Bustling Dewey Square

South Station came about through an agreement with a number of independent train lines in Boston. The station, located adjacent to my parcel at 185 Summer Street, was created when independent rail companies decided to combine under one roof to increase efficiencies and overall profits (South Station, "Railway History"). These companies, The New Haven Railroad, the Boston and Albany Railroad Company, The New England Railroad Company, The Boston and Providence Railroad Corporation and the Old Colony Railroad Company were instrumental to the creation of South Station, which opened its doors on December 30th 1898(South Station, "Railway History"). Thus, when these railroad companies came together they in turn made one of Boston's most iconic landmarks and significantly altered the city's transportation infrastructure.

South Station is particularly important to my parcel because it showcases how connected 147-185 Summer Street was not only with Boston, but with the rest of the United States. Since South Station connected to other areas outside of Boston like Providence and New York City, the increase efficiency of South Station meant that business in the area could benefit off importing and exporting much more easily and cost affectively than before. For an area like 147-185 Summer Street that had a number of business on it, South Station was an especially important location (G.W. Bromley, Atlas of the city of Boston, city proper and Roxbury, 1902). When considering how 147-185 was able to develop throughout its history, South Station is key in the way it reshaped industry and made commerce more profitable and efficient than ever before.

Fig 16.) A layout of all the different terminals to be combined at South Station. Notice how long the station had to be to accommodate so many different companies and trains

Fig 18.) A modern day map of Boston's Rapid Transit lines. Even today South Station is a particularly busy stop with the modern day red line making up a majority of the old Dorchester Tunnel

Fig 19.) An illustration of how many transit options 147-185 Summer Street had. One had many different ways to get to the area either via local rail transit (the Dorchester Tunnel and the Atlantic Ave elevated line) or national rail transit (South Station). My parcel is highlighted in yellow and the Hecht building is highlighted in red.