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Fort Point is aneighborhood or district ofBoston, Massachusetts, and where afort stood which guarded the cityin colonial times. Much of the neighborhood is part of theFort Point Channel Historic District.
Fort Hill was located near what is today the intersection of Oliver and High Streets. At least until 1675, (seemap) the hill jutted out into theAtlantic Ocean, hence the designation of being a "point". Its height and proximity to the sea made the hill an advantageous point to put defensivecannons. Between 1866 and 1872, the City of Boston undertook a redevelopment project on Fort Hill in attempt to add more land for business facilities. The project called for the Hill to be leveled, for the streets to be widened, and for all buildings to be razed.[1][2] Today the land is flat and largely occupied by the towers ofInternational Place.Landfill has also extended the shoreline outward, so the location of the old fort is no longer directly on thewaterfront.
The boundaries of the modern neighborhood of Fort Point are somewhat ill-defined. At its broadest extent, it includes the land a few blocks on either side of theFort Point Channel (which due to landfill is considerably smaller than it was in colonial times). The Fort Point artists' community[3] is located on the opposite side of the channel. This is also called theSouth Boston Waterfront. Real estate listings include "Fort Point" locations east of the channel and west of theBoston Convention and Exhibition Center and theBoston World Trade Center. (Further south is South Boston proper.) TheBoston Redevelopment Authority defines the Fort Point District within the neighborhood of South Boston as "an area of approximately 100 acres (0.40 km2) defined by the Fort Point Channel to the west, Summer Street to the north, the Bypass Road to the east, and West 2nd Street to the south."[4]
The Summer Street Bridge, which crosses the channel, has a sign which welcomes eastbound travelers to South Boston, and westbound travelers to Fort Point. TheUnited States Postal ServiceBulk Mail Center at Fort Point Station is located between the channel andSouth Station. To the northwest isChinatown. The northeastern section of the Fort Point neighborhood, on the east side of the channel, could be said to overlap with theFinancial District.
The Fort Point neighborhood was featured in Martin Scorsese's 2006 filmThe Departed. An alley between Thompson Place and Farnsworth Street provided the setting for the fictional address "344 Wash." The dramatic views of downtown Boston from the rooftops of Fort Point were prominently featured in the film.
In 2001, the Fort Point District was petitioned[5] as a Landmark District with the Boston Landmarks Commission.[6] In 2007, a Mayoral-appointed Study Committee began drafting District guidelines. In December 2008,Mayor Menino and the Boston Landmarks Commission voted in favor of the guidelines which were officially approved on January 28, 2009 by the Boston City Council.[7]
Fort Point is served by theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority viaBroadway station and South Station as well as bus routes #7, #9, #11 and #47. TheSilver Line (MBTA) bus rapid transit (BRT) system serves parts of Fort Point. Several water taxi companies serve Fort Point locations alongFort Point Channel such as Atlantic Wharf, Children's Wharf and theJohn Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse/Fan Pier connecting toRowes Wharf andLogan International Airport.
With the rapid growth of Fort Point, private shuttles have supplemented public transportation to the neighborhood. The Southie Shuttle, Cultural Connector and Channel Center Shuttle are some of the private transportation services.
In 2013, plans were announced that diesel rail service would connect the South Boston Waterfront to Back Bay.[8]
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