the Freedom Trail: Second Stop

Boston is he “hub of the solar system” (or so said Oliver Wendell Holmes) – but what the nickname actually refers to is the Massachusetts State House. The Massachusetts State House was completed on January 11, 1798 and is widely acclaimed as one of the most significant public buildings in the country.

Two famous Revolutionary War heroes, Paul Revere and Massachusetts State Governor Samuel Adams, laid its cornerstone on July 4, 1795 when construction began.  Both men envisioned this neo-Palladium style building on top of Boston's Beacon Hill as a temple to democracy.

The land for the Statehouse was originally used as John Hancock’s cow pasture. It’s most distinct feature, the golden dome, was once made of wood but was later overlaid with copper by Paul Revere. It was covered in 23-karat gold leaf for the first time in 1874 and was painted gray during World War two to protect the city from bombing attacks.

The Bulfinch Legacy

Native son Charles Bulfinch designed the Massachusetts State House after returning from an inspirational tour of Europe.  

Bulfinch was only in his twenties when he designed the State House - his first major building. 

Later, he went on to become one of America's most famous architects after designing many other Boston buildings as well as the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

While traveling in Europe, Bulfinch fell in love with the work of Andrea Palladio, a late-Renaissance Italian architect, as well as the Neo-Classical style then popular in Europe.

You can see many of these design elements - symmetry, Doric columns, arched Palladian windows and doorways - in the State House.

Through the years, the State House has been expanded significantly and the interior has been almost totally redone, but the famous Bulfinch Front remains unchanged.

The State House is the oldest building on Beacon Hill, and despite being actively used by the Massachusetts state government, it contains many museum-quality treasures inside and out.