Back Central Apartments for Rent

The Back Central area of Lowell borders the city’s downtown district. This area was once owned by the Locks and Canals Company, but the properties were sold over the years to police officers, business owners, and various tradesmen. Here they built their homes until the mid-1880s, when the houses ended up occupying so much land that there was none left for new properties. As a result, builders began creating multi-family properties, forever affecting the area’s topography.

The Back Central neighborhood has also been known as both South End and Chapel Hill – the latter name a result of the number of churches in the area. Back Central is also commonly referred to by residents as “The Flats.”

This neighborhood is perhaps one of Lowell’s oldest residential areas. It is also a melting pot of sorts, having housed many self-identified “Yankees” prior to the Civil War, and later housing Irish-Catholic, Brazilian, Portuguese, Lithuanian, Armenian, Italian, and Polish immigrants.

Back Central boasts two schools designated as historic landmarks. The Colburn School (built in 1848) was built – like many other buildings from that era – in a Greek revival form. It was a single room schoolhouse able to accommodate about 200 students.

The Butler School (built in 1882) was built in a Queen Elizabeth architectural style, designed by local architect Francis Stickney. The school was named after Benjamin Franklin Butler, a Congressman from 1867-1879, Governor of Massachusetts from 1883-1884, and a presidential candidate for the Greenback Party in 1884. Butler also served as a Union General during the Civil War.

Other historic landmarks in the Back Central area include the South Common Historic District and Walmesit Canal.

Another feature of Back Central is its recreation and park areas. Included in this small district are Father Grillo Park, Oliveria Park, Rotary Park, South Common, and Hales Brook.