About the Boston Public Market

Imagine fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby farms, poultry, eggs and dairy products - plus fish and seafood from Boston and New England ports! Fresh-from-the oven bakery goods, maple syrup, honey, preserves and dozens more specialty food items from local producers. An indoor year round public market could also offer colorful cut flowers, plants, nursery products, wreaths and floral decorations for every occasion and holiday season.

Imagine a market that offers locally grown, healthy, affordable fresh food.

Imagine a landmark that serves as a meeting place for all Bostonians and a showcase for the area's diverse products. Imagine a place of food, fun and festivity, where rural and urban exchange occurs; where shoppers learn and even see how their food is produced, where Bostonians and visitors can enjoy a taste of the seasons and experience the spirit of the region.

Imagine a place that opens new windows of opportunity for farmers, vendors and artisans, where ethnic goods are sold and cultural exchanges take place each day, where civic conversations begin and dialogue grows.

Imagine that the setting for all of this is a truly public space. Imagine a Boston public market.

Our Historic Roots

Two and one-half centuries ago, Boston had such a place: Faneuil Hall, a marketplace and public meeting hall in the center of town, built in 1742 by Boston's wealthiest merchant, Peter Faneuil, and presented as a gift to the city. Home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, Faneuil Hall also provided a platform for some of the country's greatest orators, including Samuel Adams, George Washington, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Susan B. Anthony.

A Boston tradition, reborn

As trade flourished in the early 1800s, a spacious new adjunct, Quincy Market, was erected in the shadow of Faneuil Hall, and the complex remained a vital commercial hub well into the 20th century. But by the 1950s, the buildings had fallen into disrepair and the once-thriving marketplace faced demolition. In the early 1970s a committed group of Bostonians sought to revitalize the old market. They succeeded in creating the country's first festival marketplace but did not bring back Boston's traditional public market.

Today, Boston has more than twenty seasonal, open-air farmers markets, the two most prominent at City Hall and in Copley Square. But after two and one-half centuries, the city has lost its year-round central marketplace. Citizens, community groups, restaurants and government agencies have expressed enthusiasm for a Boston venue that serves as an outlet for Massachusetts farm and food products and as a support for local entrepreneurial activities.

Studies have established the viability of such a project. It is time for Boston to re-establish a public market that operates year-round, from a permanent and prominent home.