Boston, MA 02114
West End Real Estate
Riverfront towers, Mass General and TD Garden, with the Otis House and Old West Church
Updated
- ZIP codes
- 02114
- Getting around
- North Station (Orange and Green Lines, commuter rail), Science Park/West End (Green Line), Charles/MGH (Red Line) and Bowdoin (Blue Line)
- Typical homes
- Mid-century high-rise condos and apartments, newer towers near North Station and a few surviving 19th-century buildings
Few Boston neighborhoods were reshaped as completely as the West End. Starting in 1958, a city urban renewal project cleared dozens of acres of tenements and rowhouses between Cambridge Street and the Charles River, and the Charles River Park towers, designed under architect Victor Gruen, rose in their place in the 1960s. A handful of older buildings survived, including the Harrison Gray Otis House and the Old West Church on Cambridge Street.
Today the neighborhood is framed by Massachusetts General Hospital on one side and TD Garden and North Station on the other. Nashua Street Park and the Charlesbank end of the Esplanade line the river, and the Museum of Science sits at Science Park. With four subway lines plus commuter rail at the edges, getting around rarely requires a car.
The West End Museum on Staniford Street tells the story of the neighborhood before and after urban renewal, and it is a good first stop for anyone curious about how the streets they are walking came to look the way they do.
Where the West End is
Living in the West End
What makes the West End special
Federal-era survivors
The Harrison Gray Otis House of 1796, designed by Charles Bulfinch, and the 1806 Old West Church still stand on Cambridge Street.
Charles River edge
Nashua Street Park and the Esplanade's Charlesbank section, home to the Gronk Playground, sit on the riverbank, with paths connecting upriver and across to Cambridge.
Major institutions
Massachusetts General Hospital, TD Garden and the Museum of Science anchor the neighborhood's edges and its daily foot traffic.
Four subway lines
North Station, Science Park/West End, Charles/MGH and Bowdoin together reach the Orange, Green, Red and Blue Lines.
West End Museum
A small museum on Staniford Street documenting the neighborhood's history, its urban renewal and the community that rebuilt around it.
The Market
West End homes & real estate
Most West End housing sits in tall buildings. The Charles River Park complex of the 1960s set the pattern with towers and mid-rise blocks spread across superblocks, and later projects such as West End Place on Staniford Street added more condominiums. Around North Station and the Bulfinch Triangle, a newer generation of residential towers and converted warehouse buildings has extended the neighborhood toward the Zakim Bridge, while a few older brick buildings remain along Cambridge Street.
Because so much of the stock is in large buildings, comparing homes here is often about comparing associations, including monthly fees and what they cover, reserve funds, concierge and amenity packages, garage parking and rental policies. River and city views can differ sharply between floors and sides of the same building. If you would like recent West End sales matched to a particular building or floor plan, reach out and we can walk you through them.
Helpful guides: Renting in BostonFirst-time buyer guideHow offers work in MassachusettsMortgage options by property typeSelling a house in Massachusetts
Getting around: Blue Line guideGreen Line guideRed Line guide
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What ZIP codes cover the West End?
The West End is in ZIP code 02114, which it shares with the northern side of Beacon Hill.
How do you get to downtown Boston from the West End?
Government Center and Downtown Crossing are a short walk or one or two subway stops away. Bowdoin on the Blue Line, North Station on the Orange and Green Lines, and Charles/MGH on the Red Line all sit at the neighborhood's edges.
What types of homes are for sale in the West End?
Most homes are condominiums and apartments in high-rise and mid-rise buildings, from the 1960s Charles River Park towers to newer buildings near North Station and the Bulfinch Triangle.
What is the West End known for?
It is known for Massachusetts General Hospital, TD Garden, the Museum of Science and its history as the site of one of Boston's largest urban renewal clearances, recorded at the West End Museum.
What happened to the old West End?
Beginning in 1958, much of the neighborhood was taken by eminent domain and demolished for urban renewal, and the Charles River Park development replaced it. The Otis House and Old West Church are among the few earlier buildings that remain.
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