Post Office Square, Boston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Post Office Square
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The Langham Hotel is situated along the northeastern edge of the square. Norman B. Leventhal park is also visible in the foreground.
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| Country | United States |
| State |  Massachusetts |
| City | Boston |
| District | Financial District |
| Boundaries | Franklin Street, Congress Street, Milk Street, Pearl Street |
| Historical features | Norman B. Leventhal park |
Post Office Square in Boston, Massachusetts, is a special square that was created in 1874. It is located in Boston's busy financial district. You can find it where Milk, Congress, Pearl, and Water Streets meet. The square got its name in 1874 from the United States Post Office and Sub-Treasury building that used to stand there. Today, the John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse is in its place.
Most of Post Office Square is a beautiful park called Norman B. Leventhal Park. Even though it's privately owned, everyone can visit it. The park is named after Norman B. Leventhal, who helped design it. This park is built right on top of a large underground parking garage, known as "The Garage at Post Office Square." This garage goes down about 80 feet, which was one of the deepest digs in the city at the time! Money earned from parking helps keep the park looking great. The park is about 1.7 acres big and is a favorite spot for people working nearby to eat lunch. It has a small café, pretty fountains, and a pergola around a grassy area. In the summer, you can even get seat cushions to relax! The park was designed by The Halvorson Company and has "125 different kinds of plants."
History of Post Office Square
In the 1700s, the area where Post Office Square is now was home to companies that made ropes. Later, it became a neighborhood with houses, and then a busy area for businesses. A huge fire, called the Great Boston fire of 1872, swept through this area. As the city rebuilt, the spot started to be called Post Office Square. This was because of the new United States Post Office and Sub-Treasury Building that was built facing the square.
In 1874, the main office for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company was built in the square. This building, designed by Nathaniel Bradlee, stood where Norman B. Leventhal Park is today. It was taken down in 1945. A large parking garage was then built in its place, opening in 1954. This garage took up the whole area of the current park.
A famous event happened in Post Office Square in 1964. Lyndon B. Johnson, who would later become president, gave a speech there.
In December 1986, there was a fire at the One Post Office Square building. It happened after most people had left for the day, so the building was safely emptied with only a few people getting hurt.
The large parking garage that was above ground was taken down in 1988. A new garage, built completely underground, opened in 1990. It cost $18 million to build. The park that sits on top of this new underground garage was finished in 1992.
Important Buildings Around the Square
Many important buildings stand around Post Office Square. Here are some of them:
- John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse: This building is a key part of the square.
- New England Telephone and Telegraph Building: This historic building was built in 1947 at 185 Franklin Street. It is being considered as a special Boston Landmark. In 2011, a company bought the building and renamed it "50 Post Office Square." Inside this building, a special lab where the very first telephone was put together has been rebuilt!
- Langham Hotel Boston: This building used to be the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston until 1977. In 1978, it was officially named a Boston Landmark.
- One Post Office Square: Another significant building in the area.
- 100 Federal Street: A tall building that is part of the square's skyline.
- Ten Post Office Square (Atlantic National Bank Building): Built in 1924, this building is also being considered as a Boston Landmark.
