Downtown Crossing was originally a residential district for the leaders of colonial Boston where they had easy access to the waterfront for trade and the Boston Common for recreation. Their seat of government was the Old State House at the head of State. The Great Spring, the main fresh water source for the area is also the source of Spring Lane's name. The grid structure of Downtown Crossing's streets date back to the 1600s. Many of the walkways between the area’s main drag, Washington Street, and Tremont were once cow paths that led to the Common. By the mid-1800s, the once agrarian area around Washington Street became more commercialized after the great fire of 1872 destroyed more than 500 buildings and nearly demolished the 65-acre area. Boston’s elite rebuilt the district and it has been Boston’s primary retail area for many years.