 New Chardon Street | |
 Interactive map of New Chardon Street | |
| Location | Boston |
|---|---|
| West end | Cambridge Street |
| East end |  I-93 |
New Chardon Street is a street in downtownBoston, Massachusetts, United States, north ofGovernment Center. It begins atCambridge Street atBowdoin Square, across fromBowdoin Street. The two-way street continues east acrossCongress Street, ending atHaymarket Square with access to theSumner andCallahan Tunnels (Route 1A) and theCentral Artery (I-93/U.S. 1/Route 3), as well as local access toWashington Street North and theSurface Artery.
New Chardon Street was originallyChardon Street, connecting Bowdoin Square toMerrimac andPortland Streets (whereCongress Street now intersects). The street was originally "laid out through the Parker-Gerrish pasture in 1682. It was called "the highway to Jackson's distill house," "the lane to the mill pond," and in 1785, "Chardon's lane."[1] Chardon Street was named after aHuguenot descendant, Peter Chardon, who acquired the property on the street in 1733[1] and "built a house on the corner of the street bearing his name. He was a man of polished manners, and an influential merchant of the old time. A school-house was erected in 1804, at the corner of Chardon and Hawkins Streets."[2] Hawkins Street was also the site of manydistilling houses.[2]
In the nineteenth century, Chardon street was home to Chardon Street Chapel (1838), a large church founded byJoshua V. Himes, an early leader of theAdvent Christian Church.[3]
The full length of the street hadstreetcar tracks added between 1872 and 1874; they were gone by 1925.
The street stayed in the same configuration until the 1960s, whenGovernment Center was built and the streets in the area were reconfigured. Chardon Street was realigned and renamed New Chardon Street, made one-way westbound, and extended east toWashington Street North and theCentral Artery as a continuation ofCross Street.
As part of theBig Dig in the early 2000s, the road was made two-way, along with easier access to theSumner andCallahan Tunnels at its east end provided by new ramps.
42°21′44.97″N71°3′42.33″W / 42.3624917°N 71.0617583°W /42.3624917; -71.0617583
