a fire or coped wall 12 inches above the roof.
The brick complex houses major mercantile businesses within each unit. The mercantile businesses trade several products such as soap, flour, candles, produce, pork, and many other provisions. With several mercantile businesses, incorporating an elevator within the unit increased efficiency and production. No products are specifically sold at the location for it lacks the “S.” label, however each business proves to be successful in its trade. Interestingly all the major manufacturing businesses are located in the brick building portion of the parcel. With accidental fires frequently occurring in the late 1800s, the brick buildings had a greater resistance to fire and rarely burn. Therefore, business owners or merchants reduced the chances of their business catching on fire by residing in a brick structure. Slate and metal roofing is also more resistant to fire than composition roofing.
Photo of 69-71 S. Market in 1958.
Boston Housing Authority. "69-71 South Market Street." Photograph. 1958. Digital Commonwealth
After searching numerous Boston photograph collections, newspapers, and databases, little to no pictures were found exhibiting the specific parcel. Yet, a picture from 1958 illustrates 69-71 South Market Street, serving as beef company or beef manufacturer at the time. Although the photo was taken in the mid-1900s, the building construction hardly seems to have changed – showcasing the five-story brick structure with brick cornices. The “Lambert Beef Co.” sign also adds another layer to the photograph, highlighting that the area’s commercial atmosphere remained for at least 75 years. The car parked in front of the building also indicates the advances in technology and transportation.
97-117 South Market Street:
Screenshot of 1882 Sanborn Map of 97-117 S. Market.
Sanborn, Atlas of the city of Boston, 1882.
Sanborn Key:
Yellow = Framed Building
Closed Circle = Composition Roof
1 = One story Building
"Iron" on 115 = Iron division wall
One Story Frame Construction
As we move further down the parcel from the left to the right, the Sanborn maps show a strip of yellow units or building structure from 97-117 S. Market Street. The units are 1-story framed buildings with a composition roof. They are separated by division walls, and corrugated iron flanks the sides of the building about fifteen feet to the eaves. It also flanks the rear of building about twenty feet to the eaves. The building does not consist of any stores and as mentioned in the map, the 97-117 strip is mostly occupied by fruit and produce, with unit 117 holding flour.
Complimented by directory research, produce commission merchants inhabit the one-story buildings. Comparing the framed one-story construction to the five-story brick construction, there is no reason for the commission merchants to perform business in as large and strong of a building. As a merchant for fruits and produce there is less risk for a fire, assuming there are no stoves or hot machines needed for the merchants to perform their services. The one story building also provides an efficient use of space to hold produce and having several levels to the building would overwhelm the merchant with unnecessary space.
119-121 South Market Street:
Sanborn Key:
Yellow = Framed building
Open Circle = Metal or slate roof
2 = two storied building
Screenshot of 1882 Sanborn Map of 119-121 S. Market.
Sanborn, Atlas of the city of Boston, 1882.
Two-Story Frame Construction
119-121 S. Market Street is very similar to the units just to left of it as it is also a framed building. Yet the building is two stories and has a composition roof with slated sides. The building appears to be a little set back from the street and neighboring building. With open space on its right façade, the entrance to the building remains ambiguous. The building that appears to carry oysters also sits in front of a building labeled for the Fish Wharf. Given its location furthest right in the parcel, the building accommodates its function as it sits closest to the wharf and closest to the fish merchants further down the road. The building’s location and function exemplify the street’s proximity to the wharf and ability to perform seafood trade.
Bibliography
Boston Housing Authority. "69-71 South Market Street." Photograph. 1958. Digital Commonwealth, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:h415q3480 (accessed May 06, 2021).
Sanborn, Daniel Alfred. Atlas of the City of Boston. New York : National Diagram Bureau, 1873-1885. Boston Public Library, vis Atlascope.