3-37 Barrett Street
83-103 North Street

Overview and Background:

This intersecting region of the North End is bounded by JFK Surface Road south of North Street. Central are the shops and businesses that defined the parcel as a place of business and commerce within the North end. From the mid-late 19th century up until the leveling of the parcel for the Central Artery, the neighborhood transitioned from primarily small, independent shops to large businesses owned by wealthy property owners. This is seen through the ownership of the buildings, which changed from many independent owners to large businesses and wealthy estate owners that bought much of the property for use in their large businesses.

The Hitchborn Block 

The Hitchborn Block is representative of the small businesses that occupied this parcel. The block encompassed the odd numbers from 83-103 North Street and 35-37 Barrett Street and was home to businesses in the glass, metal, and carpentry industries as well as a variety of general goods stores. Businesses such as Good News Appliances merged with other businesses within the block to form larger stores such as the Gordon quarterly Salesman. The history of the block is tied to its ownership by estate owner John P. Thorndike, a wealthy businessman and owner of real estate. 

Wealthy Landowners and Large Corporations

McKesson and Robbins: A Catalyst for Urban Change

The influence that wealthy landowners had on this parcel was seen through the evolution of the Eastern Drug Co. of Barrett Street and the buying up of large amounts of property that was previously independently owned. Originally a local Boston company, the Eastern Drug. Co supplied pharmaceuticals and was one of the most influential drug businesses in Boston during the late 19th century. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century the company was bought up and merged with McKesson and Robbins inc., which would become one of the largest company merges in American History. By the late 1930s, the majority of the odd side of Barrett Street was occupied by McKesson and Robbins inc. with the smaller businesses being pushed out. The story of the Eastern Drug co. is a key example of large corporations taking over land and buildings from smaller businesses and represents the theme of this parcel's transition from housing small business to large corporations.

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