Where is the best place to find building information?

Looking for anything in particular or general historical reference?The Boston Historical Society might have some of what you're looking for. I imagine a lot of people and companies have owned the buildings through the years, so it might only be helpful for original owners or interests at time of construction.

Books on Boston Architecture, including buildings that have been demolished, can be found in limited quantity at The Thomas Crane Public Library. The good thing is they have an online search. The bad thing is that it's not really helpful if you are very specific in your building search.

Lastly, there's Boston City Hall - they have to keep all that stuff on record, but you'd probably have to pay a fee.

I'll ask around - there might be some tourist publications that include this info too.

Ive looked on line and have yet to been able to find either a historical reference to these buildings, nor of their previous owners.
Thomas Crane eh? I really should go there at some point. Ohhh...on line search..even better. Theres a heck of a building
I have found quite a few references for Boston specific or area of Boston specific historical socities but, not much more on their web site so far.
I am looking to find information on the companies that were once in these buildings, as well as information on the buildings themselves...I know..lost my mind but, its what I want dangit.
Anyway..thanks for the heads up and the spread the word..it could be helpful!

Id do an end-around. Start with the deed. Each deed, or otrher form of conveyance , will have in it al line that sez something like..."this is the same property conveyed in deed number (xxxxx) as recorded in registry (xxxxx). This is how we can trace deeds and owners in Pa, and Im sure that a similar recording is common in other states.
You will trace the owners of the buildings back, then you can look up their association with the building and then, perhaps, start finding information about tennants or businesses therein. Good Luck, such a quest can be fun but exhausting. We traced our house in Pa (it was a tavern on a turnpike to Maryland) to 1763, when we found out it existed then as a stone cabin. We spent about a year amassing a whole pile of paper copies of peculiarly spelled and really outrageous terms of deeds and wills. (One son was commanded to take a bunch of Delaware indian scalps(acquired earlier in some apparent unpleasantness) and burn them in a pile of horse excrement upon the owners death) (which was , at the time of the recording of the willl, a past tense issue)
That information and some further weird codicil items from the Civil War era would easily creep one out.

I must say, that we had to keep going back and forth between the Recorder of Deeds and register of wills in our County, which , for short periods of time was claimed by the colonies of Pa, Connecticut and Maryland, as the Pa border had not been carefully assigned., until well after the revolution. So, it may nopt be a simple task, but youll have a lot of fun in the process, especially if you own the building

yes...sounds daunting indeedy

I was thinking perhaps of that way but, I want to research a few buildings in a few areas of Boston...this may not be the way to go...but, its at least a possible last ditch effort.

I did find this little helpful link in my quest

http://www.state.ma.us/lib/sc/buildings.htm
A Guide to Researching Boston Buildings

i think Ill start there...then go backwards

If there are any specific addresses you want to research, let me know. I'll happily help in the search. Beats the hell out of working at work.

I remember when I did those "Boston Historical Facts" posts at the other place that I found all kinds of stuff online - too much to post, really. I have a passion researching stuff - a bit odd, I suppose. Yet, no one ever has job postings for "Look for obscure details on the net all day, make a million dollars". :sigh:

I could be giving you a great deal of things to do my dear...who says work is boring?
I remember those!!!!! They were great but, yeah umm....prolly more than you wanted to know.