Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

'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 Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

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 ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, as well as other city halls in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

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 Gridley James Fox Bryant (August 29, 1816 – June 8, 1899), often referred to as G. J. F. Bryant, was a Boston architect, builder, and industrial engineer whose designs "dominated the profession of architecture in ostonand New England." ...

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 ...

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 ...

, 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 Bu ...

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 christianity, Christian unitarianism, unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is "unitarian Christian in theology, anglicanism, Anglican in worship, and congrega ...

. 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 A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

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 John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald (February 11, 1863 – October 2, 1950) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as a U.S. Representative and Mayor of Boston. He also made unsuccessful runs for the United ...

, Maurice J. Tobin, 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 cont ...

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 o ...

. The Boston-based nonprofit developer Architectural Heritage Foundation, Inc. (now AHF Boston) and the architecture firm

Finegold Alexander + Associates Inc Finegold may refer to: *Finegold, California, former name of Fine Gold, California, community in Madera County *Barry Finegold (1971–), American politician *Ben Finegold (1969–), American chess International Grandmaster *Finegold Alexander Archi ...

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 artistic v ...

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 a ...

Joseph Wightman and the dedication of the building in 1865 by Mayor Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. *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, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

, 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 Richard Saltonstall Greenough (April 19, 1819 – 1904) was an American sculptor and younger brother to Neoclassical sculptor Horatio Greenough. Greenough was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest child of Elizabeth (Bender) and David Gre ...

, as are two of the bas-reliefs. **

Josiah Quincy III Josiah Quincy III (; February 4, 1772 – July 1, 1864) was an American educator and political figure. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives (1805–1813), mayor of Boston (1823–1828), an ...

, 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 Ruth's Chris Steak House is a chain of over 100 steakhouses across the United States, Canada and Mexico. On May 22, 2008, the company underwent rebranding and became part of Ruth's Hospitality Group after its acquisition of Mitchell's Fish Mark ...

, Welch & Forbes, Underscore VC, McLane Middleton, Kaymbu and many more, though its most famous tenant, the upscale French restaurant

Maison Robert Maison Robert was a French restaurant in the Old City Hall (Boston), Old City Hall section of Boston from 1972 until it closed in 2004. Kerry Byrne of the ''Boston Herald'' described it as "the city’s center of sophisticated dining and power lun ...

, closed in 2004.

Mayors who served in Old City Hall

* Frederic W. Lincoln Jr. (1863–1866) *

Otis Norcross Otis C. Norcross (November 2, 1811 – September 5, 1882) served as the nineteenth Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, from January 7, 1867 to January 6, 1868 during the Reconstruction era of the United States. Norcross was a candidate (1861) for th ...

(1867–1868) *

Nathaniel B. Shurtleff Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff, Sr. (June 22, 1810 – October 17, 1874) was an American politician, serving as the twentieth mayor of Boston, Massachusetts from January 6, 1868 to January 2, 1871. Shurtleff, who had been defeated as the K ...

(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 Henry Lillie Pierce (August 23, 1825 – December 17, 1896) was a United States representative from Massachusetts. He was born in Stoughton. He attended the State normal school at Bridgewater, and was engaged in manufacturing. He served as May ...

(1873) * Leonard R. Cutter (1873) * Samuel C. Cobb (1874–1876) * Frederick O. Prince (1877) *

(1878) * Frederick O. Prince (1879–1881) * Samuel A. Green (1882) * Albert Palmer (1883) *

Augustus P. Martin Augustus Pearl Martin (November 23, 1835 – March 13, 1902) was an American politician and soldier from Massachusetts who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884. He also was a leading artillery officer in the Union Army during t ...

(1884) *

Hugh O'Brien Hugh O'Brien (July 13, 1827 – August 1, 1895) was the 31st mayor of Boston, from 1884 to 1888. O'Brien is notable as Boston's first Irish and Catholic mayor, having emigrated from Ireland to America in the early 1830s. O'Brien was the editor ...

(1885–1888) * Thomas N. Hart (1889–1890) * Nathan Matthews Jr. (1891–1894) * Edwin Upton Curtis (1895) * Josiah Quincy (1896–1899) * Thomas N. Hart (1900–1902) * Patrick Collins (1902–1905) * Daniel A. Whelton (1905–1906) *

(1906–1908, 1910–1914) * George A. Hibbard (1908–1910) *

James M. 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 ...

(1914–1918, 1922–1926, 1930–1934, 1946–1950) * Andrew J. Peters (1918–1922) *

Malcolm Nichols Malcolm Edwin Nichols (May 8, 1876 – February 7, 1951) was a journalist and a U.S. political figure. Nichols served as the Mayor of Boston in the late 1920s. He came from a Boston Brahmin family and was the most recent Republican to serve in t ...

(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 Michael R ...

(1934–1938) * Maurice J. Tobin (1938–1945) * John E. Kerrigan (1945–1946) *

John B. Hynes John Bernard Hynes (September 22, 1897 – January 6, 1970), was an American politician serving as the Mayor of Boston from 1950 to 1960. Career Hynes began his career at city hall in 1920 as a clerk in the health department. He later transferre ...

(1947, 1950–1960) * John F. Collins (1960–1968) * Kevin H. White (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