South End

The South End Tour starts at Back Bay Station, goes down Massachusetts Avenue, and then works its way back up and across to the Boston Center for the Arts. The tour presents a wide diversity of women, from mid-nineteenth through the twentieth centuries, particularly a flourishing African American community and their organizations. It takes us to two impressive sculptures, crafted by women, honors the area’s immigrant populations including the newest group, the Latino community, and presents the work of women in settlement houses, hospitals, and schools.

A Victorian neighborhood, the South End was laid out in 1801 by architect Charles Bulfinch and built on filled land. It is a designated Landmark District featuring brick and brownstone row houses, cast iron fences and railings, and streets with center parks. The South End is home to an active arts community, as well as restaurants, cafés, and shops.