Daniel S.
Yelp
Paul Revere Mall is a mall that sells knowledge, relaxation, and memories. The price for these commodities is zero.
Tucked away in the historic and picturesque North End of Boston, the Paul Revere Mall is a shining jewel on the necklace that is Bostons Freedom Trail. Walking on the 2.5 mile trail south, it is between Old North Church to the west and St. Stephen's Church to the east. As Fodor's states it is bookmarked by two churches. The Paul Revere Mall is a linear public space overlapping Bostons Freedom Trail that connects Old North Church to St. Stephen's Church.
There were two times that I walked Boston's Freedom Trail through the Paul Revere Mall. Both times they were southbound from the periphery of the North End bound for the Old State House (and site of the Boston Massacre).
When we walked along the Freedom Trail towards the Paul Revere Mall, the first sight is the Old North Church. This is the famous church where the lanterns were placed to warn, "The British are coming."
The Old Church is a point of interest worthy of a separate review. It ties in with the Paul Revere Mall. Prior to continuing through the mall, I stepped inside the oldest church in Boston for a few minutes. A few minutes later I was on the mall taking pictures of it.
The Paul Revere Mall starts at the Old North Church. It is on the left side of the brick walkway that takes the Freedom Trail from Salem Street to Hastings Street. Across from the Old North Church is an establishment that sells souvenirs in a historic building. Proceeding past the church, the brick walkway widens before a set of steps. From this vintage point, you have a fantastic vista of the mall. Up close stands the large granite fountain. The designers of the mall also known as the Prado designed it with the large granite fountain as the centerpiece. This was one focal point in an urban open space influenced by European cities. At the time they were tearing down what was Webster Avenue and demolishing residential buildings in the early 1930s, it was designed as the Prado. However, 83 years later the linear park celebrates Paul Revere. In the distance from the steps stands the famous Paul Revere equestrian statue. We'd make our way towards it. On the way to the Paul Revere statue, the topography was mostly brick. Regardless that this is parkland, the majority of the nature are the twin rows of linden trees bordering the path. Additionally bordering the path are brick walls that include bronze plaques that celebrate famous North Enders. Speaking of North End, one of the reasons that they tore down Webster Avenue for the park was to provide valuable open space in the built up North End. It was only recently that they replaced the elevated Central Artery with the downtown Greenway system that borders the North End. When we neared the completion of the Paul Revere Mall where Bostons Freedom Trail turns right onto southbound Hastings Street, we spent a few minutes on the bench by the Paul Revere equestrian statue.
Cyrus Dallin's Paul Revere statue is truly the centerpiece of the mall. It captures Paul Revere's historical ride on the horse when he warned that the British are coming. If it was in 2016, Paul Revere might warn that the tourists are coming. The tourists weren't shooting guns but photos. There were a superfluous of tourists and history lovers I ought to add photographing away at the awesome statue. It required patience to take pics of Paul Revere on the horse without strangers by the legs of the horse. When there was a break from the army of smartphone photographers I got in some shots of the statue. Looking east I photographed the back of the horse and Paul Revere with the close by St. Stephen's Church. Looking north I got the side view with the towering linden trees. Then looming west Paul Revere and the horse were facing me with the Old North Church in the distance.
After visiting The Paul Revere Mall we continued south bound for the vicinity of the Paul Revere House. At no cost, we brought memories, relaxation, pictures, at the Paul Revere Mall. I highly recommend exploring Bostons Freedom Trail that will include the Paul Revere Mall.