BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM A- AREA SURVEY MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, State House, Boston Form numbers in this area TH-47 to TH-52 Area no. E 1. Town Boston (CBD-Theatre Area) Name of area (if any) Beach/Knapp Dstuut Washington St. %. Photo (3x3" or 3x5) Staple to left side of form Photo number 3. General date or period Late 19th and early 20th century 4. Is area uniform (explain): in style? no (predominently Victorian Commercial Style) in condition? no (good to fair condition in type of ownership? yes (private) - - in use? no (commercial/ light manufacturing) 5. Map. Use space below to draw a general map of the area involved. Indicate any historic properties for which individual reports are completed on Forms B thru F, using corres- ponding numbers. Show street names (including route numbers, if any) and indicate north.
Indicate with an '*" existing houses not inventoried on Form B. Beach Street N 3950 TH- 47 TH-48 TH- 49 7193 Th -50 CENTER THEATRE 12,420 8443 STUART THEATRE 800 co 12 Kneeland Street 1313 1429 TH-52 1647 163/ KNAPP 25 ST. 259/ 20 24 26 28 30 3234 843 36 40 75 Harrison Avenue DO NOT WRITE IN THIS SPACE USGS Quadrant 6. Recorded by_ Pamela Fox MHC Photo no. Organization Date June, 1979 Boston Landmarks Commiss (over) NOV 7 1980 5M-2-75-R061465 7. Historical data. Explain the historical/architectural importance of this area. 8. Bibliography and/or references such as local histories, deeds, assessor's records, early maps, etc.
Boston City Directories FHR-8-300A (11/78) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR HCRS USE ONLY RECETVED NOV71980 DATE ENTERED Ucu 9 CONTI NUATION SHEET Bibliographical ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE Beach/Knapp Area Form The Beach/Knapp District is composed of six buildings located on two side streets between the "Adult Entertainment Zone" of lower Washington Street and the Harrison Avenue edge of Chinatown and the Garment District. The buildings reflect the historical develop- ment of the area from residential to mixed commercial and light industrial/warehouse uses and are architecturally significant as fine examples of particular building types.
During the 1830's and 40's,the Beach/Knapp area was predominantly residential, and the modest Greek Revival rowhouses at 5 & 7 Knapp (TH-50 and TH-51) survive from this earlier period. Because of the nearby Boston to Albany and 0ld Colony Railroad ter- minals, the Washington Street area was also a popular location for hotels. One such hotel, the "Shakespearian Inn" remains at 7-15 Beach Street (TH-47). The other three buildings, 17-23 and 25-29 Beach and 9-23 Knapp (TH-48, TH-49, TH-52) are representative of the light manufacturing activity which gradually moved into the area after the Great Fire of 1872, which resulted in displacement from the city center of more marginal whole- sale and light industrial uses, particularly those related to Boston's clothing industry. Little is known about the specific uses of these three buildings except that two were originally owned by Andrew G.
Weeks, a partner in a large and prosperous wholesale drug company, and the third was owned by Week's son, Warren P. Weeks, a real estate broker. The three "loft" buildings are architecturally significant as fine examples of the Victorian Commercial Style. Those at 17-23 Beach (TH-48) and 9-23 Knapp (TH-52) were designed by the nationally known firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge. 9-23 Knapp is particularly indebted to the Richardsonian tradition in its simple massing and multi- story arcades. The remodelled Shakespearian Inn (TH-47) has several architectural features which are unique in the Central Business District, including three 4-story metal oriel windows, elaborate cast iron capitals, and a cast iron plaque of William Shakespeare.
FHR-8-300A (11/78) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HERITAGE CONSERVATION AND RECREATION SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM FOR HCRS USE ONLY RECEIVED DATEENTERED CONTINUATION SHEET Bibliographical ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE Area E: Beach/Knapp District Acreage: 2/5ths of an acre UTM Reference #: 19/330140/4690600 Boundary Justification: The boundary line was drawn around four buildings considered of high architectural quality with 19th century characteristics (7-15, 17-23 and 25-29 Beach seriecting the a Keaps Strfier nifetehetPreenturg aedidekerap Staradtwere also included, List of Buildings: (all considered contributing): TH-47 7-15 Beach Street - (Shakespearian Inn) (c. 1885, remodelled 1897 by F. Hartwel1) 5-story tan brick Renaissance Revival building with unusual 4-story oriels. Remodelled into "Shakespearian Inn" in 1897.
TH-48 17-23 Beach Street - (1906, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge) 8-story brick Commercial Style "loft" building. TH-49 25-29 Beach Street - (1885, Wait andCutter) 6-story brick Commerical style "Toft" building constructed for light manufacturing use. TH-50 5 Knapp Street - (c. 1835-39) 3½-story vernacular brick Greek Revival dwelling raised to 4 stories and given commercial storefront. TH-51 TH-52 7 Knapp Street - (c. 1835) 3-story vernacular brick Greek Revival dwelling. 9-23 Knapp Street - (1889, Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge) 6-story Romanesque Reviva1/Commercial Style brick "loft" building. 9. Major Bibliographical References See continuation sheets, Section 9 UTM NOT VERFLD AOTEAGE NOT VERFIED 10.
Geographical Data see individual and area forms Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name - Boston South UMT References A11,9 Zone CLL EL1 G Quadrangle scale 1"=25,000' 3/29/940 Easting LLL 4690650 Northing HLLLL HLLLL Zone LLLL astin DLL FLIJ LLILILI LALL Northing LLLLL LILILLL HLULLIL Verbal boundary description and justification The southern boundary of the Theatre Area starts at a oint on Washington St., 520' south of the intersection of Kneeland & Washington. From this point it uns due west along an arbitrary straight Tine to a point on Charles St. South 442' south of Stuart treet. From thence it follows Charles St. South one block north to the intersection of Stuart St., List all states and counties for properties overlapping state or county boundaries state code county code state code county code 11.
Form Prepared By name/title Candace Jenkins, Registration Director by Boston FOX Landmarks Commission organization Massachusetts Historical Commission street & number 294 Washington Street date telephone - (617) 727-8470 city or town Boston, state MA 02108 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89 665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according tothe criteriaand procedures set forthby the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.
State Historic Preservation Officer signature ahuahWeslrski 10/20/80 title For HCRS use only hereby certify- toat this property is included in the National Register till. eeper of she National Register Attest: atudn - ndlus yChief of Registration - date date date 12-7/82 12/4/80 GP O 938 835 Property Baston Sheatre Muttipl Resonce lea State Suffolk Morking Number /1, 7.80,2281 TECHNICAL DUE 1/1/81 CONTROL Photos Maps 4/3 Tis muttipe resounce area is significant fer the quality dts architectn HISTORIAN nd foi ets assoccalion wilh the development of the important hostan music industu darowth o the theater/maire house industry. Thedretriets and individual brildings acept chieved sighificanee between c. 1890ad the 1930s- contained inthis m.R.A.
au Patrick Andus igrificant proups g lao19th/ealy zothcent- commercial brüldings, the center 22/4/80 ;the musce industry (especially piano manufacturing) and ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN yamples ofevery laind of theater that develghed in Beston in this period. This is a good multiple esource nomination -they hove included all the reguired calegores gungormalion . ARCHEOLOGIST OTHER HAER Inventory. Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry 2.2.87 Send-back Re-submit Entered _DEC 9 1980 UnitedStates Departmentof the Interior - Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service KING WAH RESiAURAN Boston, MA Historic Resources of the Boston Theatre Area DEC 9 1980 Pamela Fox, April & May, 1979 Negative at Boston Landmarks Commis- sion, Boston, MA NOV 7 1980 Photo #4 of 15, Beach/Knapp District, 7-15, 17-23, & 25-29 Beach St.
Beach/ Krapp Dstrict, 7-15, 17-23- 25-27 Beach st, Baston MA HAMBUR Boston, MA Historic Resources of the Boston Theatre Area 9 1980 Pamela Fox, April & May, 1979 Negative at Boston Landmarks Commis- sion, Boston, MA Photo #5 of 15, Beach/Knapp District, 5,7 and 9-23 Knapp St. NOV 7 1980 Beach/Knapp Dstnct, 5,7 + 9-23 Knapp St, Boston mA KING WAH Beuch-Kmapp Pestmit Bassten Theato MRt Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000272