The New England Conservatory is a Landmark!

One of the most fun aspects of historic preservation is uncovering less familiar stories about some of our most familiar landmarks. For example, did you know that while she was a student at the New England Conservatory, Coretta Scott met her future husband, Martin Luther King, Jr., on the steps of this very building?

Founded in 1867 by Eben Tourjée, the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) has has made an international impact in the field of music education and is the oldest independent school of music in the United States. NEC has produced many of music’s leading educators, managers, conductors, solo artists, orchestral players, and choral singers and contributed to the formation of music programs across the nation and in other countries. Among the dozens of cultural institutions that flocked to Back Bay and the Fenway beginning in the late nineteenth century, NEC enriched Boston’s music scene and, upon construction of its now-Landmarked building on Huntington Avenue in 1902, developed a symbiotic relationship with nearby concert halls such as Symphony Hall and Boston Opera House. NEC’s concert auditorium, Jordan Hall, is among the world’s most acclaimed halls of its size for its acoustical qualities. NEC’s dedication to the highest quality in rigorous music education has helped propel Boston to the forefront of music teaching, performance, and partnership with other music institutions. The NEC building is individually listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places and is designated an individual National Historic Landmark.

Persons of outstanding historical significance who graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music include Florence Price (1887-1953), the first African American woman recognized as a symphonic composer and to have a composition played by a major American orchestra (class of 1906); Cecil Taylor (1929-2018), a groundbreaking pianist and composer known as one of the pioneers of free jazz (class of 1951); and Coretta Scott King (1927-2006), an activist and leader of the American civil rights movement and wife of Martin Luther King Jr. (class of 1954). Scott and King met for the first time on  NEC’s Huntington Avenue steps at the start of a blind date. Coretta Scott King worked throughout her life to support civil rights, labor rights, and women’s rights and she established The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, which today attracts nearly a million visitors each year.

Architecturally, the New England Conservatory, designed by renowned architecture firm Wheelwright & Haven, is significant for its mastery of Renaissance Revival architecture. The New England Conservatory stands among the best examples of the Renaissance Revival Style in Boston and contributes significantly to the architectural character of the Fenway neighborhood. The building’s primary facades typify the style with their balanced and symmetrical fenestration, classical composition and hierarchy, and materials that imbue permanence. Wheelwright & Haven’s use of architectural features, such as quoins, belt courses, pilasters, and marble inlays, create a formal, multifaceted appearance to otherwise unidimensional elevations. The 1928 addition, known as Brown Hall, is the only exterior alteration to the New England Conservatory and is seamlessly integrated into the appearance and character of the original building.

At a public hearing on July 14, 2026, the BLC agreed with the staff recommendation to designate the New England Conservatory as a Landmark under Chapter 772. The designation was subsequently approved by the Mayor on July 29, 2026, and the City Council on August 5, 2026. As a result of the designation, certain exterior work at the property is subject to the prior review and approval of the Boston Landmarks Commission.

This article was prepared by Jennifer Gaugler, Architectural Historian.