Faneuil Hall

Last crawled date: 1 year, 7 months ago

Located in the heart of Boston is Faneuil Hall, an architectural icon for the city and its history. It was built in the early 1740's by John Smibert with funding by Peter Faneuil. Smibert used the influence of an English country marketplace for the design, incorporating an open ground floor with assembly rooms above. Shem Drowne created the grasshopper weather vane that still sits on the building's cupola. Faneuil Hall has served as a marketplace and meeting hall since 1742. Many historical figures spoke here, such as Samuel Adams and James Otis. The Hall burnt down in 1761, but was rebuilt in 1762. In 1806, Charles Bulfinch expanded building, with changes including adding a third floor, adding four bays, enclosing the open arcades, and moving the cupola to the opposite side. When Boston became a city, Faneuil Hall ceased to be the location for government meetings, but was still used frequently. Today, the ground floor is still a busy marketplace, the second floor is a meeting hall for many Boston City debates, and the third floor is maintained by the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. Faneuil Hall is a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also a part of the Freedom Trail. Model by Noel Nemcik. #AIA_150 #Boston #Charles_Bulfinch #Faneuil_Hall #Faneuil_Hall_Marketplace #Freedom_Trail #grasshopper_weather_vane #James_Otis #John_Smibert #MA #marketplace #Massachusetts #meeting_hall #National_Historic_Landmark #Peter_Faneuil #Samuel_Adams #Shem_Drowne