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Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC)

Government and Organizational Resources
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cultural resource index
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City of Boston Departments and Commissions
Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC)
One City Hall Square
Room 709
Boston, MA 02201
(617) 635-3850
BLC@boston.gov
https://www.boston.gov/departments/landmarks-commission

The Boston Landmarks Commission, along with the volunteer local Historic District Commissions, serve as the City’s steward of Boston’s historic buildings, places, and neighborhoods. The BLC and the Commissions are part of the city’s Environment Department, and provide information and assistance concerning the regulatory process, historic preservation planning, archaeology, sources for historical information, and technical assistance. This is the city agency that manages regulations, such as landmark protections and demolition delay, as well as consulting with other city agencies on preservation-related issues.

The BLC’s searchable map includes historic (landmark) districts, individual landmarks, pending landmarks, and protection areas.

The BLC has compiled an extensive Cultural Resource Inventory (CRI), which is a library of survey forms describing properties located throughout the City of Boston. A list of the types of buildings and neighborhoods that are covered in the CRI follows.

Boston Landmarks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Available Boston-wide Inventories of specific types of buildings include 

  • Archdiocesan Buildings
  • Church Closing Survey Forms
  • Industrial Survey

Neighborhood Inventories

  • Allston-Brighton
  • Bay State Road
  • Bay Village
  • Beacon Hill – North Slope
  • Beacon Hill – South Slope
  • Beacon Hill – Flat of the Hill
  • Boston University Survey
  • Boylston Street (Back Bay)
  • Central Business District
  • Charles Street Signage (Beacon Hill)
  • Charlestown
  • Chinatown
  • Dorchester – 17th Century Survey
  • Dorchester/Mattapan
  • Dorchester – Meetinghouse Hill
  • East Boston
  • Fenway/Kenmore
  • Fort Point Channel
  • Hyde Park
  • Jamaica Plain
  • Mission Hill
  • Mission Hill Triangle
  • Newbury Street (Back Bay)
  • North End
  • Roxbury
  • South Boston
  • St. Botolph
  • Stuart Street Corridor (Back Bay)
  • Theater District
  • Washington Street (South End)
  • West Roxbury/Roslindale

Also available at the Boston Landmarks Commission are design review files for Landmarks and Landmark Districts, Article 85 Demolition Delay files, study reports, Landmark petition files and National Register nomination forms. If you would like to view these files, you must call the BLC office and make an appointment with the appropriate staff person.  Study reports are produced for properties considered to be made landmarks and are available online at BLC Study Reports.

Other Resources

2022 Annual Report

Preservation in transition.

2021 Annual Report: Redefining Preservation

It’s time to redefine preservation.

2020 Alliance Annual Report

There is always more to the story. 

Statement on Monuments and Memorials

On June 2 the Boston Preservation Alliance released a brief statement of our solidarity with the

2019 Alliance Annual Report

Together we make Boston better. 

2018-2019 Alliance Annual

In this 51 page booklet, we highlight Preservation Achievement Award winning projects, Boston pho

250 Years of Home Architecture in Boston

Take a virtual walk down history lane and explore great neighborhoods–including Beacon Hill, Dorc

Boston Groundwater Trust Video Series

In 2018, The Boston Groundwater Trust debuted a series of award winning informational videos abou

Longwood Medical and Academic Area (LMA) Historic Properties Survey—Final Report

The Boston Preservation Alliance received mitigation funds from Boston Children’s Hospital to upd

Boston Harborwalk—A Public Access Map of Boston’s Coastline

The Boston Harborwalk is a nearly 40-mile public waterfront walkway that winds through Boston’s w

The Greenest Building: Quantifying the Environmental Value of Building Reuse

Until now, little has been known about the climate change reductions that might be offered by reu

Back Bay Houses

Boston’s Back Bay is a miracle of preservation.

Piano Row: Cycles of History

Piano Row: Cycles of History is an original film documentary about the evolution of Bost

Historic Ladder Blocks—An Endangered Resource in Downtown Boston

With no local protection or means of preventing demolition, the Ladder Blocks are at great risk o

Boston Modern: The Spirit of Reinvention

Boston Modern: The Spirit of Reinvention events and booklet are part of the Modern Module program

Boston's Changing Neighborhoods

On February 4, 2016 the Boston Preservation Alliance hosted an Urban Forum: “Boston’s Changi

Easements as a Tool for Preservation

Here in Boston there are a few ways we can protect a building or other historic resource.

City of Boston Archives The City Archives houses and manages historic City records and documents that are no longer in active use, including photographs, plans, deeds, maps and other documents. You’d be surprised by the wide range of historic materials that can inform your understanding of the history of Boston and its neighborhoods and buildings.
Neighborhood Preservation Workshops

The Boston Preservation Alliance’s Neighborhood Preservation Workshop was a pilot program that ra

Inspectional Services Department (ISD) The ISD enforces building and housing regulations. Permits applications for building, modifying, or demolishing a building are submitted to this department. Vacant and foreclosed properties are registered with the ISD, which includes documentation and photographs.
Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) The BPDA is Boston’s planning and economic development agency. They work with other City departments and organizations on a wide range of planning and development initiatives. Development projects are subject to comment periods and public processes. The BPDA plays a far reaching role in shaping the City.
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