Originating on landfill as the result of the development of the Quincy Markets, the Commercial Street district with its Commercial Wharf was planned as a commercial and industrial district from its inception. The "sailmakers, ship chandlers, flag makers, agents for cotton duck and cordage, copper dealers, liverymen" and other small businesses serving the waterfront before mid-century were housed in brick rows along with boarding houses and tenements for sailors and immigrants beginning in 1832. The waterfront location attracted transient fishermen and sailors, and allowed easy access for immigrants into the district. According to historian Walter M Whitehill, Ann Street near Lewis Street was so notorious as "a rough waterfront region of disorderly houses and brawls," that it was renamed North Street in 1854. While there were pockets of residences and a few small hotels, no churches, school or public buildings graced the district. Most of the brick row buildings were used for commercial purposes throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. It is this concentration on industrial and mercantile activities which has given the district its social and architectural identity. - NRHP