1852 Sears Planning Map for the Back Bay Landfill, Boston

This is a rare pre-landfill map of Boston's Back Bay as proposed by the wealthy Boston real estate developer David Sears. It includes ambitious plans for the never-built Silver Lake.

A Closer Look

Coverage extends roughly west of Back Bay to Massachusetts Avenue and from Beacon Street, here identified as 'Mill Dam', to Tremont Street. This is the second of two Sears proposed Back Bay plans. The first was issued in 1849, and the second, as here, in 1850. While generally lacking street names, it is recognizable from the presence of Tremont Street and the Boston Common. Unlike today's Back Bay, Sears' vision included a large lake, Silver Lake, four block size garden squares, and an extension of the Public Garden. Sears' plan was to build a luxurious community that attracted those of wealth and means to the Back Bay – much of which he owned, being nearly 100 acres of marshy 'wasteland.'

Silver Lake

The most notable feature in Sears' plan is a large oval 37 1/2 acre lake just west of today's Boston Public Garden. In the first Sears' Back Bay proposal, dated 1849, this lake was more circular and consumed some 7 acres. The second Sears proposal of 1850 reduced the lake to the acreage shown here. Imagining it would greatly increase Back Bay property values, Sears' spent more than 10 years promoting Silver Lake. The lake, at least, proved popular among mapmakers, appearing on many early aspirational plans of Boston, including those of J. H. Colton. Despite support among the wealthy of Boston, the plan was ultimately rejected, ironically for some of the same reasons that Sears championed it. Sears claimed the lake would be a great health benefit, while the state argued that it would not only take away public land, but also quickly fill with 'sediment and filth.' The plan for Silver Lake was formally abandoned by 1855. Sears still made a fortune on the landfill project, but his lake never materialized. He remained an active member of the Chairman of the Back Bay Commission and influenced the ultimate completion of the Back Bay project.

Publication History and Census

This map was published in 1852 to accompany documents issued for the Massachusetts State Senate. It was engraved and published by Tappan and Bradford, lithographers.