The Blackstone Block is Boston’s oldest commercial district and the only part of the city that still preserves its original seventeenth-century street pattern, a maze of narrow lanes and alleys near Faneuil Hall. Bounded roughly by Union, Hanover, Blackstone, and North Streets, it is named for William Blaxton (Blackstone), one of Boston’s earliest European settlers. Union Street, laid out in 1636, runs along its western edge, and the block’s tightly packed buildings span the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Its best-known tenant is the Union Oyster House, a National Historic Landmark building from around 1716 and one of America’s oldest continuously operating restaurants. Walking the block offers a rare sense of colonial Boston’s scale and texture, and it sits steps from Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, and the long-running Haymarket pushcart market. For dining hours, tours, or special events, consult the official sites of individual businesses, as these change over time.
Good to know
- Boston’s oldest commercial block, retaining its original 1600s street network
- Home to the Union Oyster House, a National Historic Landmark building from around 1716
- Steps from Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, and the Haymarket open-air market
- Free to walk through; it is a historic district, not a ticketed attraction
Getting there
- Address: Bounded by Union, Hanover, Blackstone & North Streets, Boston, MA 02109
- Neighborhood: Downtown / near Faneuil Hall, Boston
- Nearest T: Haymarket (Orange & Green Lines); State and Government Center also nearby