Boston was both the financial capital and a major shipping hub for New England�s industrial expansion across the end of the 19th century. Consequently, its docks were busy with arriving raw materials and departing finished goods. By the turn of the century, Boston�s Custom House was proving insufficient to handle the traffic, so a soaring tower was added atop the existing structure. At the time of completion in 1915, it became the tallest building in the city.
