Bay Village, Boston

The Cocoanut Grove fire, which took place in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on November 28, 1942, was the second-deadliest single-building fire in U.S. history, claiming 492 lives. The Cocoanut Grove was one of Boston's most popular nightspots, attracting many celebrity visitors. It was owned by Barnet "Barney" Welansky, who was closely connected to the Mafia and to Mayor Maurice J. Tobin. Fire regulations had been flouted: some exit-doors had been locked to prevent unauthorized entry, and the elaborate palm tree décor contained flammable materials. The air-conditioning used flammable gas due to wartime shortage of freon. During the first Thanksgiving weekend since the U.S. had entered World War II the Grove was filled to more than twice its legal capacity. The fire was initiated by an electrical short and fueled by methyl chloride in the air conditioning unit. Flames and smoke spread rapidly through all areas of the club, and people were unable to escape due in part to locked exit doors. Blame was directed at Welansky for violation of standards; he served nearly four years in jail before being released just weeks before his death. Local hospitals were especially well prepared to treat the casualties having been rehearsing emergency drills in response to possible wartime attacks on the East Coast. The crisis demonstrated the value of the new blood banks and stimulated important advances in the treatment of burn victims. Following the tragedy, many new laws were enacted for public establishments, including the banning of flammable decorations, a provision that emergency exits must be kept unlocked (from the inside), and that revolving doors cannot be the sole egress.

The House at 1 Bay Street is an historic house at 1 Bay Street in the Bay Village neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Dubbed the "tiniest house in Boston", it is a small 2+1⁄2-story brick structure, with a side gable roof and a brick foundation, occupying a lot of just 650 square feet (60 m2). Its front facade is two bays (and about 20 feet (6.1 m)) wide, with the entrance recessed under an arch in the left bay, and sash windows in the other bays. The house was built in 1830 by Benjamin Bosworth, and is a well-preserved example of Federal style.The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Downtown Boston is the central business district of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The city of Boston was founded in 1630. The largest of the city's commercial districts, Downtown is the location of many corporate or regional headquarters; city, county, state and federal government facilities; and many of Boston's tourist attractions. Similar to other central business districts in the U.S., Downtown has recently undergone a transformation that included the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses. It is represented in the Boston City Council by District 2's Bill Linehan. Downtown is bound by the Back Bay, North End, Beacon Hill, and the South End areas. It includes Government Center and the Financial District.The area that is now Downtown Boston constituted much of the town/city proper prior to the city's dramatic expansion in the 1860s and 1870s. The Great Boston Fire of 1872 destroyed much of the neighborhood, especially between Summer, Washington, and Milk Streets. In the 1950s the Central Artery highway began operating, until the Big Dig (1982-2007) relocated it underground. In the 1960s and 1970s the enormous new Government Center complex replaced Scollay Square. Landmarks in Downtown Boston include the Greenway, Custom House Tower, City Hall, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Old State House, Old South Meeting House, Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Boston Common, and Boston Public Garden.Educational institutions located downtown include Emerson College and Suffolk University. The four MBTA subway lines converge in the downtown area at the Downtown Crossing, Park Street, Government Center, and State stations. South Station is a transportation hub with subway, commuter rail, intercity bus, and Amtrak service.

Statler Fountain is a 1930 fountain designed by Ulysses Anthony Ricci, installed in Boston's Statler Park, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The Art Deco fountain features a bronze statue of a woman. It was surveyed as part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993.

The Park Square Theatre was a theatre in Park Square in Boston, Massachusetts, designed by architect Clarence Blackall. It opened January 19, 1914, as the Cort Theatre, named for impresario John Cort. It was his first theatrical venue in Boston.In August 1915 the Cort Theatre was purchased by Archibald and Edgar Selwyn and renamed the Park Square Theatre. In 1921 it was renamed the Selwyn Theatre, one of many Selwyn theatres in the United States. In time the building was replaced by a parking garage.

Pleasant Street was a station located just outside the Pleasant Street incline (the southern end of the Tremont Street subway) in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Opening along with the rest of the Main Line Elevated (Main Line El) in June 1901, it served Main Line El trains from 1901 to 1908, temporarily replacing streetcar service through the Pleasant Street Incline (the streetcar lines formerly running into the Tremont Street subway through the incline were rerouted to the El's southern terminal at Dudley). In 1908, with the completion of the Washington Street Tunnel, the elevated trains were rerouted through the new tunnel, and Pleasant Street station was closed; although streetcar service to North Station through the Pleasant Street Incline promptly resumed (continuing until 1962), the streetcars did not stop at Pleasant Street.

The Pleasant Street incline or Pleasant Street portal was the southern access point for the Tremont Street subway in Boston, Massachusetts, which became part of the Green Line after the incline was closed. The portal and the section of tunnel connecting it to Boylston served streetcars from 1897 to 1901, Main Line Elevated trains from 1901 to 1908, and streetcars again from 1908 to 1962. The Pleasant Street incline is now abandoned, but plans have been floated at various times to reuse it.

Southland was a ballroom/cafe on Warrenton Street in Boston, in the United States, in what is now the Charles Playhouse. Originally a church, converted into a club, is best known for featuring prominent jazz artists of the 1930s and 1940s such as Count Basie (most associated with the club), Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Jimmie Lunceford, and many others. Southland was connected to the radio and it became a notable venue for broadcasting jazz over the radio in the 1940s. On 19 February 1940, Count Basie and his Orchestra opened a four-week engagement at Southland which was broadcast on 20 February. Southland's entertainment also featured dancers such as Rubberlegs Williams, who also sang with Basie on numerous occasions. Today the building is occupied by the Charles Playhouse, which opened in 1957.

The Charles Playhouse is a theater at 74 Warrenton Street Boston in the Boston Theater District. The venue comprises an approximately 500-seat mainstage, which hosts the long-running Blue Man Group, and a 200-seat second stage that hosted Shear Madness until March 2020.

The Armory of the First Corps of Cadets (now known as The Saunders Castle) is a historic armory at 97–105 Arlington Street and 130 Columbus Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. The four-story granite structure was designed by William Gibbons Preston and built beginning in 1891 and finished in 1897. Due to political unrest during the period, the building was designed to withstand mob violence. Its most prominent feature is its six-story tower. It is built in the Romanesque Revival style. The building's staircases are built by the Guastavino system, as are some tower vaults.In the late 1960s, the University of Massachusetts Boston leased the building and converted it into the university's first library. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 and designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1977. Currently leased and managed by Saunders Real Estate, the building is now called The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza and is available for a wide variety of events, exhibitions and more.

New England Law | Boston (formerly New England Law School) is a private law school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1908 and is located in downtown Boston near the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Financial District, State House, Government Center, and numerous state and federal courts, government agencies, and law firms.According to New England Law's official 2018 ABA-required disclosures, the class of 2018 had a full-time employment rate of 83.4% with 4% pursuing an additional degree. Eight U.S. Supreme Court justices have visited, lectured, or taught in the summer-abroad programs at New England Law.

The Castle Square Theatre (1894–1932) in Boston, Massachusetts, was located on Tremont Street in the South End. The building existed until its demolition in 1933.Actors who worked in stock theater there included Edmund Breese.