Like the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Copley Square is named after artist John Singleton Copley. Prior to 1883, the area had actually been known as “Art Square,” due to the many cultural institutions that occupied the space at the time. As such, Copley Square became a center for cultural innovation in Boston throughout the late 19th century. Among the fascinating organizations to call Copley Square home then were the Museum of Fine Arts, the New England Museum of Natural History, the Boston Public Library, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Prestigious schools, in particular, resided near the location, as well, including the likes of Boston University, Emerson College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Several renowned historic sites are also located nearby, like the New Old North Church and Trinity Church. Today, Copley Plaza continues to captivate the imagination of people throughout Boston, as it remains one of the most popular places in the city. It has even hosted the famous Boston Marathon every single year since 1986. A glorious monument commemorating the centennial anniversary of the event can be found in Copley Square near the corner of Bolyston and Dartmouth streets.

Copley Plaza itself is part of Boston’s celebrated Back Bay neighborhood. But Before Back Bay emerged as one of Boston’s most famous regions, it was once a tidal basin that entertained local fisherman for generations. In 1814, the Boston and Roxbury Mill Corporation began constructing a milldam just south of Boston Neck. Not only did the dam serve as a toll road that directly connected Boston to Watertown, it also helped regulate the flow of the local tidewater in Back Bay. As such, the area became friendlier to commercial and residential development. Nevertheless, the project was considered an economic failure by the 1850s, due to the high cost in running the construct. In the end, local civic leaders started dredging the area enclosed by the dam in 1857. The firm Goss and Munson built additional railroad tracks through the neighborhood for that exact purpose, delivering fill from quarries in Needham some nine miles away. City officials initiated another round of dredging in 1882, adding more land in what is now Kenmore Square and The Fens over the next two decades. The entire scheme was one of the largest land reclamation projects in American history, which had led the U.S. Department of the Interior to designate Back Bay as a national historic landmark.

The Fairmont Copley Plaza itself displays some of the finest Renaissance Revival architecture in all of Boston, specifically French and Venetian styles. Renaissance Revival architecture—sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance”—is a group of architecture revival movements that date back to the 19th century. Neither Grecian nor Gothic in their appearance, Renaissance Revival-style architecture drew inspiration from a wide range of structural motifs found throughout Early Modern Western Europe. Architects in France and Italy were the first to embrace the artistic movement, who saw the architectural forms of the European Renaissance as an opportunity to reinvigorate a sense of civic pride throughout their communities. As such, those intellectuals incorporated the colonnades and low-pitched roofs of Renaissance-era buildings, with the characteristics of Mannerist and Baroque-themed architecture. Perhaps the greatest structural component to a Renaissance Revival-style building involved the installation of a grand staircase in a vein similar to those located at the Château de Blois and the Château de Chambord. This particular feature served as a central focal point for the design, often directing guests to a magnificent lobby or exterior courtyard. Yet, the nebulous nature of Renaissance Revival architecture meant that its appearance varied widely across Europe. As such, historians today often find it difficult to provide a specific definition for the architectural movement. 

Henry Janeway Hardenbergh led the design team in charge of creating the Fairmont Copley Plaza’s iconic appearance. Born to a Dutch family in 1847, Hardenbergh attended the Hasbrouck Institute in Jersey City, New Jersey. He then apprenticed under Detlef Lienau in the 1860s before opening his own practice in 1870. Through family connections, Hardenbergh quickly obtained contracts to work on three building at Rutgers College, specifically Alexander Johnston Hall, Geology Hall, and the Kirkpatrick Chapel. Incredibly talented, he acquired additional work to design Vancorlear, which was New York City’s first apartment hotel. At the height of the Gilded Age, Hardenbergh received countless commissions to construct various apartment complexes, the vast majority of which were located in downtown New York City. Within his portfolio of work were the Dakota Apartments in Central Park West. Yet, he continued to work on hotels on several occasions, including Waldorf and its neighboring Astoria in the 1890s. But perhaps is most recognizable hotels were The Plaza in Manhattan and the new Willard Hotel further south in the nation’s capital. At the same time, Hardenbergh joined the American Institute of Architects, as well as the National Academy of Design. He was even a founding member of the American Fine Arts Society, and served as president of the Architectural League of New York. Today, Hardenbergh was remembered as one of the most influential architects of America’s Gilded Age.

Richard Burton, actor known for his roles in Cleopatra and Where Eagles Dare.  

Elizabeth Taylor, celebrated actress known for her roles in Cleopatra and The Taming of the Shrew.

Lena Horne, actress and civil rights activist remembered for her roles in Stormy Weather, Cabin in the Sky, and The Wiz.

Frank Sinatra, singer and actor part of the famous Rat Pat known for selling 150 million records worldwide.

John Lennon, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the legendary rock band, The Beatles.

John Singer Sargent, considered by many to be the “leading portrait painter of his generation.”

Luciano Pavarotti, one of the most famous Italian opera singers of the 20th century.

Babe Ruth, outfielder for the New York Yankees that is regarded as being the best baseball player in the sport’s history.

William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States (1909 – 1913) and 10th Chief Justice of the United States (1921 – 1930)

Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States (1913 – 1921)

Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States (1921 – 1923)

Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1923 – 1929)

Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States (1929 – 1933)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States (1933 – 1945)

Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States (1945 – 1953)

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States (1953 – 1961), and Supreme Allied Commander Europe during World War II.

John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (1961 – 1963)

Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States (1963 – 1969)

Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (1969 – 1974)

Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (1974 – 1977)

Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States (1977 – 1981)

Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States (1981 – 1989)

George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States (1989 – 1993)

Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States (1993 – 2001)

George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States (2001 – 2009)

The Brinks Job (1978)

Starting Over (1979)

The Firm (1993)

Blown Away (1994)

Next Stop Wonderland (1998)

The Boondock Saints (1999)

Stolen! (2005)

Bride Wars (2008)

My Best Friend’s Girl (2008)

The Company Men (2010)

Zookeeper (2011)

That’s My Boy (2012)

American Hustle (2013)

The Forger (2014)

Live by Night (2017)

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Little Women (2019)