Neighborhood Atlas
A look at the bay that became a neighborhood: filling projects, the street grid, parks, institutions, and the evolution of one of Boston’s best-known districts.
$125 Shipping: $25 · Massachusetts sales tax: 6.25% where applicable
Original Historical Boston map print by Ed McCarthy.
Interactive map room
Use the zoom controls, mouse wheel, or trackpad to inspect the map. Once zoomed, drag the image to move around the page.
High-resolution detail
This enlarged section shows the fine detail, image work, annotations, and hand-drawn character of the finished map.
Open high-resolution detail ↗The story on the map
The Back Bay map treats the neighborhood as a landscape created as much by engineering as architecture. It traces the former tidal basin, the filling of the area, the logic of the nineteenth-century street plan, and landmarks including the Public Garden, Commonwealth Mall, Copley Square, and the Christian Science Center.