Inferno: The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was written to commemorate the
150th anniversary of a devastating fire that destroyed sixty-five acres
of land in Boston, from Washington Street, between Summer Street and
Milk Street, fanning eastward towards the wharves projecting into Boston
Harbor. The fire was said to have destroyed 776 buildings in Boston's
downtown, causing over $73 million in damage (or $1,682,000,000 in 2022
dollars), killing an estimated twenty people, and leading to stricter
building regulations in Boston. Fires have always been a constant source
of anxiety, but this inferno was cataclysmic and beyond the
comprehension of many people. The city of Boston took action and
appointed a city architect that would oversee all building in the city.
In this well illustrated history of the inferno, well known author
Anthony Sammarco takes us from the area from one of Commercial Palaces
to the Burnt District that would be rebuilt Springing Phoenix-like from
the Ashes.