Old State House front from Court Street, Boston, 1906 (8/88)
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Several years ago, I was employed by the National Park Service in the building directly behind the Old State House. It’s crazy to think I recognize it from a photo taken in 1906. I have watched falcons devour pigeons on the gable of the Old State House with colleagues.
A falcon ate a squirrel in the Public Garden a month or two ago. I found that to be very interesting.
My office was across from yours in the Old State House!
I love it! It was so much fun working there. I worked out a lot on Boston Harbor Island. Boston has a lot of history and character, which I love.
It always makes sense when you look at the era in which the roads were built in Boston.
They make sense now as well. It doesn’t make much sense why there are so many cars
Do you know of a good resource that explains the history of the renovations and restorations done to this building over the years? There have been changes to the building since this photo was taken just over 100 years ago: the motto has been removed, the gilded eagle has been relocated from the chimney/gable to between the second and third floor windows, the Massachusetts emblem/shield has been redesigned and replaced, and there have been changes to the brickwork along the bottom where the T station is located. A second question arises: who approved the conversion of the lowest floor of this building into a T station? When the East Boston Tunnel opened, there must have been a lot of pride in it, which may explain their decision to locate the entrance here. There’s a good chance it shakes.
It’s hard to imagine who would put one of the ugliest (internally) T stations in a building with so much history. What a terrible, terrible choice. It is shameful that the city, the state, and every agency involved let it look so bad inside.
Boston’s old state house had so little standing that Chicago schoolchildren raised money to move it there. Around 1876. In those days, it was divided into small offices and businesses. Putting the T station in around 1912 was sort of an upgrade. From the very beginning, the basement first floor was a market. After Faneuil Hall was built, it sort of declined.
Thank you for the information! What a difference 30 years make between the centennial pic you shared and OP’s 1906 pic. The East Boston Tunnel project appears to have completely overhauled the facade.
Chucklemon I think the overhaul happened in 1881 when the The Bostonian Society took over. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_State_House_(Boston)#Period_of_commercial_use_1841%E2%80%931881
Dilapidated appearance and obstruction of State Street, a major artery through the financial district, fueled an 1876 demolition campaign. Several options were considered for erecting a modem office building in its place to generate more rental income for the City. After an offer from the City of Chicago to dismantle the Old State House and rebuild it on Lake Michigan’s shores, the demolition momentum died. Despite languishing in its blighted state for another five years, the building received a stay of execution for its historic value
Everyone wearing hats.