Union Park is widely regarded as the best-preserved residential square in Boston’s South End, a National Historic Landmark district known for the largest concentration of Victorian-era bowfront row houses in the country. Laid out in the 1850s, the elliptical park is enclosed by a cast-iron fence and planted with mature trees, with stone fountains anchoring the green space. Its design echoes the earlier Louisburg Square on Beacon Hill, and it is ringed by handsome brick townhouses completed by the end of the decade.
The square is a quiet residential enclave rather than a ticketed attraction, prized for its architectural cohesion and leafy calm. Visitors are welcome to stroll the sidewalks and admire the houses and ironwork; the surrounding South End is also known for its restaurants and galleries a short walk away.
Good to know
- One of the best-preserved residential squares in the South End
- Laid out in the 1850s; modeled on Beacon Hill’s Louisburg Square
- Lined with Victorian bowfront row houses in a National Historic Landmark district
- A residential square, free to walk; not a ticketed attraction
Getting there
- Address: Union Park, South End, Boston, MA 02118
- Neighborhood: South End
- Nearest T: Back Bay (MBTA Orange Line) and Copley (Green Line) are the nearest rapid-transit stations, both roughly a 10–15 minute walk; the Silver Line bus (Union Park Street stop) runs closer along Washington Street