Eagle Hill Historic District

Eagle Hill Historic District is a residential area in East Boston containing roughly 400 buildings spread across 40 acres, showcasing Victorian-era architecture from the 1800s. The structures blend Italianate and Second Empire styles and line streets such as Meridian, Princeton, and White Street, with East Boston High School positioned at the summit.

Development began in 1834 when the East Boston Company started transforming the vacant land into a residential neighborhood. By 1900, a fully established residential district with single and multi-family homes had taken shape.

The neighborhood displays a visible mix of grand houses built for wealthy families and modest apartment buildings that later housed working families. This blend reflects how different social classes lived in close proximity throughout the district's development.

The area is best explored on foot, with streets converging at Prescott Square to create a natural gathering point for orientation. The hilltop location offers views across the district and helps you navigate the sloped terrain.

Although originally planned as an exclusive suburb for wealthy families, the area transformed into a working-class neighborhood in the late 1800s with compact three-flat buildings. This unexpected shift shows how economic forces reshaped the social character of the district.