This area was originally sluggish, muddy tidal marsh. The original Fort Point no longer exists, and was located on the opposite side of the Channel. Using earth and rubble from other sections of Boston, the Boston Wharf Company filled in the land, and the first structures here were storage sheds. Although less than two miles long, the Channel was once a teeming industrial waterway serving thriving industries. From the 1880s to the 1930s, ships carrying everything from wool and molasses to safety razors plied the Channel.
Seven bridges span the channel - The Evelyn Moakley Bridge, the Old Northern Avenue Bridge, as well as the Congress Street, Summer Street, West Fourth Street (formerly Dover Street), Broadway and Dorchester Avenue (formerly Federal Street) bridges. Although the Channel has gone into retirement, (used mostly by recreational boaters), and its bridges slated for removal or to become museum pieces, it is still there, still a part of Boston's geography.
The first resident artist was Christopher Sproat in 1976, and soon more followed. The neighborhood's first Open Studios event was held in 1980, and the Fort Point Arts Community (FPAC) was formed. New organizations have recently sprung up, such as the Seaport Alliance for a Neighborhood Design (SAND) and the Fort Point Cultural Coalition, as well as others such as Mobius and the Revolving Museum (which has since moved to Lowell).