Huntington Avenue

Huntington Avenue. A major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts, it serves as a critical cultural, educational, and transportation corridor. Stretching from the Back Bay to the Brookline line, the avenue is renowned for its concentration of academic institutions, world-class museums, and performing arts venues. Its development in the late 19th and early 20th centuries transformed the area from a marshy backwater into a hub of Gilded Age grandeur and intellectual life.

History

The avenue's history is deeply tied to the filling of the Back Bay Fens and the expansion of Boston's streetcar suburbs in the late 19th century. It was named for Ralph Huntington, a local merchant and railroad investor. The construction of the original Boston Opera House and the adjacent Symphony Hall around 1900 established the avenue as the city's premier cultural district, known as the Avenue of the Arts. Significant development was spurred by the Boston Elevated Railway and institutions like the New England Conservatory. The avenue later became a key part of Route 9, connecting Boston to the western suburbs.

Geography and description

The avenue begins at a complex intersection with Tremont Street and Stuart Street in the Back Bay, near the Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. It runs southwest, skirting the Back Bay Fens and the Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The street passes through the Longwood Medical and Academic Area and the Fenway–Kenmore neighborhood before terminating at the Brookline line, where it continues as Route 9 toward Newton. The streetscape is characterized by a mix of historic Beaux-Arts buildings, modern academic facilities, and high-rise apartments.

Transportation

Historically served by streetcars of the Boston Elevated Railway, it is now a primary transit corridor for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The underground Green Line's E branch runs in a dedicated median for much of its length, with key stations at Northeastern University, Museum of Fine Arts, and Longwood Medical Area. Numerous MBTA bus routes, including the 39 bus, also traverse the avenue. It is a major artery for vehicular traffic as part of Route 9, connecting to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway.

Points of interest

The avenue is densely packed with iconic institutions. The Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum anchor its eastern end. The performing arts are represented by Symphony Hall, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, and the Berklee College of Music. Major academic anchors include Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. The Christian Science Plaza, with its Mother Church and Mapparium, is a notable architectural landmark. The avenue also passes near Fenway Park and the hospitals of the Longwood Medical and Academic Area.

In popular culture

The avenue has served as a backdrop in numerous films and literary works, often emblematic of Boston's academic and cultural life. It features prominently in the setting of Richard Russo's novel *Straight Man* and is referenced in the works of Dennis Lehane. The area around Symphony Hall and the Christian Science Plaza has been filmed for movies like *The Thomas Crown Affair* and *The Firm*. The annual Head of the Charles Regatta finishes near its western terminus, and the avenue's institutions are frequently cited in narratives about Boston.

Category:Streets in Boston Category:Transportation in Massachusetts