Back Bay shoreline filled in during the 19th century

In the mid-19th century, Boston undertook large-scale landfill operations to fill the tidal flats known as the Back Bay, converting marsh and water into buildable land. The original natural shoreline and tidal landscape in that area disappeared as the newly reclaimed parcels were laid out and developed with streets and Victorian brownstones. The transformation of the waterfront into the Back Bay neighborhood is a well-documented episode of urban engineering and expansion.