Richardson Block Study Report

On December 1, 2023, the Boston Landmarks Commission posted a study report on the proposed designation of the Richardson Block as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, as amended.

The Richardson Block is historically significant at the local, state, and regional levels for its associations with the development of New England’s nationally prominent leather industry, which was headquartered in Boston. The Richardson Block is also architecturally significant:

as an extraordinary example of a unified architectural composition for an entire city block of commercial buildings
as a rare example of small-scale, Neo-Grec architecture
for its use of a marble façade on a mercantile building, and
as the accomplishment of a nationally known architect, William G. Preston.

Large-scale redevelopment in the Central Business District poses a threat to the survival of this intimately proportioned historic block.

Read Richardson Block Study Report

The study report and landmark designation was affirmatively voted at a public hearing on December 12, 2023.