197-273 Purchase street

Will V.

Come explore 197-273 Purchase Street in downtown Boston. These different pages are a glimpse into the 1800s and 1900s when business was flourishing down in the leather district. You can observe the businesses, owners, and people who worked before displacement to make way for the Central Artery and see what major parts of Boston were lost for the greater good of the city. Below you can see two photos of buildings on Purchase Street surrounding 197-173 to gain perspective of what life was like at this time on Purchase Street. 

photograph of A. Wentworth Building at corner of Federal and Purchase Streets
photograph of 246 Purchase Street

Public Library, Boston. “Boston, Massachusetts. 246 Purchase Street.” Digital Commonwealth, 1878, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:1g05ht68w Links to an external site..

Booras , John. “A. Wentworth Building Removed to Widen Summer Street, 170 Summer Street, Corner of Federal and Purchase Streets, Boston, Mass..” Digital Commonwealth, https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth-oai:h989ts691.