Post Office Square and Norman B. Leventhal Park
Why is it significant?
Begin your exploration of Boston's commercial heartbeat in the leafy sanctuary of Post Office Square, formally dedicated as Norman B. Leventhal Park.
Key Facts
| Place | Post Office Square and Norman B. Leventhal Park |
|---|---|
| Address | Post Office Sq, Boston, MA 02109, United States |
| Geo Coordinates | 42.35520, -71.05500 |
| Part of Walk | Financial District, Custom House and Fort Point Channel: Boston's Commercial Waterfront |
| Generated | Generated |
Begin your exploration of Boston's commercial heartbeat in the leafy sanctuary of Post Office Square, formally dedicated as Norman B. Leventhal Park. Encircled by towering steel-and-glass skyscrapers and grand neoclassical bank headquarters, this pristine 1.7-acre park is widely celebrated by urban planners as one of the most successful privately financed public spaces in America.
For nearly four decades, this very site was occupied by a blighted three-story concrete parking garage that cast gloom over the Financial District. In 1982, civic visionary Norman Leventhal mobilized local business leaders to demolish the eyesore, constructing a state-of-the-art fourteen-hundred-car garage entirely underground, capped by this verdant park with fountains, granite walkways, and hundreds of specimen trees.
The park's centerpiece is a graceful garden pavilion draped in flowering wisteria, framing a tranquil reflecting pool and cascading stone fountains whose soothing water sounds drown out the surrounding city traffic. Office workers, financial analysts, and travelers relax on polished teak lawn chairs reading books or enjoying lunches in the fresh air. Historically, this square was the epicenter of the Great Boston Fire of November 9, 1872, the most devastating commercial conflagration in the city's history, which incinerated nearly eight hundred buildings across sixty-five acres in just twelve hours. The disaster prompted the city to rebuild with fireproof granite and brick, creating the imposing architectural canyon you see today.
Standing on the manicured lawn looking upward, the contrast between soft nature and monumental finance is breathtaking. Slender birch trees and vibrant flower beds reflect against polished granite facades, capturing the dynamic resilience of Boston's business core. The peaceful green lawn and the rustling leaves of mature pear trees provide an inspiring sanctuary where Boston's corporate energy meets gracious civic parkland design.
Walk northeast along Milk Street toward the soaring colonial tower of the Custom House.