March 17, 2022 1772 Foundation Awards HBI grant for Old Corner Bookstore
Historic Boston was honored to receive a grant of $50,000 from the 1772 Foundation this month to support planned repairs and preservation investments at the 1718 Old Corner Bookstore in downtown Boston.
The funding will be devoted to upcoming roof repair and masonry repairs, to be undertaken this summer. This work is part of a projected $2.5 million of work required on the building over the next two to three years.
An official site on Boston’s Freedom Trail, the Old Corner Bookstore is downtown Boston’s oldest commercial building. Built on the site of Anne Hutchinson’s home after a major fire swept through the colonial town, the Old Corner Bookstore was a house and apothecary shop in the 18th century, but is best known for its literary associations as the publishing house of Ticknor and Fields. Many of the 19th century’s great authors’ works were published from this location including Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays, Longfellow’s poetry, Thoreau’s Walden, and Hawthorne’s Scarlett Letter. Ticknor and Fields were also the official American publisher of Dickens’ works.
Historic Boston was founded to save the Old Corner Bookstore in 1960 and continues to own and steward the property. Over the last year, HBI has been working with Gale Associates to assess the building’s condition and has isolated a near-term scope of work totaling $750,000 that must be completed in summer 2022.
We are grateful to the 1772 for their generosity to HBI. We look forward to keeping you apprised of upcoming work on the Old Corner Bookstore.