Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1865 to 1969. It was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States. After the building's completion, the Second Empire style was used extensively elsewhere in Boston and for many public buildings in the United States, such as the

Old Executive Office Building The Eisenhower Executive Office Building (EEOB)—formerly known as the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB), and originally as the State, War, and Navy Building—is a U.S. government building situated just west of the White House in the U.S. ca ...

in Washington, D.C., as well as other city halls in Providence,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The building's architects were Gridley James Fox Bryant and

Arthur Gilman Arthur Delevan Gilman (November 5, 1821, Newburyport, Massachusetts – July 11, 1882, Syracuse, New York) was an American architect, designer of many Boston neighborhoods, and member of the American Institute of Architects. Life and career G ...

History

Old City Hall, built between 1862 and 1865, is located at 45

School Street School Street is a short but significant street in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It is so named for being the site of the first public school in the United States (the Boston Latin School, since relocated). The school operated at various a ...

, along the

Freedom Trail The Freedom Trail is a path through Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States. Marked largely with brick, it winds from Boston Common in downtown Boston through the North End to the ...

between the

Old South Meeting House The Old South Meeting House is a historic Congregational church building located at the corner of Milk and Washington Streets in the Downtown Crossing area of Boston, Massachusetts, built in 1729. It gained fame as the organizing point for th ...

and

King's Chapel King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in ...

. The

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

operated on the site from 1704 to 1748, and on the same street until 1844. Also on the site, the Suffolk County Courthouse was erected in 1810 and converted to Boston's second city hall in 1841, being replaced by the current building twenty-four years later. Thirty-eight Boston mayors, including John F. Fitzgerald,

Maurice J. Tobin Maurice Joseph Tobin (May 22, 1901July 19, 1953) was an American politician serving as Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, the Governor of Massachusetts, and United States Secretary of Labor. He was a member of the Democratic Party and a liberal that ...

, and

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...

, served their terms of office on School Street at this site over a period of 128 years. With the move to the current

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in 1968 to assume the functions of the Old City Hall. It is a contr ...

in 1969, Old City Hall was converted over the next two years to serve other functions – an early and successful example of

adaptive reuse Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an existing building for a purpose other than which it was originally built or designed for. It is also known as recycling and conversion. Adaptive reuse is an effective strategy for optimizing the ...

. The Boston-based nonprofit developer Architectural Heritage Foundation, Inc. (now AHF Boston) and the architecture firm Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc completed the adaptive use and renovation. AHF Boston subsequently managed the property for fifty years. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

and was designated a U.S.

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1970.

Benjamin Franklin statue, Old City Hall, Boston - DSC05879

Points of architectural interest

*The granite exterior characterized by ornamented columns, the mansard roof, and the projecting central bay *The massive front doors, unusual in the use of different wood, as well as the inlay of the marble circle in each door *The murals in the building entrances on School Street and Court Square illustrating the history of both the building and the site *The marble plaque in the first floor lobby commemorating the laying of the cornerstone in 1862 by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Joseph Wightman Joseph Milner Wightman (October 19, 1812 – January 25, 1885) was an American politician who, from 1861 to 1863, served as the seventeenth Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Early years Wightman was born the son of an immigrant tailor at Elli ...

and the dedication of the building in 1865 by Mayor

Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. Frederic Walker Lincoln Jr. (February 27, 1817 – September 12, 1898) was an American manufacturer and politician, serving as the sixteenth and eighteenth mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from 1858 to 1860 and 1863–1867, respectively. Fre ...

*The hopscotch in the School Street sidewalk recognizing this as the site of the

*The statues in the courtyard: **

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a m ...

, who attended school on this site. Scenes of Franklin's accomplishments appear in bas-relief on the square pedestal of the statue. The statue (1856) was the first portrait statue to be erected in Boston. Franklin is depicted as he would actually appear, rather than draped in toga, cloak, or classical attire. The statue was designed by Richard Saltonstall Greenough, as are two of the bas-reliefs. ** Josiah Quincy III, Boston's second mayor; the statue (1879) was designed by Thomas Ball. ** A donkey, signifying the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, with two bronze footprints in front of it labeled "stand in opposition" and a plaque explaining the origin of the donkey as the party's symbol.

Old City Hall today

In 2017, Synergy Investments purchased Old City Hall for $30.1 million from AHF Boston. With more than of real estate, it now houses a number of businesses, organizations, and a Ruth's Chris Steak House, Welch & Forbes, Underscore VC, McLane Middleton, Kaymbu and many more, though its most famous tenant, the upscale French restaurant Maison Robert, closed in 2004.

Mayors who served in Old City Hall

(1863–1866) * Otis Norcross (1867–1868) * Nathaniel B. Shurtleff (1868–1871) *

William Gaston William J. Gaston (September 19, 1778 – January 23, 1844) was a jurist and United States Representative from North Carolina. Gaston is the author of the official state song of North Carolina, "The Old North State". Gaston County, North Carolin ...

(1871–1872) * Henry L. Pierce (1873) *

Leonard R. Cutter Leonard Richardson Cutter (July 1, 1825 – July 13, 1894), Chairman of the Board of Aldermen of Boston, Massachusetts, ascended (pursuant to Section 29 of the municipal charter) on November 29, 1873 to the office of acting mayor, with all t ...

(1873) *

Samuel C. Cobb Samuel Crocker Cobb (May 22, 1826 – February 18, 1891) was a businessman and politician who served on the city councils of the cities Roxbury, Massachusetts and Boston, Massachusetts and who served three consecutive terms as the mayor of Bos ...

(1874–1876) *

Frederick O. Prince Frederick Octavius Prince (January 18, 1818 – June 6, 1899) was an American lawyer, politician, and mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. He was the father of financier Frederick H. Prince. Early life Frederick Prince was born in Boston, Mass ...

(1877) * Henry L. Pierce (1878) *

(1879–1881) * Samuel A. Green (1882) * Albert Palmer (1883) * Augustus P. Martin (1884) * Hugh O'Brien (1885–1888) *

Thomas N. Hart Thomas Norton Hart (January 20, 1829 – October 4, 1927) was an American manufacturer, businessman, and politician from Massachusetts who served as mayor of Boston from 1889 to 1890 and from 1900 to 1902. Early life and career Born in North ...

(1889–1890) *

Nathan Matthews Jr. Nathan Matthews Jr. (March 28, 1854 – December 11, 1927) was an American politician from Massachusetts who served as mayor of Boston from 1891 to 1894. Biography Born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 28, 1854, son of Nathan and Albertine (Bu ...

(1891–1894) *

Edwin Upton Curtis Edwin Upton Curtis (May 26, 1861 – March 28, 1922) was an American attorney and politician from Massachusetts who served as the 34th Mayor of Boston (1895–1896). Later, as Boston Police Commissioner (1918–1922), his refusal to recognize t ...

(1895) * Josiah Quincy (1896–1899) *

(1900–1902) * Patrick Collins (1902–1905) * Daniel A. Whelton (1905–1906) * John F. Fitzgerald (1906–1908, 1910–1914) *

George A. Hibbard George Albee Hibbard (October 27, 1864 – May 29, 1910) was an American political figure who served as the mayor of Boston from 1908 to 1910. Early years Hibbard was born in Boston in 1864, graduated from Harvard University in 1880, and passe ...

(1908–1910) * James M. Curley (1914–1918, 1922–1926, 1930–1934, 1946–1950) *

Andrew J. Peters Andrew James Peters (April 3, 1872 – June 26, 1938) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and was the 42nd Mayor of Boston. Early years Peters was born on April 3, 1872, in Jamaica Plain, a neigh ...

(1918–1922) * Malcolm Nichols (1926–1930) *

Frederick Mansfield Frederick William Mansfield (March 26, 1877 – November 6, 1958) was an American politician and 46th mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Early life Mansfield was born in East Boston, Massachusetts, March 26, 1877. Mansfield was the son of Micha ...

(1934–1938) *

(1938–1945) *

John E. Kerrigan John E. Kerrigan (October 1, 1908 – May 2, 1987) was the acting mayor of Boston in 1945 after then-Mayor Maurice J. Tobin became governor of Massachusetts. Biography Kerrigan was born on October 1, 1908, and was a graduate of South Boston High ...

(1945–1946) * John B. Hynes (1947, 1950–1960) *

John F. Collins John Frederick Collins (July 20, 1919 – November 23, 1995) was an American lawyer who served as the mayor of Boston from 1960 to 1968. Collins was a lawyer who served in the Massachusetts Legislature from 1947 to 1955. He and his children cau ...

(1960–1968) *

Kevin H. White Kevin Hagan White (September 25, 1929 – January 27, 2012) was an American politician best known as the Mayor of Boston, an office to which he was first elected at the age of 38, and which he held for four terms, amounting to 16 years, from 196 ...

(1968–1984)

Gallery

File:Boston's Second City Hall 1841-1865.png, Old Suffolk County Courthouse and Boston's City Hall 1841 to 1865 File:Old_City_Hall_(Boston).jpg, Old City Hall, c. 1865 File:BostonOldCityHall.jpg, Old City Hall, c. 1868 in a

stereograph A stereoscope is a device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image. A typical stereoscope provides each eye with a lens that makes the ima ...

view File:Old city hall boston front.JPG, Courtyard and entrance, 10/2006 File:1910 CityCouncil office Boston.png, Boston City Council office, City Hall, 1940City of Boston. Boston City Council centennial: then and now, 1910-2010. File:1913 JamesCurley press conference Boston.png, James Curley at Boston City Hall, 1913 File:CityCouncil chambers Boston CityHall.png, Boston City Council chambers, City Hall, c. 20th century

References

Notes Further reading * Boston City Council
Memorial of the inauguration of the statue of Franklin
1857.

External links

Official site

Library of Congress
Historic American Buildings Survey. {{Authority control Government buildings in Boston Landmarks in Financial District, Boston National Historic Landmarks in Boston Second Empire architecture in Massachusetts Government buildings completed in 1865 Government of Boston 19th century in Boston 20th century in Boston City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Former seats of local government National Register of Historic Places in Boston