Copley Square

Copley Square is a public plaza in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, and a civic focal point framed by major institutional buildings. The square takes its name from the painter John Singleton Copley and has long been a local landmark.

The area developed in the 19th century as Back Bay was filled and built out; the square acquired its current civic character as these buildings were completed in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The plaza has been altered and redesigned several times in the 20th century to accommodate traffic, transit and public space needs.

Copley Square sits in central Back Bay, a short walk from Boston Common and the Prudential Center, on the south side of Boylston Street near the intersection with Dartmouth and St. James. The square is within downtown Boston and easily reached from nearby MBTA stations.

• Events and marathon finish: Seasonal farmers market and frequent public events activate the square during warmer months; the nearby finish of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street brings large crowds each April.
• Transit access: Copley station on the MBTA Green Line provides the most convenient public transit access, and the square is best visited on foot as its main features are closely clustered.

What to See #

• Boston Public Library (McKim Building): Located on the western edge of the square and completed in 1895, this Beaux-Arts building houses the Boston Public Library's McKim Building with a public courtyard and historic reading rooms.
• Trinity Church: A Romanesque church by H. H. Richardson finished in 1877, noted for its polychrome stonework and interior murals by John La Farge.
• John Hancock Tower (200 Clarendon): A 60-storey glass tower completed in 1976, it is the tallest building in Boston and forms the modern skyline backdrop to the square.