Media Contact:
Shira Burns
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation
[email protected]
617-533-9555
March 5, 2024 – BOSTON – This week the Upham’s Corner neighborhood was designated a historic district and listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.
The neighborhood’s collection of twenty-four late 19th and early 20th century commercial and residential buildings were deemed historically significant and worthy of preservation, as well as resources such as the Dorchester North Burying Ground. The buildings include the Strand Theatre, the S.B. Pierce Building, the Upham’s Corner Market, the Comfort Station, and the Dorchester Savings Bank. The buildings are constructed in architectural styles such as Gothic Revival, Panel Brick, Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival, Classical Revival, Colonial Revival, Mission Revival, and Art Deco. They are now eligible for certain funding incentives intended to encourage preservation.
After Dorchester was first settled in 1630, development of the Upham’s Corner commercial district began to accelerate following the 1897 expansion of Columbia Road, which allowed for travel by streetcar and connected Upham’s Corner to most of Boston through the Emerald Necklace. Large commercial buildings such as the Pierce Building, Dorchester Bay EDC’s home and a historic keystone of the Upham’s Corner business district, were created as the anchors of the neighborhood.
“We are very excited about the designation of Upham’s Corner as a Historic District by the National Park Service,” said Susan Chu, Dorchester Bay EDC Director of Real Estate. “The Historic District branding will shine a spotlight of attention on Upham’s Corner, which is poised for significant growth and investment. This designation would bring more foot traffic and customers to our small businesses, boost our local economy, and bring benefits to property owners, business owners and residents alike.”
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Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC)
Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation (DBEDC) is a community development corporation founded by local civic associations in 1979 to address the problems of economic disinvestment, unemployment, crime, community tensions, and the shortage of quality affordable housing undermining Boston’s North Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods. Over the last 45 years, we have worked in partnership with local leaders and stakeholders to build and preserve 1,200 units of affordable housing and over 164,600 square feet of commercial space, to engage residents in community life, and to support a robust economy through small business support and economic development.
The structures we have built are physical manifestations of our work, but at its core, our work is about strengthening the community, which is made up of the people who live and work in our neighborhoods.
For more information, visit the DBEDC website at www.dbedc.org, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like us on Facebook, connect with us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to our email list.
