Old State House

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The Old State House is a historic brick building at 206 Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Completed in 1713, it is the city's oldest surviving public building. During the 18th century it housed the courts, the lawmakers and the governor of the Massachusetts colony and, later, the state. At 65 feet (20 m) it was the tallest building in Boston until 1745.

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At a glance

Country: United States
Location: Boston, USA
Built: 1713
Type: Government building

Quick answers

Where is Old State House?

Old State House is in Boston, USA, United States.

When was Old State House built?

Old State House was built in 1713.

Boston's oldest public building, where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776; lion and unicorn crown its gable.

The building stands on the Freedom Trail, a path linking Boston's historic sites, and is a National Historic Landmark. It has a gable roof with a lion and a unicorn at the east end, topped by a central tower, and a balcony facing east. Today it is a history museum run by the Bostonian Society. Its basement even has an entrance to the State subway station.

A town house through many names

The site has been in public use since 1634, when a market was built there. A wooden First Town-House burned down in 1711, and the brick Second Town-House replaced it. Over the years it has been called the Court House, Province House, Old Provincial State House and, in the 19th century, City Hall. Lion and unicorn figures, symbols of Britain, were added between 1743 and 1751. A fire gutted the building in 1747 and it was rebuilt.

From king to republic

On July 18, 1776, two weeks after independence was declared, the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony to cheering crowds, who tore down and burned the lion and unicorn on top. They were replaced by scrolls. The building then became the Massachusetts State House. John Hancock, the first state governor, was inaugurated there in 1780, as were all governors for the next 18 years. The state legislature moved to the New State House in 1798.

Saved and still alive

After a new city hall opened in 1841, shops rented the building for four decades. When it was threatened with demolition, George A. Clough renovated it in 1881-1882, and the Bostonian Society took over much of it. It has been a museum ever since. Its collection includes clothes worn by John Hancock and a flag of the Sons of Liberty. Every March 5 a reenactment of the 1770 Boston Massacre, which happened just outside, is held, and every July 4 the Declaration of Independence is read there again.

Fun facts

The Declaration of Independence was read to Bostonians from its balcony in 1776.
At 20 metres, it was Boston's tallest building until 1745.
A subway station entrance is built into its basement.
The lion and unicorn on the roof are British symbols.
The Declaration of Independence is read from its balcony area again every July 4.