The original
Faneuil Hall, constructed as a gift from the businessman
Peter Faneuil, opened in 1742 with a marketplace, which was initially poorly patronized. Faneuil Hall's marketplace saw increased use in the late 18th century. By the 1820s, it had become overcrowded, and the town dock's sewage outflow created a bad stench. Some merchants worked in makeshift open-air booths, while others, unable to even reach the market, had to sell their wares on the street. The street grid was crooked, and the market's merchants generally stayed just 20 years. Shortly afterward, he organized a committee, which suggested erecting a market north of the existing building. The
Boston City Council allocated $15,000 for these plans that June. Quincy aimed for a wider-ranging redevelopment of the neighborhood, and the City Council created a committee for the "Extension of Faneuil Hall Market" that July. Quincy, the chairman of the committee, appointed ten city lawmakers, including the architect
Asher Benjamin. Over the next four months, the committee met with 30 landowners in a area east of Faneuil Hall. Quincy later wrote that it would have taken at least $800,000 to buy out all the landowners. By December 1823, the committee had drawn up plans for a one-story market The holdouts either refused to sell or demanded compensation that the committee found excessive. In January 1824, Benjamin publicly presented plans for a one-story, open-air wooden building in the center, flanked to the north and south by -story brick buildings. The central building was positioned asymmetrically so the Spear site was directly in the path of the southern avenue, making it eligible for eminent-domain acquisition. the
Massachusetts General Court, the commonwealth's legislature, voted in February 1824 to allow eminent domain for non-road purposes. The committee began acquiring land in early 1825, receiving permission to borrow up to $500,000 to compensate landowners. Many holdouts offered to sell, Some of the remaining holdouts owed
back taxes, so the city sent letters to cajole the landlords. Quincy sent eviction notices to property owners in June 1824. along with additional adjacent sites. Benjamin revised the central building's plans, lengthening and enclosing the structure and adding a cellar, The structure's perimeter was being surveyed by August 20.
Modified plans and construction The market committee discarded the original plans on September 6–7, 1824, opting to construct a stone structure for $75,000. Parris designed a two-story stone central building, and he laid out a new street facing the waterfront to the east, Merchants Samuel Hammond and Nathan Faxon bought two disconnected North Market lots in late September, Four groups of buyers acquired three-fourths of the lots, Parris's plans were approved the next week, October 5. Meanwhile, the Spear heirs had been particularly intractable in their refusal to sell their site. As such, Quincy announced plans in December to shift the central building northward, putting the Spear plot in the path of South Market Street; this allowed the land to be acquired through eminent domain.
Gridley Bryant, one of the project's three granite contractors, was tasked with shipping granite down the
Middlesex Canal that February. The South Market lots were sold on March 31 for over $400,000; Relatively few details of the construction timeline are known, though a formal
cornerstone-laying ceremony for the central building took place on April 27, 1825. Work proceeded simultaneously on all three buildings, and the portions of the sites on dry land were excavated. enforced by
deed restrictions on each site. The project also included constructing six streets and relocating the shoreline. Thirteen lenders—including banks, organizations, and private stockholders—supplied funding by purchasing
stock certificates in the marketplace. The North Market was originally supposed to be finished by July 1, 1825, followed by the South Market exactly one year later. As work proceeded, the city hired a surveyor to examine the quality of construction, and the market committee revised the plans multiple times. The central building's framework had reached the roof by mid-1825, although granite deliveries had stalled. The granite was cut to precise dimensions, The western columns were delivered in August 1825, followed by the eastern columns that October, Design details, such as the material used in the coved ceiling, were negotiated during the construction process. The city government reneged on an earlier plan to move into the central building's second floor, and the City Council allowed that space to be used for exhibitions. The central building's completion was delayed by early 1826 due to difficulties in extracting large pieces of granite from Massachusetts quarries, so granite was sourced from other parts of New England.
19th century Opening and 1820s The individual units in the North and South Markets were gradually completed and occupied before the new marketplace's opening. The central building and streets were substantially completed by mid-1826. the City Council named it Faneuil Hall Market while leaving the older building's name unchanged. Licenses for stalls in the central building were sold in July. Following delays caused by the need to repair the nearby
Long Wharf, the complex formally opened on August 26, 1826. The first customer, Paul Wild of
Quincy, Massachusetts, bought a leg of lamb. Work on the central building continued through November, after which the market committee was dissolved. of which the central building had cost $149,159. About three-quarters of the total development cost was recouped via land sales, The complex was commonly known as Quincy Market. Skeptical observers, believing that the market would never reach capacity, originally derided it as "Quincy's Folly", The city kept rental rates low to attract tenants, and it allowed everything except "unwholesome articles" to be sold there. The second floor had exhibition space; The first floors of the North and South Markets had stores, Dry goods merchants comprised many original occupants, but there were also businesses selling clothing,
bric-à-brac, and supplies, along with other businesses that provided services.
1830s to 1850s The streets surrounding the market were renamed multiple times in the late 1820s and early 1830s, The
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association began hosting exhibitions on the central building's second floor in 1837, and a footbridge to Faneuil Hall was built, allowing events to be held across both buildings. The central building's rotunda and Faneuil Hall's meeting room were both known as the Great Hall, creating confusion, despite efforts to remedy the matter. By the late 1830s, one observer described the central building as being frequently crowded on Saturdays, with flowers and foods being arranged throughout. The central building's eastern wing was used by the Ladies' Fair. and it gradually became the Boston government's only profitable business enterprise. The city government turned over the central building's operation in 1842 to a clerk, who decided which merchants could lease space there. Agricultural businesses, sail and awning manufacturers, and restaurants began to crowd out the clothing stores there. and the city considered leasing out stalls via auction, although the latter plan faced opposition and was shelved. The next year, some North and South Market merchants asked the city to relax the deed restrictions so they could expand their structures. The City Council voted in 1855 to allow
dormers in the North and South Markets' roofs. Instead, the old Faneuil Hall's original marketplace reopened in 1858, More than half of the South Market units were expanded, That building was damaged by fire in 1862. By the end of the
American Civil War in the mid-1860s, beef was the main food item sold at Quincy Market. Merchandise there was generally cheaper than in other
Northeastern U.S. cities' markets. At the time, the city collected $53,000 in rental income annually. Although the complex survived the
1872 Boston fire, subsequent development tended to be farther inland (to the west), while the docks to the east were simultaneously being infilled via
land reclamation. One-third of the North Market units had never changed ownership, and neither had half of the South Market units. The second-floor space was occupied by such groups as the Boston Produce Exchange By the 1880s, the food vendors had spread out to the North and South Markets, while farm and seed-related businesses occupied more of the central building. The Produce Exchange's successor, the Chamber of Commerce, partitioned the central building's rotunda into meeting rooms in 1885. There was also competition from nearby marketplaces, which had longer operating hours. In 1902, Colonel F. F. Holbrook proposed extending Broad Street through the site; this would require demolishing parts of each building, which the merchants opposed. Holbrook then proposed relocating the market, but the city government rejected any modifications to the marketplace. The central building received electric lights and refrigerators , and the floor of its first-story corridor was replaced. and used by four tenants. Many seafood merchants moved away after 1914, when the fish industry moved to
South Boston. By the early 1920s, the North and South Markets mostly housed food-related businesses, including restaurants, along with some dry goods stores. The North Market's non-food businesses included stationery stores, telecommunications businesses, barbers, and tailors, and temporary stalls were built outside the North and South Markets while the original Faneuil Hall's market was renovated. The central building was damaged in a May 1925 fire. Afterward, the second floor was partitioned into offices; the roof was rebuilt, though some of its copper was sold off. The rotunda was restored to its original design, becoming additional space for the Boston Fruit and Produce Exchange. The complex hosted a multi-day centennial celebration in September 1926. Profits declined in the 1930s due to the
Great Depression, reduced international trade, and the increasing tendency to deliver goods over land. All three buildings fell into disrepair, and the North and South Markets were partially abandoned. Some merchants in the streets were considering relocating, even as the city loosened restrictions on street vending. which was renovated under a
Public Works Administration project. The work involved fireproofing the interiors One of the South Market stores was destroyed by fire in 1938 and rebuilt.
1940s to mid-1960s The Quincy Market complex's financial decline continued in the 1940s, exacerbated by post-World War II
white flight and the need to travel farther outside Boston for fresh produce. The outdated facilities could not handle growing vehicle traffic, and several roads and highways were being planned nearby. Large parts of the North and South Markets were vacant, The state's Market Authority recommended relocating the Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market marketplaces in 1949, and the
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) endorsed a new central marketplace the next year. This became the South Boston Market Terminal, which opened in 1953. When much of the area was razed in the early 1950s for the
Central Artery highway, the complex escaped demolition. Even with the new terminal and highway, most vendors initially remained at Quincy Market because of its low rent, There were continued calls to relocate the market, and vendors variously suggested constructing a new facility to replace the North or South Markets. The highway eventually did cause vendors to disperse, since it acted as a
Chinese wall, cutting off the market from the waterfront. The remaining vendors had not adapted their businesses to the area's changing needs. The complex was physically in very poor shape, with rat infestations. The North and South Markets were nearly completely abandoned and were so badly neglected that some units were in various states of demolition. At the central building, cracks and dirt were prevalent, and the mechanical systems were outdated. though no redevelopment plans had been publicly presented by the late 1950s. The city's planning board deemed the buildings unsuitable for alternate uses in 1956, but preservationists such as
Walter Muir Whitehill advocated for their retention. At the behest of Mayor
John Hynes, the planning board conducted a study, which suggested redeveloping the area. and a cleanup of the area began the next year. By the mid-1960s, the market's relocation was again being studied. == Faneuil Hall Marketplace ==