Boston Flower Exchange
Encyclopedia
The Boston Flower Exchange is a wholesale flower market located in Boston
, Massachusetts
. Founded as a marketplace that local growers could rent cooperatively to sell their products in a space more suited to their needs than Boston's historic Haymarket
open-air marketplace
. It has been the focal point of the floral trade
of New England
for over a hundred years. Although originally a local growers' wholesale
market, the Flower Exchange now features flowers and foliage from dozens of countries and has expanded to carry potted plants
, glassware
, pottery
and other floral supplies. The Flower Exchange in not open to the public and is limited to members of the trade only.
market in 1892 in an empty storefront on Tremont Street, near the current Park Street T Station. Before the end of the year the location was overcrowded and the Board of Directors decided to lease the basement of the Park Street Church in 1894. As the success of the market continued to attract more growers and buyers, the market was forced to move again in 1903, this time to 163 Columbus Avenue. When the stalls in the newly renovated market were auctioned off, the exorbitant prices pushed some of the growers to form another organization, named the Boston Cooperative Market, which opened in the basement of the old Music Hall
.
The Flower Exchange was founded in 1909 when the two organizations combined in order to find a building that could better meet their collective needs. They moved once more to Winthrop Square before settling on the Cyclorama Building on Tremont Street in 1923, which once housed the famous panoramic painting
of the battle Gettysburg. Due to the increasingly haphazard parking situation and plans by the controversial Boston Redevelopment Authority
to purchase the Cyclorama building, the original home to the Gettysburg Cyclorama
, now the main building of the Boston Center for the Arts
, the Board of Directors began looking for a new location in 1963.
In 1941 the market became wholesale only with admission by badge at the petition of group of local florists. In 1957 the first product from outside New England, anemone
s from New York, were admitted for sale on a trial basis. The market was opened to all imported products in 1965 after the Board of Directors approved a petition by one of the wholesalers. Commissioned salesmen were first approved in 1958, allowing salesmen and wholesale companies to sell the product instead of than the growers themselves to attend their booths.
During the first half of the twentieth century the New England region rose to prominence as a cut flower producer, cultivating many varieties of hybrid rose
s and carnations in greenhouses. The New England Carnation Growers Association had as many as 125 members but rising oil prices forced many out of business and the association was abandoned in 1980.
The Boston Flower Exchange Inc. moved to its location on Albany Street in 1971. As the construction of the new building was on Reclaimed land, the process greatly slowed by the discovery of many old wharf pilings, seawalls and sewers. The 73000 square feet (6,781.9 m²) building has over 10000 square feet (929 m²) of refrigerated space. When the market first opened there were more than 40 wholesalers accessible through a single switchboard operator.
The scale and variety of product at the Flower Exchange has changed since the 1960s as the flower industry was one of the first feel the effects of globalization. Now products are shipped via air and/ or refrigerated truck from nearly every continent.
Map of the 540 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts http://maps.google.com/maps?q=540+Albany+St,+Boston,+MA+02118,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Founded as a marketplace that local growers could rent cooperatively to sell their products in a space more suited to their needs than Boston's historic Haymarket
Haymarket Square (Boston)
Haymarket Square in Boston is an open-air fruit and vegetable market near the North End, Government Center, West End and Faneuil Hall Marketplace...
open-air marketplace
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
. It has been the focal point of the floral trade
Floral industry
The floral industry is one of the major industries in many developing and underdeveloped countries. Floriculture as an industry began in the late 19th century in England, where flowers were grown on a large scale on the vast estates. The present day floral industry is a dynamic, global,...
of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
for over a hundred years. Although originally a local growers' wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
market, the Flower Exchange now features flowers and foliage from dozens of countries and has expanded to carry potted plants
Houseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
, glassware
Glassware
This list of glassware includes drinking vessels , tableware, such as dishes, and flatware used to set a table for eating a meal, general glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry whether made of glass or plastics such as polystyrene and...
, pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
and other floral supplies. The Flower Exchange in not open to the public and is limited to members of the trade only.
History
The Boston Cooperative Flower Growers Association leased the first space for a wholesale growers'Floriculture
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry...
market in 1892 in an empty storefront on Tremont Street, near the current Park Street T Station. Before the end of the year the location was overcrowded and the Board of Directors decided to lease the basement of the Park Street Church in 1894. As the success of the market continued to attract more growers and buyers, the market was forced to move again in 1903, this time to 163 Columbus Avenue. When the stalls in the newly renovated market were auctioned off, the exorbitant prices pushed some of the growers to form another organization, named the Boston Cooperative Market, which opened in the basement of the old Music Hall
Citi Performing Arts Center
The Citi Performing Arts Center is located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. It consists of two theatres, Wang Theatre and Shubert Theatre, both of which are neighbors, on Tremont Street, in Boston's Theatre District...
.
The Flower Exchange was founded in 1909 when the two organizations combined in order to find a building that could better meet their collective needs. They moved once more to Winthrop Square before settling on the Cyclorama Building on Tremont Street in 1923, which once housed the famous panoramic painting
Panoramic painting
Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th Century in Europe and the United States, inciting opposition from writers of Romantic poetry...
of the battle Gettysburg. Due to the increasingly haphazard parking situation and plans by the controversial Boston Redevelopment Authority
Boston Redevelopment Authority
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is the municipal planning and development agency for Boston, working on both housing and commercial developments.The BRA was established by the Boston city council and the Massachusetts legislature in 1957...
to purchase the Cyclorama building, the original home to the Gettysburg Cyclorama
Gettysburg Cyclorama
The Battle of Gettysburg, also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting "Pickett's Charge", the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863...
, now the main building of the Boston Center for the Arts
Boston Center for the Arts
The Boston Center for the Arts is a 501 nonprofit visual and performing arts complex in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The BCA houses several performance and rehearsal spaces, restaurants, a gallery, the headquarters of the Boston Ballet, the Community Music Center of Boston...
, the Board of Directors began looking for a new location in 1963.
In 1941 the market became wholesale only with admission by badge at the petition of group of local florists. In 1957 the first product from outside New England, anemone
Anemone
Anemone , is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae in the north and south temperate zones...
s from New York, were admitted for sale on a trial basis. The market was opened to all imported products in 1965 after the Board of Directors approved a petition by one of the wholesalers. Commissioned salesmen were first approved in 1958, allowing salesmen and wholesale companies to sell the product instead of than the growers themselves to attend their booths.
During the first half of the twentieth century the New England region rose to prominence as a cut flower producer, cultivating many varieties of hybrid rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s and carnations in greenhouses. The New England Carnation Growers Association had as many as 125 members but rising oil prices forced many out of business and the association was abandoned in 1980.
The Boston Flower Exchange Inc. moved to its location on Albany Street in 1971. As the construction of the new building was on Reclaimed land, the process greatly slowed by the discovery of many old wharf pilings, seawalls and sewers. The 73000 square feet (6,781.9 m²) building has over 10000 square feet (929 m²) of refrigerated space. When the market first opened there were more than 40 wholesalers accessible through a single switchboard operator.
Today
As of January 1, 2008 the Flower Exchange housed thirteen independent wholesale companies in imported and domestic cut flowers and foliage, potted plants and floral supplies. The companies are listed on the Boston Flower Exchange website.The scale and variety of product at the Flower Exchange has changed since the 1960s as the flower industry was one of the first feel the effects of globalization. Now products are shipped via air and/ or refrigerated truck from nearly every continent.
Scholarship
Rachel Deitz Butterworth, a shareholder in the Boston Flower Exchange, endowed her stock to form a scholarship to give to students interested in the study and pursuit of floriculture. This is awarded annually at the stockholder's meeting.External links
Link to the official website of the Boston Flower Exchange http://thebostonflowerexchange.com/Map of the 540 Albany Street, Boston, Massachusetts http://maps.google.com/maps?q=540+Albany+St,+Boston,+MA+02118,+USA&sa=X&oi=map&ct=title