New Old South Church at Copley Square, between 1890 and 1899. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company Collection.
The same view in 2010:
For the most part, this view hasn’t changed. The Boston Public Library on the left is still there, as is the brick building behind the church. The only real difference is the tower, which had to be taken down in 1931. Like the rest of the Back Bay, the church sits on filled-in marshland, so the weight was supported by wooden piles that were driven into the soil. However, the tower was too heavy for the piles, and as the ground settled it began to lean about three feet. It was rebuilt in 1940 on stronger steel piles, and the new tower has stood substantially longer than the original one did.