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Charlestown Navy Yard: Then & Now

Established in 1800, the Charlestown Navy Yard served the country as a working naval shipyard until its closure in 1974, 174 years later. Here, workers spearheaded new innovations, such as the die-lock chain, while championing historic techniques, such as the maintenance of the USS Constitution. Although the Yard has changed over the years, it retains many of the historic structures that characterized its use as a productive wartime navy yard. Today, the space serves the public as a National Park. Visitors can explore some of the historic structures and learn about the vital place the Navy Yard holds in United States History.

Commandant's House

Black and white photo of Commandant's House with covered porch. Black and white photo of Commandant's House with covered porch.

Left image
Late 1920s - early 1930s
Credit: Boston National Historical Park (BNHP), BOSTS 9183-2

Right image
Fall 2022
Credit: A. Cavaliere

The Commandant’s house served as the home of the commandant and their family. As the grandest residence in the navy yard, it has been updated many times to keep pace with changing fashions and modern technological advances. The house was constructed in 1805 and first occupied in 1812, when Captain William Bainbridge became the first commandant. As soon as 1827, the commandant residing there, William Crane, requested to have the house modernized. This reduced the size of the windows and lowered the floors, it also added space for servants quarters on the third floor. In 1849 the addition of another floor required either the raising, or complete re-building of the roof. The house was also adjusted to account for modern plumbing and electricity. The installation of plumbing in the mid-nineteenth century demonstrated the value placed in its residents' comfort.

By the late 1800s most of the amenities had fallen into states of disrepair and there was a surge of renovations in 1890 to bring them back into working order. 1938 saw the addition of the kitchen and butler closet wing, as well as the beautiful enclosed sun porch you see in the picture. In 1941 the grand entrance moved from Chelsea street to the west wing to allow the construction of a security wall.

To learn more, check out this article on the Commandant's House.

The Marine Barracks

Black and White photograph of the Marine Barracks with a covered porch on the first floor. Black and White photograph of the Marine Barracks with a covered porch on the first floor.

Left image
March 19, 1921
Credit: BNHP, BOSTS 9222-5831

Right image
Fall 2022
Credit: A. Cavaliere

In May of 1802, when the first marines took up residence at the navy yard, their housing was an old lime shed. In 1810 they began work on the current Marine Barracks building. Originally the building had a single-story main floor serving as the barracks for the enlisted men and two three-story wings serving as officers residences. In 1861, the civil war saw the addition of two more floors to the barracks and one more to the officers residence wings. The final floor, added to the barracks and bringing the building to its modern size, was completed in 1898. Marines occupied the Barracks from its construction until the Navy Yard ceased operations in 1974. Although the purpose of the Marine Barracks has shifted, it still serves as housing to many park employees and their families.

To learn more, check out this article on the Marine Barracks.

The Muster House, Building 31

The Muster House, an octagonal building with a cupola surrounded by a street with mid-century cars. The Muster House, an octagonal building with a cupola surrounded by a street with mid-century cars.

Left image
February 27, 1974
Credit: BNHP, BOSTS 8671-1

Right image
Fall 2022
Credit: A. Cavaliere

Building 31 or the Muster House is an octagonal building built between 1852 and 1854. Originally two stories, an additional floor was added in 1871. The muster house hosted the telephone exchange on the lower floor as well as the offices of civil engineers on the upper floors. The building was white and included a covered porch, this porch was removed around 1929 and the building became bare brick. Restoration in 1982 brought the Muster house back to much the same as its original appearance, with the re-creation of its covered porch as seen in the picture. 

USS Constitution Museum, Building 22

USS Constitution Museum building in the distance with mid-century cars in front of it. USS Constitution Museum building in the distance with mid-century cars in front of it.

Left image
March 1955
Credit: BNHP, BOSTS 15716-1356

Right image
Fall 2022
Credit: A. Cavaliere

Constructed in 1833, building 22 housed the giant steam pumps that supported dry dock 1. In 1837 a wing was added to house the yard’s saw Mill, in 1856 (or 1844) the addition of the boiler house was completed. Building 22 also housed the block-makers shop and the machine shop. It served as the pump house until 1905 when construction finished on its replacement, building 123. The Navy yard inactivated Building 22 on January 16, 1973, and it opened its doors as the USS Constitution Museum in 1976.

Building 5

black and white photo of a brick building with a flagpole and two vintage cars black and white photo of a brick building with a flagpole and two vintage cars

Left image
February 18, 1921
Credit: BNHP: BOSTS 9258-5780

Right image
Fall 2022
Credit: A. Cavaliere

Constructed in 1816, building 5 is the oldest warehouse in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Originally serving as the Navy Store, it was used to store lumber and ship-building materials. By the end of the 1800s the purpose of the building had shifted and it became a kind of catch-all space for miscellaneous services. It housed a clinic, a library, a print shop, a naval museum, a commissary, a barber shop, and a clothing store, as well as offices, including the office of the Chaplin and the Naval Reserve. On top of that, building 5 had a practice space for musicians and a rifle range. The outbreak of World War II again shifted the purpose of the space. Building 5 became the Bachelor Officers' Quarters as well as the Officers’ Mess and club, it also housed office space and classrooms. Building five served this purpose until the closing of the Charlestown Navy Yard in 1974. In 2008 building 5 opened its doors as the Navy Yards visitor center, the top floors of the building are still shared between the National Park Service and the United States Navy.

The learn more, check out the following article on Building 5.

Contributed by: Andrea Cavaliere, Student Conservation Association Historic Preservation Corps Member

Sources

Carlson, Stephen P. Charlestown Navy Yard: Historic Resource Study Volume 1 of 3. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010.

Carlson, Stephen P. Charlestown Navy Yard: Historic Resource Study Volume 3 of 3. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010.

Micholet, Margaret. Public Place, Private Home: A Social History of the Commandant's House at the Charlestown Navy Yard 1805-1974. National Park Service, 1986.

National Park Service. “Building 5.” December 1, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/places/building-5-cny.htm.

Tags

Boston National Historical Park

Last updated: January 18, 2023