Bowdoin Street (Boston)

Bowdoin Street was originally called "Middlecott Street," at least as far back as the 1750s. It became "Bowdoin" probably sometime in the early-to-mid-1800s, and was named after the Governor James Bowdoin.

Location and description

Today, Bowdoin sits at the bottom of Beacon Hill. It is mostly a residential street. Topographically, Bowdoin is a hill — terminating at the bottom of Cambridge Street, and at the top of Beacon Street. Ashburton Place, which is a Boston landmark that straddles a plot between Bowdoin and Somerset streets.

Demographics

The residents are mostly upper-middle class. Beacon Hill, known for its apparent snobbery, seems to regard Bowdoin as being a renegade province. But Bowdoin is perhaps one of the safest and well-traveled places in all of Beacon Hill.

There are restaurants, including Grotto (between 33 and 45 Bowdoin) and the Dunkin' Donuts at the corner. Duck-Boat operators' patter refers to the coffee shop as "the only place in town where you can get a cappuccino and sushi at once." (There is the Osaka Sushi place, which shares the building, with the doughnut shop and a deli.)

The building that houses Dunkin' Donuts is under the same ownership as the bar around the corner. The Red Hat, known for its pitchers of Mud Slides and other frozen drinks, is referred to as "Old Scollay's Red Hat."

John the Evangelist Episcopal Church also lies on Bowdoin Street. The structure has survvived since the late 19th century. There is a food bank that the church supports that attracts many people in need, much to the chagrin of some local residents. However, many people who live in the single-room housing on upper Bowdoin also use the food bank.

Bowdoin Square was put to rest in about 1955, but lives on as a subway station, called appropriately, "Bowdoin." It is at one end of the Blue Line of the MBTA. Local Government Center replaced much of what was Scollay Square in about 1975. The main feature of Government Center is Boston City Hall. There is also an open mall of sorts, called "Center Plaza." It takes a half-moon shape, and contains about forty-or-so establishments.

Bowdoin Street is serviced by the MBTA blue line, and is the inbound terminus for this line. Not all trains stop here, however, as about half of them terminate at Government Center.