Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Washington Bronze
Why is it significant?
Step onto the central gravel promenade of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, universally recognized as one of the grandest urban boulevards in the world.
Key Facts
| Place | Commonwealth Avenue Mall and Washington Bronze |
|---|---|
| Address | Commonwealth Ave at Arlington St, Boston, MA 02116, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.35280, -71.07250 |
| Part of Walk | Back Bay, Copley Square and Commonwealth Avenue Mall: Boston's Victorian Grandeur |
| Generated | Generated |
Step onto the central gravel promenade of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, universally recognized as one of the grandest urban boulevards in the world. Designed in 1856 by architect Arthur Gilman and inspired directly by the majestic avenues of Haussmann's Paris, this 240-foot-wide boulevard stretches for nearly two miles through the heart of the Back Bay, centered on an eighty-foot-wide landscaped parkway shaded by a double canopy of mature American elms.
Anchoring the entrance of the mall at the Public Garden border stands the colossal bronze equestrian statue of George Washington, created by celebrated Boston sculptor Thomas Ball and unveiled in 1869. Considered one of the finest equestrian statues in the world, the bronze shows General Washington calmly holding the reins of his charger, gesturing with quiet dignity.
Framing both sides of the boulevard is an unbroken wall of opulent four- and five-story Victorian residential mansions, built between 1860 and 1900 in an eclectic parade of French Second Empire, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Romanesque Revival styles. Strict municipal building covenants required all homes to be set back twenty feet from the street, constructed of fireproof brick and stone, and capped with mansard roofs to ensure uniform architectural grandeur. As you walk down the shady central path past marble benches, gas lamps, and historic statues honoring revolutionary patriots and literary figures, the atmosphere evokes the golden age of Boston's Gilded Age aristocracy.
Looking down the long green vista of arching elm branches stretching into the distance, you appreciate the sheer scale of the Back Bay engineering project: over six hundred acres of tidal mudflats were systematically filled between 1857 and 1882 using trainloads of gravel brought from Needham, creating America's finest Victorian urban ensemble.
Walk north along Berkeley Street to the Gibson House Museum on Beacon Street.