Beacon Hill, Boston | Exploring Boston’s Most Famous Historic Neighborhood
With its brick, ivy, cobblestones, and historic style, the neighborhood of Beacon Hill, Boston is a favorite spot to stroll for both tourists and residents.
Welcome to Beacon Hill, Boston historic beauty at its finest.
Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
In 1979, Yankee Magazine advised readers that walking, not driving, through the Boston neighborhood of Beacon Hill was the only way to really savor the historic district’s character and appreciate the generations of “scholars, builders, statesmen, and seafarers” who have made Beacon Hill, Boston, their home over the years. I couldn’t agree more.
Below are a collection of images from one of my Beacon Hill strolls, of which there were many during my years of living in Boston. These photos were taken in early October, when the New England weather is at its most glorious, with summer greens and fall oranges sharing the limelight with Beacon Hill’s stately brick, ivy, and cobblestones. Because Beacon Hill businesses and residents must abide by the rules of its strict, preservation-minded civic association, Beacon Hill can sometimes feel more like a movie set than real life. I’m not sure how much fun this is for them, but for the visitor, it’s city time-travel at its finest. A stroll around Beacon Hill, Boston, is never the same stroll twice, so don’t miss it!
Does Beacon Hill Have Brownstones? Just What Are Brownstones?
I always thought that brick row townhouses in Beacon Hill were brownstones, but after this post was first promoted, I learned (from you) that they’re not! Real brownstones are made from sandstone, not brick. Personally, I think the brick looks better than the brownstone sandstone. What do you think?
Exploring Beacon Hill, Boston
Beacon Hill, Boston, in early October offers a pleasant mix of summer and fall. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerBrick, brick everywhere. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerSigns of fall color in Beacon Hill. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerWhen strolling Beacon Hill, don’t forget to enjoy the many colorful stoops, doorways, and window boxes. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerBeacon Hill’s exclusive Louisburg Square is a private square bordered by early 19th-century Georgian houses. It’s currently home to John Kerry and Teresa Heinz, and is the former address of novelist William Dean Howells and the Alcott family (including daughter Louisa May of Little Women fame). Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerLouisburg Square is considered one of the most expensive residential neighborhoods in the country. In recent years, on the rare occasion a property has come up for sale, it has sold for at least eleven million dollars. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerBrick meets ivy in Beacon Hill. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerAdmiring the doors of Beacon Hill throughout the seasons is one of the many reasons to make return visits. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerI am in love with the beautiful details in the fanlight of this Federal doorway. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerAnd the cheerful red door and orange mums here. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerThen again, everything about this doorway is swoon-worthy. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerTidy rectangle lights for this door. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerDespite the abundance of brick and stone, you’ll find plenty of greenery in Beacon Hill. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerOf course, Beacon Hill brick is hard to avoid. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerBrick meets cobblestones meets pavement. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerThe neighborhood is so popular with tourists, it’s helpful to know where NOT to tread. Then again, even this sign has such delightful patina it’s worth photographing. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerTypical Beacon Hill, Boston. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerI’m not sure what’s more charming — the “74 1/2” or that it’s “the hidden house.” Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerIs this Beacon Hill or Middle Earth? This 9 1/2 address reminds me more of a hobbit house than a modern city apartment. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerThe gorgeous Charles Street Meeting House was built during the first decade of the 19th-century for the Third Baptist Church. Before the Civil War, it hosted many notable anti-slavery speakers, including Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman, and later served as the First African Methodist Episcopal Church. Today, the meeting house is a stop on the Boston Black Heritage Trail. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerThe often-admired Queen Anne-style “Sunflower Castle” house in Beacon Hill. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerGreen leaves meet fallen leaves. Photo Credit : Aimee TuckerEver wanted a peek inside a Beacon Hill townhouse? A classic grand Federal with a view of the State House, the Nichols House Museum on Mount Vernon Street (once described by former resident Henry James as “the only respectable street in America”) is the only Beacon Hill townhouse open to the public. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
Have you ever visited historic Beacon Hill, Boston?
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
