A new leaf for Quincy Market

November 18, 2008

FANEUIL HALL Marketplace needs a modern-day version of its namesake - the Colonial merchant Peter Faneuil - to reestablish the area as a distinctive local shopping and cultural experience. That could happen if the troubled Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc., the current landlord, files for bankruptcy protection, as is possible.

The early-19th-century market built along a cobblestone promenade had fallen into disuse, until a bold rehabilitation plan in 1976 - and a 99-year commercial lease - restored the city-owned Quincy, North, and South market buildings. By the early 1980s, tourists and local residents flocked to the 170 local shops and restaurants in a downtown market area anchored by historic Faneuil Hall, helping to catalyze a tourism and development boom in the district.

Efforts to prevent the generic mall concept from overrunning Faneuil Hall Marketplace, however, would fail. Chain stores proliferated under the original lease holder, the Rouse Co., despite warnings from the city to respect the area's historic character. That trend continued under the current landlord. Today, only 49 shops and 18 pubs and restaurants, not including push carts and food stalls, operate at the site. And more than half of the commercial area is taken up by chain stores, according to the Faneuil Hall Merchants Association.

The Menino administration claims that it can only exercise its bully pulpit. Yet a clause in the original lease states that the city "has the right to terminate the lease or re-enter and take possession of the property" in event of a bankruptcy petition. Though the city's legal efforts would likely get bogged down in court, Mayor Menino should do everything possible to ensure that the next landlord appreciates the area's historic significance and highlights local wares. The city could also lease the property directly.

Where better than Faneuil Hall to fight against long odds?