Old State House

The oldest

It is the oldest public building still standing in Boston

Completed in 1713, the Old State House is the city's oldest extant public building. It housed the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the provincial government. At 65 feet it was the tallest building in Boston until 1745.

65 feetits height, the tallest in Boston until 1745

Fire

Fire struck the site in 1711 and again in 1747

The wooden First Town-House, built in 1658, burned in the fire of 1711. The building that replaced it was gutted by fire on December 9, 1747, after sparks from a first-floor hearth spread rapidly. The brick walls survived, and the work was completed within a year.

The balcony

The Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony in 1776

On July 18, 1776, two weeks after the United States declared independence, the Declaration was read from the balcony. Crowds tore down and burned the lion and unicorn atop the building. Replicas were placed on the eastern elevation later.

Saved

The City Council voted against demolishing it in 1876

In 1876 the Joint Standing Committee on Streets proposed demolishing the building. The City Council voted against demolition that April, but ordered the eastern portico removed. George A. Clough renovated it in 1881 and 1882, and the Bostonian Society took over much of it. It has been a history museum since.

1770

The Boston Massacre took place nearby on March 5, 1770

Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson stood on the building's balcony, ordering colonists to return to their homes. The officers involved were later tried in the building. A cobblestone marker just east of it, dating from about 1886, marks the site.