Architecture
Washington Street at Hanover Street
Visible to the left here is 160 and 162 Hanover Street in 1905 and it is easy to tell that because of all the products that you can see are sold here. Signs advertise a lot of drugs and cigars, and on the Atlascope map, drugs is labeled in this precise location. The words all over the building add to the overall viewing experience of this building as you are being thrown a ton of information all at once. The building is organized where there is a retail store on the bottom floor with apartment style housing on the three floors above. The windows and the signs on the building all bring your eye up and then right at the top there is a clear stop where a company's name is located. Different styles of symmetry and patterns are present within the window structures and patterns too with a clear division between floors where there are horizontal advertisements.
Here is another location within the parcel, 201-207 Hanover Street, and this is part of where a portion of 192-196 Hanover was demolished so that Cross Street could be expanded. This is an image from 1930 and while the style of building is different, some of the same principles are still shown. First, there is still the large advertisement of what is being sold in a given location as is shown in the building. The bottom floor is still used for retail and more advertisements. This building is made out of brick. Also, the top of the building is not just a cut off point but it is actually used for housing as an extra attic-like space. Symmetry with the windows is consistent all around the building as well.
201-207 Hanover Street and 84 Cross Street
changes over time
In the 1700s, the architecture was very much different in this location. It was much more the colonial style of architecture typical of the era. Mostly everything would have been made out of wood, and therefore would have been much more prone to fires. You can still find this colonial style in buildings today. But as time went on and advancements came in architecture, brick came to dominate. There was also an influx of European immigrants to the land. The North End came to be known as a center for Italian-American culture in Boston.
works cited
Image source: https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_dbd7028c-e32d-4710-8463-14ecef91437b/
“How the North End Came to Be the North End.” Strega North End. Accessed December 19, 2022. https://stregabynickvarano.com/how-the-north-end-came-to-be-the-north-end/.
Image source: https://cityofboston.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_0fdcc925-0d4c-4222-91d5-4514fa85a1d7/