What Is Quincy Market?
Originally the Faneuil Hall Market, this marketplace and dining hall was the monumental project of Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy!
What Makes It Historical?
Josiah Quincy III made quite a name for himself in his six 1-year terms as Boston’s mayor from 1823 until 1828! He’d butted heads with the feds for years, from poking holes in the Embargo Act to allow imports of foreign fish to opposing Louisiana’s admission as a state, but it was pretty clear that his field of expertise was at the city level. While he couldn’t handle the enrollment overload at the Boston High School for Girls and shut it down, he did reorganize the police and fire departments, streamline the system for caring for the poor, and arrange for the construction of Quincy Market!
This was a humongous task! After all, Faneuil Hall was on the wharf and he planned to expand it seaward! That meant dumping soil into the sea to build the land outward and bringing in architect, Alexander Parris, to create a market building that could reduce the congestion around the original hall. The cornerstone went down on April 27, 1826, and over the course of a year, the 128-stall building went up, fed by six brand new streets. Astonishingly, all of this was accomplished without new taxes or putting the city in debt! This market was so successful that it ended up being a major food distribution center for most of New England!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of Revolutionary Spaces!
- Donate to the Freedom Trail!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
206 S Market St
Boston, MA 02109
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Quincy Market is open from 10:00 AM until 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday and from 12:00 PM until 6:00 PM on Sundays!
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