Greenville Street Historic District facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Greenville Street Historic District
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 Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | 2, 6-25 Greenville St., Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts |
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| NRHP reference No. | 100006134 |
| Added to NRHP | February 11, 2021 |
The Greenville Street Historic District is a special area in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It's a historic district, which means it's a place with important old buildings. These buildings show different styles of architecture. The district is also known for big projects in the 1960s and 1970s that helped improve the neighborhood. This historic district was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Discovering Greenville Street's History
Greenville Street is found just east of Roxbury's Nubian Square. It stretches from Dudley Street down to Winthrop Street. The street is mostly filled with homes. You can see different kinds of houses here. Some are made of wood for one or many families. Others are brick apartment buildings. They were built from the mid-1800s to the late 1900s.
Only one building, at 2 Greenville Street, is not just for homes. It also faces Dudley Street. You can find some cool old houses from the 1800s. For example, the Hall-Bowen House at #7 was built in 1850. The Arthur Webster House at #25 was built in 1885. And the Abigail G. House at #15 dates back to 1847.
How Greenville Street Grew
Before 1833, the land where Greenville Street is now was farmland. Then, a developer bought the land. They divided it into smaller pieces for building houses. Construction started in the 1840s. That's when the oldest homes on the street were built.
Roxbury became part of Boston in 1868. This helped the area grow. Dudley Square, now called Nubian Square, also became very important. It was a big shopping area and a place where many streetcars met.
Community Efforts and Renewal
Over time, more and more African-American families moved into the area. After World War II, some property owners stopped investing in their buildings. This meant the houses and streets needed a lot of care.
To help the neighborhood, people started "urban renewal" projects. This means they worked to improve and rebuild parts of the city. In 1971, a group called Lawrenceville Associates was formed. Denis Blackett, who used to work for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, led this group.
They worked hard to fix up two buildings at 21-23 and 22-24 Greenville. They also built new homes at 12-16 and 19 Greenville. All these homes were meant to be affordable housing for families. These efforts helped make Greenville Street a better place to live.
