Massachusetts’ Old State House
Part 4 of 4: The Architecture and Interior Architecture
The Old State House, also known as the Old Provincial State House, is located a few blocks east of the Massachusetts State House. It is one of the landmarks on the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston, and faces State Street which leads directly to the Port of Boston. It is the oldest surviving public building in Boston, and one of the oldest in the country. It was used by the Colonial government from 1713 to 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was read from its balcony, and then used by the Massachusetts state government until 1798 when the current State House was completed.
It was built in 1713 in a Georgian architectural style by an unknown architect. In 1747 it burned, gutting the interior, but the brick walls survived and so the interior was restored in 1748. The wall construction is about 20 inches thick laid in an English Bond pattern common in the 1700s for holding thick brick walls together.
Thomas Dawes produced the earliest known drawing of the Old State House appearance around 1751. The restoration today appears to be consistent with its original appearance. In about 1772 Dawes made repairs and modifications to the Old State House, and so he is the first architect of record to have been involved in its design and construction.
Thomas Dawes, 1731 to 1809, was born in Boston and worked as a mechanic, architect, politician, and patriot. He served in the militia during the American Revolution, and on the Governor’s Council after the war, a precursor to the State Senate. He became a noted architect having worked on the Old State House, and the design and construction of several buildings at Harvard College.
The Old State House was constructed with two floors over a basement and a half floor under the roof. The basement level included leased storage areas and an armory; the first floor included market stalls, a Merchant’s Exchange, and a Post Office; the second floor included the Council Chamber of the Royal Governor, and a court chamber for Suffolk County, the Massachusetts General Court, and their Supreme Court; and the third floor under the roof included supporting offices for the courts and the governor.
The east end of the building included a second floor balcony where the Royal Governor could speak to the people and make public proclamations. It includes a clock above the balcony, and is flanked on the gables by a lion and unicorn, which are symbols from the British monarchy.
One of the horrors from colonization began in 1755 when Lieutenant Governor Spencer Phips signed and proclaimed from the Old State House for all settlers to hunt and murder Penobscot men and women in exchange for pay and land. This proclamation was one of more than 100 scalp bounties issued in the colonies between 1675 and 1885.
The Penobscot people are shown in this map to be located in present day Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Between the European diseases, wars, and the bounties, the Native American population in the United States was decimated.
Entrance Hall
In 1830 the architect Isaiah Rogers and William Washburn remodeled the interior in a Greek Revival style for use as the Boston City Hall. That remodeling included the addition of the spiral staircase in the center hall that is still in place today.
Isaiah Rogers, 1800 to 1869, was born in Marshfield, Massachusetts, and apprenticed under Solomon Willard. He became noted for many hotel designs including the Tremont House in Boston, which had the first known hotel with indoor plumbing. He practiced in Boston until about 1853 when he moved to Louisville, Kentucky where today the firm of Luckett and Farley Architects originated.
William Washburn, 1808 to 1890, was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, and served as an Alderman and on the Boston Common Council. He was noted as the architect for many public and private buildings in the Boston area.
Above the door inside the Council Chamber are displayed a lion and unicorn, which are British royal symbols that were removed from the building during the Revolutionary War.
In 1881 the building was restored by George Albert Clough, and converted to a history museum similar to its current use today. The same royalty symbols of the lion and unicorn that were torn down in 1776, were rebuilt and restored to the exterior east gable in 1881, as they were believed to have looked on the original building in 1713.
George Albert Clough, 1843 to 1910, was born in Blue Hill, Maine, and worked as a draftsman for his father, a ship builder. In 1863 he apprenticed with Snell and Gregerson in Boston, and then opened his own firm in 1869. Clough became the first City Architect in Boston, and is noted for many public and private buildings in the Boston area.
Changes in use over the years damaged the building and its appearance significantly, including the addition of a basement subway station under the building. That station is still active and provides access to the Orange and Blue lines. Several other architects and contractors worked to restore the building to its original appearance over the years with varing degrees of success. Finally, the last renovation completed in 1992 was by Goody Clancy and Associates. It returned the building to its original appearance from 1713 to the greatest extent possible, but deliberately kept some of the best modifications that had been made through the years.
Goody Clancy and Associates, was established in 1955 and is still in practice today. They specialize in educational facilities which includes museums like the Old State House. The firm is employee owned and operated, and based in Boston, with most of its work done in the Boston area and surrounding region.
Former Colony House
Prior to the Old State House construction, colonial officials met in a town house built in 1657 in a mix of Midieval architectural styles by Thomas Joy. The town house, or Colony House, was used as an armory, court house, and town hall, serving as the first seat of government in Massachusetts. It was used from 1658 to 1711 when it burned, prompting the construction of the current Old State House building.
Thomas Joy, 1610 to 1678, was born in Norfolk, England, and likely moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He lived in the Boston area and became a house carpenter, contractor, master builder, and architect.
Commentary
The reference to Robert Twelve in the Notes and References below is provided only because at this writing the Wikipedia summaries list him and Thomas Joy as possible architects for the Old State House. Records indicate that both had died before 1713 and probably did the Colony House in 1657, but not the Old State House.
Part1, Part 2, and Part 3, are about the current State House across from the Boston Common a few blocks west where the Freedom Trail begins. If you missed them, check it out!
Travel Notes
I’ve been past the Old State House several times exploring Boston history along the Freedom Trail. My first visit was during the pandemic so the interior was closed, but I did take a tour the next year to see the interior.
The transit station is old, but it is an amazing piece of engineering when you think about the work required to get it in back in the early 1900s, and completed without destroying the building, amazing!
Notes and References:
Story and photographs by David Smitherman with data collected from onsite inscriptions and brochures, Wikipedia, and Google Maps. Site visits were made in March 2021 and May 2022.
Colony House from 1658: https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/165180