Faneuil Hall

First Faneuil Hall

In 1740, colonial merchant and slave trader Peter Faneuil offered to donate a building "for a market for the sole use, benefit, and advantage of the town", provided the Boston Board of Selectmen voted in favor.^[27][28] Faneuil's offer also required that the market be regulated and continually used as such.^[29] The selectmen voted 367–360 to accept the offer on July 14, 1740.^[29][30][31] As it was, the vote was controversial, and citizens challenged its validity.^[29][32] The selectmen identified a 100-by-40-foot (30 by 12 m) site in Merchants Row, which had been occupied by the 1734 central market,^[29][30] and approved its acquisition at a meeting on September 2, 1740.^[32][33][34] Funded in part by profits from slave trading,^[35][36] the building was designed by artist John Smibert in the style of an English country market.^[37][25][38] It was built primarily by mason Joshua Blanchard and carpenter Samuel Ruggles;^[25][38] a cornerstone with Blanchard's initials was placed outside the original building.^[39] Faneuil Hall was originally envisioned as a single-story market house before a second story for the town government was added to the plans.^[40][41]

The building was substantially completed in August 1742^[25][42] and opened on September 10 of that year.^[42][43][44] After some debate, the building was named Faneuil Hall for its donor,^[45] and the selectmen began hosting meetings there on October 13.^[25][43][46] The original Faneuil Hall bore similarities to 17th-century English marketplaces, along with other American colonial structures such as the Philadelphia County Courthouse and Boston's Old State House.^[44] The two-story building, clad in brick,^[31][43][46] was designed in the early Georgian style.^[25][44] It had an arcaded market and offices at ground level; an assembly hall and selectmen's chamber on the second story; and an armory and assessor's office in the attic.^[43][47] The assembly hall could fit 1,000 people.^[41][47] In addition to the selectmen's chamber, the town government had offices in at least three additional rooms.^[43][48] The roof had protruding dormers^[41] and a steeple.^[44] After Faneuil's death in 1743, the town displayed his coat of arms at Faneuil Hall in his honor.^[49][50]

The marketplace struggled to attract customers or merchants,^[51][52] and the very idea of a marketplace remained controversial.^[53] The first merchant, dry goods salesman Anthony Hodgson, leased a stall there in December 1742,^[49][54] but the next merchant did not sign a lease for about a year.^[54][55] Most activity took place in the Great Hall, which was used for town meetings,^[52][40] public celebrations, and military drills.^[51] Social events also took place there,^[56] including a celebration in 1744 and weekly concerts starting in 1747.^[51][57] Some of Boston's early slave auctions took place near Faneuil Hall.^[37] The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts (colloquially the Ancients) moved into the building's attic in 1746,^[51][58] and the Massachusetts Governor's Council briefly moved to Faneuil Hall the next year after State House burned down.^[51][59] The Governor's Council moved out in 1748 once repairs to the State House were completed.^[59] Due to low patronage, the ground-floor market experienced several extended closures in 1747–1748, 1752–1753, and 1759.^[51][53] The building survived an earthquake in 1753,^[60] though the weathervane was damaged.^[61][62] The first floor had a notary public and a naval office by 1761.^[48]

Reconstruction and pre-Revolutionary activity

On January 13, 1761, the first Faneuil Hall was destroyed by fire.^[25][63][64] Many of the documents were saved;^[65] however, with nothing but the brick walls remaining,^[66] the selectmen temporarily met in any building that could accommodate them.^[63][64] The selectmen voted to repair Faneuil Hall that March,^[64][67][68] and the Massachusetts General Court, the legislature of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, approved a lottery to raise funds for the building.^[51][65][69] Onesiphorus Tileston and several other contractors were hired to conduct repairs,^[64][61] which were underway by late 1761.^[67] The selectmen moved back in during October 1762, as repairs continued.^[67] The lawyer James Otis Jr. rededicated Faneuil Hall to the "Cause of Liberty" on March 14, 1763,^[a] though interior work continued through early 1768.^[74] The new Faneuil Hall had the same dimensions as the original structure and could fit 1,000 occupants.^[75] It had less woodwork than the original structure^[65][68] and had a rooftop cupola rather than a steeple.^[61] Though the original hall had contained a bell, it was not reproduced, likely due to a lack of money.^[76][77]

After its rededication, Faneuil Hall regularly hosted speeches from pro-independence Patriots, such as Otis and Samuel Adams,^[78] and was nicknamed the "Cradle of Liberty".^[50][79] The selectmen allowed both Patriots and pro-British Loyalists to host events there, even while banning the British Armed Forces and the British Board of Customs from using it.^[80] In the years before the American Revolutionary War, the building was a frequent location for debates and protests against Great Britain;^[51][81] for instance, residents protested taxes there in the 1760s.^[81][82] Because of its large capacity, Faneuil Hall also began hosting sessions of the General Court of Massachusetts in 1764,^[79] and it also hosted meetings of the Massachusetts Convention.^[83][84] Other modifications continued throughout the decade; for example, the interior was illuminated in 1767.^[61] The original weathervane was restored and installed atop the cupola next year.^[61][62] The market at the ground floor gained popularity, being used for the sale of produce, meat, dairy, and seafood.^[70]

During the 1768 occupation of Boston, the British Armed Forces quartered their 14th Regiment there after local residents protested the Quartering Acts by forbidding British soldiers in their houses.^[80][85][82] Faneuil Hall continued to host meetings and events in the meantime,^[85] and the troops were ultimately relocated in late 1770.^[82] Events in the 1770s included the Boston Tea Party protests of 1773,^[81][86] along with regular town meetings and a concert in 1774.^[87] Following the Siege of Boston in 1775, British troops hosted theatrical shows at Faneuil Hall, and they stored munitions and weapons there.^[88][83] The marketplace was closed during the occupation.^[89] The British evacuated Boston in March 1776, plundering some portraits.^[12][83][90] The troops had left the building in disrepair,^[61] and the Puritans of Boston, who disapproved of the concept of public theater, took offense that the building had been used as a theater.^[83][91]

Post-Revolutionary use

Town meetings and gatherings at Faneuil Hall did not resume until about 1777, the year after the U.S. declared independence.^[90] The building was sometimes used for celebrations honoring dignitaries and figures allied with the Continental Army, including Count Charles Henri Hector of Estaing, Marquis de Lafayette, George Washington, and French troops.^[91][92] The building was also used for state lotteries and banquets.^[77] The market underneath also saw increased use, being designated as the town's produce and meat market in 1783.^[93] The selectmen awarded several contracts for repairs to Faneuil Hall during the early 1780s, including new seats, upgraded windows, and repainting. Doors were removed from the first-floor marketplace, and portraits and busts were commissioned for the upper floors.^[94] Exterior repairs also took place during that decade, although a plan to add a bell in the cupola was not carried out.^[76] Further modifications were contemplated in the 1790s, including roof repairs and interior repainting,^[95] as well as the 1791 construction of the Shambles, a rudimentary marketplace annex with extra stalls.^[96]

Though Faneuil Hall remained in use primarily as a town hall and market,^[91][97] it found additional uses in the late 18th century; for example, cadets were granted permission to conduct military exercises in 1785.^[76] Black residents of Boston were also allowed to worship there starting in 1789,^[91][76] and the Massachusetts Historical Society convened there briefly in the early 1790s.^[98][99] French residents were allowed to use the building for New Year's parties starting in 1795.^[76] The ground-floor market continued to attract merchants from all over the Boston area,^[99][100] growing in popularity after the opening of the West Boston Bridge in 1793.^[101] Many merchants participated in Faneuil Hall's events, sometimes marching in honor of events taking place there.^[102] The market was overcrowded by the end of the century, prompting the selectmen to study the feasibility of excavating a cellar in 1799.^[100][103] Architect Charles Bulfinch was hired to conduct this study in conjunction with Thomas Tileston–the son of the 1761 reconstruction contractor, Onesiphorus Tileston^[103]—but nothing was done at the time.^[104] The town meetings were also becoming overcrowded and sometimes had to be moved to the Old South Church.^[97][100]

1800s to 1820s

The roof was leaking by 1802, and the marketplace stalls were extended the next year.^[103] Bulfinch was selected as the chairman of the board of selectmen in March 1805,^[103] and the selectmen formed a committee to evaluate alternatives for the building.^[105][106] That May, he presented plans for an expansion of Faneuil Hall.^{[106][107][108]} Bulfinch, who had experience designing other buildings such as the new State House, was selected to design the expansion,^[100][109] with Jonathan Hunnewell as the master mason.^[104][107] Bulfinch added a third floor and attic, and he doubled the north–south width,^{[100][110][111]} extending Smibert's existing design northward.^[109][104] The third-story facade was decorated with pilasters and entablatures, complementing similar decorations in the stories below, and a new gable roof was built.^[112][113] The open arcades on the ground story were enclosed,^{[112][113][114]} and the cupola was moved to the east end of the new roof.^[112][115] Inside, a gallery was built above the assembly hall,^[109][114] providing seating for women, who could not vote on town matters.^[116] A new headquarters for the Ancients was built on the fourth floor.^[108][112] The final design contains several deviations from Bulfinch's plans, including the placement of entrances and interior spaces.^[117] The work was completed in March 1806.^[108][113] The project had cost $56,692 (equivalent to $1,167,000 in 2025),^[60][113] and the debt was not repaid for several years.^[115] Faneuil Hall largely retained its original design for most of the century.^[60][118]

The expanded building had cellars available for rent; a market on the first story; and offices for the selectmen, assessors, the Boston Board of Health, and the treasurer.^[115][119] The selectmen met on the second floor, and meetings were hosted in the expanded assembly room, the Great Hall.^[120][121] Faneuil Hall shortly began accommodating a variety of events, including anti-British protests before and during the War of 1812, along with parties and Independence Day celebrations.^[122] The Great Hall originally had benches, which were lent to the Third Baptist Church in 1811 and not apparently returned. The clerk of Faneuil Hall's market was given his own office in 1813, and a residents' patrol group was allowed to convene there starting in 1816.^[121] During the late 1810s and early 1820s, the selectmen authorized the removal of an interior partition wall, the repainting of the fourth-floor drill hall, the addition of gutters on the roof, and the refurbishment of the selectmen's room.^[123] A bust of President John Adams was installed in the Great Hall in 1818, and a stone eagle was installed there in 1824.^[124] Meanwhile, the marketplace had again become overcrowded,^[120] and conditions in the marketplace had become unsanitary.^[96] An early-1820s proposal to extend the building eastward was never carried out,^[96][123] and plans for further refurbishments in 1821 were delayed.^[125]

Faneuil Hall was used for town meetings until 1822,^[120][126] when Boston became a city and the board of selectmen was replaced by the Boston City Council.^[127][128] The newly established city charter prevented Faneuil Hall from being sold or leased,^[73] instead preserving it for "the free use of the people".^[120][129] Mayor Josiah Quincy III advocated the construction of an entirely new marketplace to the east, Quincy Market (officially known as the Faneuil Hall Market^[130][131]) which was constructed between 1824 and 1826.^[12][86] The old building's name remained unchanged, despite the similarity in name.^[131] All of Faneuil Hall's merchants were subsequently relocated to the new marketplace in 1827.^[100][132] The same year, Alexander Parris, who had built the Quincy Market buildings, was hired to renovate Faneuil Hall.^[115] Parris's plans included renovating the first floor and basement; he also planned a westward extension of the building, which was never built due to financial issues.^[115] As part of these modifications, the first floor was subdivided into eight storefronts,^[100][132] and the exterior was repainted.^[133]

1830s to early 1890s

Following the 1820s renovations, the building's tenants included goods stores, a poorhouse, and (on the upper floors) military groups.^[133] Although Faneuil Hall was no longer used as a marketplace or a town meetinghouse, it was still a popular place for speeches and other events.^[100][120] Any event could use the Great Hall if 50 registered voters signed a petition supporting it.^[129] Speeches were originally limited to local matters but were gradually expanded to cover a wider range of topics;^[129] during the mid-19th century, speeches on abolition were particularly prominent.^[134] Notable speakers there included John Quincy Adams, Jefferson Davis, Frederick Douglass, and William Lloyd Garrison.^[78] The building also hosted balls, eulogies, military drills, and receptions.^[129][135] Parties at Faneuil Hall were hosted for such figures as President Andrew Jackson; François d'Orléans, Prince of Joinville; and Baron Ashburton of Britain.^[135][136] Faneuil Hall was a popular meeting place for mechanics' groups,^[133] with the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association holding fairs there from 1837 onward.^[135][137] A footbridge connected Faneuil Hall to Quincy Market's central building, allowing events to be held across both buildings;^[133][135] the structures both contained rooms known as the "Great Hall", creating confusion.^[138] Faneuil Hall also sometimes served as an emergency accommodation for displaced people or agencies.^[136]

With Faneuil Hall being increasingly busy, Parris's protege Gridley J. F. Bryant proposed upgrading the Great Hall in the 1840s, and a rostrum of his design was subsequently installed there.^[134] In addition, a clock was added to the Great Hall in 1850,^[139][140] and George Healy's painting of the Webster–Hayne debate was mounted there around that time.^[139][141] Portraits were installed in that room, possibly at Bryant's direction.^[142] The Great Hall had been illuminated by a single chandelier until the early 1850s, when sconces were installed at gallery level. Bryant also proposed expanding the Great Hall into the attic space; this was not carried out, although several rooms were repaired for the Ancients' use.^[143] A stair to the rostrum was built as well.^[142] When market operations at the original Faneuil Hall resumed in 1858, it was called the New Faneuil Hall Market to distinguish it from Quincy Market, but this ended up creating confusion.^[129][135] Meat merchants became the primary tenants of the original Faneuil Hall,^[135] a situation that continued until the 1970s.^[129]

A new bell was installed in Faneuil Hall's cupola in 1867.^[140][144] The bell was directly connected to a Boston Fire Department station, and a fire lookout rang the bell whenever there was a fire north of Boylston Street.^[145] Following the Great Boston Fire of 1872, the building hosted a post office for three months.^[146] Other modifications may have been made in the 1870s. The building was repainted early that decade, and a new rostrum and candelabras were likely installed in the Great Hall around that time.^[147] Faneuil Hall had been identified as a fire hazard as early as 1875, though nothing happened for two decades other than the relocation of some paintings.^[148] The cupola was leaning by 1894,^[148][149] and Boston's fire commissioner had directed that the fire lookout stop ringing Faneuil Hall's bell.^[145] The old plaster and wood were decaying as well.^[118] The city's building commissioner John Damrell said in July 1894 that Faneuil Hall needed to be fireproofed (but that the cupola was "strong and not decaying"),^[150] and Damrell wrote in a report the next year that the building was vulnerable to fire.^[151]

1890s fireproofing

By 1898, the building commissioner's office had condemned the property as a "fire trap" four times in fourteen years. Although an appropriation to fix the property had been pending since 1892, the City Council had not approved it.^[152] The attic was also sagging, despite efforts to shore it up.^[36][153] The Ancients, which were forced to relocate elsewhere within the building,^[153] expressed concerns about the flammable meat storage and the lack of emergency exits.^[154] Historical societies and other local organizations advocated for Faneuil Hall's renovation, citing the building's historical significance.^[155][156] The idea of rebuilding Faneuil Hall was finally taken seriously after the fatal Merrimac Street fire of 1898.^[157] The City Council allocated $80,000 for reconstructing Faneuil Hall with fireproof material (equivalent to $3,096,000 in 2025); the allocation was ultimately increased to $103,000 (equivalent to $3,986,000 in 2025).^{[118][158][b]} Chief architect Frank W. Howard and consultant F. W. Chandler were hired to oversee the redesign.^[158][159]

A contract to rebuild Faneuil Hall was awarded in July 1898 to the firm of Woodbury & Leighton.^{[118][158][159]} This process involved replacing combustible wooden design details with iron, steel, and stone replicas;^[144][160] the old woodwork was placed into storage after its removal.^[161] The foundations, which rested on mud, were rebuilt,^[36][162] and the old walls and floors were removed.^[163] Steel columns were built through the first floor to support the new structure,^[162] the main stair was rebuilt, the lamps outside the entrance were electrified,^[159][164] and new heating and ventilation systems were added.^[165] Inside, the Great Hall's columns, rostrum, stairs, and decorations were replaced, and fireplace mantels were replaced in two other rooms.^[166][167] A restroom^[168] and a matron's room were constructed, and the attic was raised slightly to provide space for steel girders.^[162] The cupola was reconstructed;^[162][169] the weathervane was regilded;^[170] and the roof was replaced, necessitating the construction of a temporary membrane.^[171] Bulfinch's wooden doors were retained, as the contractors deemed their replacement unnecessary.^[159][164] A mechanical plant and electrical lighting were also installed.^[165][172] All of the woodwork had been replaced by June 1899,^[163] and the building was ready for occupancy again by October.^[144][171] The Ancients moved back in during January 1900.^[173]

1900s to 1920s

Despite its reconstruction, the building required additional upgrades in the early 20th century.^[174] The Sons of the Revolution's Massachusetts chapter dedicated a tablet at Faneuil Hall in 1908, commemorating the structure's history.^[175] A controversy emerged two years later when, following the death of abolitionist Julia Ward Howe, the city's art commission refused to display her portrait at Faneuil Hall,^[176] citing a lack of space.^[177][178] The portrait was rejected again on appeal, as the commission wished to honor only long-deceased subjects.^[178]

Due to the lack of interior staircases, Boston's building department mandated the installation of exterior fire escapes in 1911.^[174][179] Repairs were underway by later that year, and some portraits in the Great Hall were temporarily removed;^[180] there were plans to downsize Healy's Webster–Hayne painting as well, but it was ultimately retained with a smaller frame.^[181][182] Following opposition to the original fire-escape proposal, Mayor James M. Curley directed the Boston Society of Architects to devise an alternate plan costing $50,000.^[174][183] The plan, drawn up by the society's president Ralph A. Cram, were approved in 1916;^[184][185] they entailed constructing two stairways, installing fireproof partitions inside, and cleaning the exterior.^[185][186] The City Council authorized the city to raise $68,000 in 1917.^[187] Due to a shortage of coal, the building was not heated for several years during the late 1910s,^[188] prompting city officials to study adding an oil boiler.^[188][189] A tablet commemorating the Boston city government's centennial was installed at Faneuil Hall in 1922.^[190]

The renovation began in January 1923,^[73][191] when Cram's firm Cram & Ferguson was hired to conduct the repairs.^[73][181] Merchants within Faneuil Hall were temporarily relocated, and the interior was renovated in phases.^[192] In addition to new partitions and stairways, the project included adding sprinklers, constructing a concrete floor under the market level, and repainting the exterior.^[73][193] Existing exterior paint was removed from the brick facade, and the stonework decorations were removed and replicated.^[194][195] A spiral stair behind the Great Hall's rostrum, descending to street level,^[179] was removed as well.^[193][196] The Ancients proposed installing an elevator, but the public opposed the idea as ahistorical.^[197] Cram wanted to remove Healy's painting, which he felt was out of scale,^[182][198] but the Boston Art Commission refused the request following protests.^[199] Ultimately, only one stair was installed, and a proposed entrance to the basement was not built.^[196] U.S. Army general John J. Pershing rededicated the building on April 19, 1925.^[200][201] As part of another project to beautify the approach to Faneuil Hall, adjacent buildings in Dock Square were demolished in the late 1920s.^[10]

1930s to 1960s

The building attracted many tourists by the 1930s,^[202] and the surrounding area was seeing increased traffic congestion.^[203][89] Farmers repeatedly threatened to relocate from Faneuil Hall's marketplace,^[204] and some merchants actually did relocate.^[89] The heating system was upgraded and an elevator added between 1935 and 1936, after which the building remained structurally unchanged for three decades.^[205] At Faneuil Hall's 200th anniversary, it remained in use as a meeting hall and marketplace,^[40] though the Quincy Market footbridge had long since been removed.^[206] The building was still open daily in the mid-20th century.^[207][208] The marketplace continued to sell produce and meat,^[208][14] and the Great Hall upstairs hosted events—although some events such as banquets, movie screenings, and dances were banned.^[207] The Great Hall's gallery level had been closed, and progressively fewer people were giving speeches or hosting meetings there.^[207]

The cupola and weathervane were restored in 1946,^[209][210] and the Great Hall's portraits were cleaned the next year.^[211] During the late 1940s, there were calls to clear the surrounding buildings^[212] and to relocate the ground-floor marketplace.^[213][214] At the time, there were approximately 75 tenants.^[213] The state's Market Authority, in 1949, recommended relocating the marketplaces at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market;^[89][215] by then, several roads and highways were being planned for the area.^[216] The idea of relocating the marketplace was set aside for several years,^[217] and much of the area was razed in the early 1950s for the Central Artery highway.^[206][218] Faneuil Hall itself escaped demolition,^[218][219] though there were continued calls to relocate the marketplace.^[102][219] In 1951, the Office of Price Stabilization opened an office at Faneuil Hall,^[220] and the Ancients donated a public piano;^[221] the weathervane was restored the next year.^[222] A set of chimes, donated by merchant Harry J. Blake,^[223][224] was installed in 1953,^[223][225] and organ recitals began two years later after an organ was installed.^[226]

A relocation of the marketplace was again suggested in the 1950s as part of efforts to preserve Faneuil Hall,^[217] and Mayor John Hynes established a committee in 1958 to suggest future uses for the building.^[227] Several proposals were put forth, although historical societies opposed plans to change it to a visitor center or tourist trap.^[102][228] There was substantial disagreement over whether the marketplace merited preservation in itself or whether these activities should be relocated.^[217][228] By then, the building had 40,000 annual visitors.^[228][229] Following a 1959 report by the National Fire Protection Association, which found several fire hazards in the building,^[230] local groups raised $10,000 for restoration.^[231] Workers repainted the building and installed fire-safety equipment in 1961,^[232] and the feasibility of constructing additional staircases and removing Healy's painting was also studied.^[233] The Boston government turned over operation of Faneuil Hall to the United States government c. 1961.^[230] The merchants still had not been relocated by the mid-1960s,^[234] while city planners debated restoring the Faneuil Hall area.^[235] Following a preservation study, the Boston government announced plans in 1968 to restore the Faneuil Hall area for $10 million.^[236][237] The next year, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a $100,000 grant for the restoration of Faneuil Hall's facade.^[238]

1970s to 1990s

The Hollis Drug Co. pharmacy moved to Faneuil Hall in 1970, making it the building's first-ever non-food tenant;^[239] the food merchants had moved to larger, more modern facilities.^[86] The Boston Redevelopment Authority awarded a contract to convert Faneuil Hall and the neighboring market buildings into the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, a festival marketplace, in 1971.^[240][241] A gift shop subsequently opened on Faneuil Hall's first floor, while silversmith Jamie Goodchild renovated the cellar and opened a store there.^[242] During the same decade, the canopies outside the building were removed.^[205] The weathervane was stolen in January 1974^[243][244] but was recovered and restored that July.^[245] The marketplace opened in 1976,^[246][247] with The Rouse Company taking over the three adjacent market buildings.^[248][249] The Hollis pharmacy's operators were thinking of selling their store by then,^[250] and the pharmacy was replaced in 1977 by a restaurant and a bakery, which took up all the ground-floor space.^[251] The firm of Oldham, Soforenki & Priestly Inc. devised a master plan for the building.^[252] The BosTix booth, selling live performance tickets, opened in August 1979.^[253]

During the late 20th century, Faneuil Hall continued to host events such as political speeches^[254] and music performances.^[255] The building housed a museum about the marketplace, in addition to some shops.^[256] It had nine vendors by the mid-1980s,^[257] who donated $1 million for a future renovation in exchange for reduced rents.^[258] By then, the building was in poor shape compared with the Quincy Market complex;^[259][260] the utility systems were outdated,^[261] and the interiors had leaks, cracks, and rotting beams.^[262] The National Park Service (NPS) was conducting minor repairs by 1985, and the city and the Ancients were planning a fundraising drive.^[259] That April, U.S. Representative Joe Moakley requested federal funds for further renovations.^[259][263] A three-year accessibility upgrade was completed that December and included a hydraulic lift, call buttons for disabled patrons, and an audio induction loop.^[264] Ultimately, Congress proposed a combined $8.6 million for Faneuil Hall and the Old State House,^[261] allocating $600,000 for design.^[265] Design work was still underway by 1988, when tenants were told to prepare for a sudden lease termination,^[258] and Congress allocated $5 million that year for Faneuil Hall's renovation.^[266] A campaign to raise another $5 million commenced in 1989.^[262]

The NPS evicted the tenants in August 1990 in advance of an $8 million renovation.^[267] The next month, the building closed for a renovation^[268] overseen by Goody, Clancy & Associates.^[195] During the project, archeologists found evidence of an old garbage dump under the building.^[269] The building reopened in 1992,^[249][270] and the storefronts on the ground floor were completed two years later.^[271] The lower stories had souvenir shops; the second-floor meeting hall remained intact,^[272][273] though it was scarcely used except for naturalization ceremonies and concerts. The Ancients continued to occupy their third-floor space, which was open for public tours.^[273] Business declined in the 1990s because of the opening of upscale restaurants elsewhere, as well as the nearby Big Dig project to replace the Central Artery highway.^[274][272]

Facade

The northern and southern elevations of the brick facade are divided vertically into nine bays, while the western and eastern elevations are divided into seven bays.^[104][298] The window and door openings on each elevation are symmetrical.^[298] The brickwork is red and is laid in Flemish bond.^[297] The original 1742 walls, which are partially extant on the southern side of the present building, are slightly darker and rougher than the later brickwork.^{[112][297][169]} Other decorations are painted a cream color. There is a commemorative plaque, dated 1930, on the eastern elevation near the southwestern corner.^[299]

The first-story openings are arched^[169][299] and contain sash windows from Bulfinch's expansion, when the formerly-outdoor marketplace was placed indoors.^[299] The springers of the arches originally had impost blocks, but the imposts were removed from alternating windows in the 1827 renovation.^[169] On the primary or eastern elevation, all except the outermost bays have paneled doors; the second-outermost bays have doors leading to the first floor, while the three center bays lead to the grand staircase. On the western elevation facing Congress Street, the entrances are in the second-outermost bays and the middle bay.^[300][301] As built, the entrances were flanked by lanterns on wrought iron brackets.^[165][164] Another entrance, on the southern elevation,^[299] provides disability access.^[302] There are some windows and doorways under the first floor, which overlook the basement. The upper stories contain sash windows. On the second story, and the western and eastern elevations of the third story, the tops of the windows bear round arches with limestone keystones.^[297][299] The keystones have been described as carved busts of English variety star Dolly Bidwell.^[165][303] The northern and southern elevations have rectangular sash windows, topped by detached semicircular lunettes.^[297]

Each bay is separated by a single pilaster, while the extreme ends of each elevation have two pilasters each.^[298] The Tuscan-style pilasters on the first story and the Doric pilasters on the second story are part of Smibert's original design and were emulated in Bulfinch's annex. The third story has Ionic pilasters, which are entirely of Bulfinch's design.^[298][304] The entablatures above each story are designed in the same style as the pilasters below them; the entablatures above the first-floor windows are made of brownstone, while the second- and third-story entablatures are made of wood. The second-story Doric entablature has triglyphs, and the Ionic entablature has modillions.^[298] The entablatures are topped by protruding limestone cornices.^[297] Atop the western and eastern elevations are tympana with an architrave containing a lunette, along with a cornice decorated with modillions.^[300][305] These lunettes are flanked by porthole-like bullseye windows^[300] (sometimes described as ox-eye windows).^[305]

Roof

The gable roof is oriented west–east and is clad in slate shingles, which slope downward to the north and south.^[297][169] There are dormer windows protruding from the gable on both sides; each gable is surrounded by a cornice with limestone dentils.^[297] Each dormer has an ox-eye window.^[297] There are also two chimneys, dating from Bulfinch's expansion.^[115] In addition, the building had an 8-by-10-foot (2.4 by 3.0 m) U.S. flag, which in the 20th century was the largest such flag at a public building in Boston.^[306]

Above the roof is a cupola, which was originally located at the center of the roof before being moved to the eastern end during the 1806 renovation.^[112][115] The original wooden cupola was rebuilt in steel during the late 1890s renovation.^[161][162] The lower part of the cupola is a square tower with louvers on its western elevation and windows on its other elevations.^[298] The upper part of the cupola is a belfry, which contains a bell dating from 1867.^{[140][144][298][c]} The bell's clapper ceased to function at the end of World War II in 1945 (though it had been manually rung several times after that with a mallet). The bell began ringing again in 2007 when the stuck clapper was freed and lubricated and new bellrope attached to the bell.^[307]

There is a gilded weathervane, shaped like a grasshopper, atop the belfry's dome.^[298][308] The vane, created by Shem Drowne in 1742,^[308][62] weighs 25 pounds (11 kg).^[227] The reason for the grasshopper shape is not agreed on.^{[52][309][310]} One theory is that the vane was modeled after that of the London Royal Exchange, itself based upon the family crest of Thomas Gresham,^[297][311] while another possible origin is that Drowne had chased grasshoppers when he was younger.^[310][309] Other, more apocryphal etymologies claim that the Faneuil family's coat of arms had a grasshopper or that merchants liked the insect.^[310] The vane contains a time capsule with artifacts such as newspapers and currency,^[312] which rattled around inside until 1952.^[222][313] The vane was described by Historic Preservation magazine as "one of America's best-known weathervanes",^[244] and people often called the surrounding area "Grasshopper Market".^[308] According to legend, knowledge of the vane (or lack thereof) has been used to identify enemy spies in the War of 1812^[313] and to pick out people who falsely claimed to be Boston citizens.^[309][314]

Lower stories and staircase

The basement level is surrounded by a stone foundation wall, which has been covered with plaster in many places. Cold storage rooms are situated outside the wall at each corner.^[301] The rest of the basement is used for offices and education.^[299][301]

The first (ground) floor contains the market area, a space measuring 76 by 100 feet (23 by 30 m) across. This space has a concrete floor covered with terrazzo tiles, brick walls; cast-iron and concrete supports, dating from two modifications in the 19th century; and a ceiling of brick vaults. The north and south walls each have a west–east array of concrete piers, flanking three west–east arrays of cast iron columns, which divide the space into bays. There are stalls at the center and the north and south walls, creating an H-shaped floor plan; the stalls were added in 1994 and are separated by partitions. The west and east walls have Colonial Revival-style entrances.^[317] The southeast corner has a glass-and-wood booth or stall decorated in the Colonial Revival style.^[317][318] In the late 20th century, the market area retained some vestiges of its original use, including meat hooks and signage.^[318]

From the eastern entrance, a wide granite staircase rises to the Great Hall's second-story entrance,^[165][164] with two intermediate landings.^[301] Above that, the staircase continues to the fourth story, with landings stacked atop each other. The staircase is illuminated by lamps attached to cast-iron support columns.^[317][301] The staircase's current cast-iron construction dates to the 1898–1899 renovation.^[317][318] Most of the doorways leading off the staircases are designed in the Greek Revival style and date from the 1820s renovation, except the doors to the Great Hall and the Ancients' anterooms, which were added by Bulfinch. The top of the stairs has fanlights designed by Bulfinch.^[317]

Great Hall

The second floor is primarily occupied by the lower level of the neoclassical-style Great Hall,^[301] measuring 28 feet (8.5 m) high and 76 by 76 feet (23 by 23 m) across.^{[107][304][141]} This space, fitting 856 occupants,^[275] is accessed from the main stairway via a set of paneled doors designed by Bulfinch.^[317][301] There is a rostrum on the west wall, while the room's other three sides are surrounded by a third-floor gallery.^[141] The original columns supporting the galleries were in the Doric style.^[119][316] These were replaced in the 1890s by concrete and steel Doric columns supporting an entablature;^[141][301] the current columns are replicas of Bulfinch's originals.^[316] Beneath the gallery, the pilasters on the second floor's outer walls are paneled^[141] and are designed in the Ionic order.^[166][301] Between the pilasters are the sash windows of the facade.^[141]

The Great Hall's lower level has a wooden floor dating from the 1890s renovation.^[301] The Great Hall has folding seats that flank a central aisle, facing the rostrum.^[141] Additional seating is located on the northern and southern sides of the second floor;^[301][141] sources from Faneuil Hall's 1806 reconstruction cite the seating as being amphitheater-like.^[107][119] The rostrum itself has a wooden stage and oak podium dating from the 1870s.^[301] It is flanked by a pair of staircases at the northwest and southeast corners of the room, which lead to the gallery^[141][301] and have perforated risers for easier ventilation.^[166][168] From 1840 until the 1890s renovation, the rostrum had extensions linking directly to these staircases.^[303] The wall behind the rostrum is decorated with George Healy's oil painting,^[319][d] which measures 16 by 30 feet (4.9 by 9.1 m) and depicts the Webster–Hayne debate and 130 notable American figures.^[141][321] On either side, the wall has decorations such as swag motifs, busts, and niches.^[301] The western wall also has deep openings with terracotta block infill (which once contained windows), in addition to portraits.^[141] There are also arches with keystones carved by Daniel Reynert in the shape of cherub heads.^[301]

The gallery has more seats overlooking the rostrum.^[301][141] The columns from the lower level continue through the gallery, supporting an entablature on the ceiling; a paneled balustrade runs between these columns.^[141] At the rear (east) end of the Great Hall, the balustrade contains a stone eagle installed in 1824, which formerly adorned the First Bank of the United States' now-demolished Boston branch.^{[322][323][324]} Next to the eagle is a clock from 1850, manufactured by Howard & Davis Co.^{[323][325][326]} The clock was donated by the children of Boston; their names were enclosed in a box that was to be opened on the clock's 100th anniversary, but went missing before that.^[327] There are sconces mounted onto the cornice,^[141] along with light fixtures hanging from a lotus blossom–shaped escutcheon in the middle of the ceiling.^[141][166]

Other upper-story spaces

Portraits of diplomat Anson Burlingame and U.S. Vice President Henry Wilson, a plaque, and a commemorative tablet are displayed on the second floor.^[317] There are also small offices on the second floor, leading off the Great Hall and the stair landing.^[301] These include the superintendent's office (also known as the custodian's room^[328][329]) at the northeast corner, which measures 20 by 20 feet (6.1 by 6.1 m) across.^[325] The superintendent's office bears Colonial Revival decorations, including a fireplace mantel and chimney piece.^[325][328] There is another room on the southeast corner, across the staircase landing.^[316] Known as the Boston Art Commission and Park Service Room, it has decorations dating from the late 1890s,^[316] including a smaller brick mantel.^[329] These mantelpieces date from the 1890s renovation.^[166][168] Restrooms for men and women on the second and third floors, respectively, also date from that renovation.^[168]

The fourth floor, or attic, is the headquarters of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.^[330][331] The center of this floor has a hall measuring 48 by 76 feet (15 by 23 m) across.^[121][332] The space measured 30 by 76 feet (9.1 by 23.2 m) across,^[107][119] but, to accommodate new roof trusses, was expanded by 18 feet (5.5 m) during the 1890s renovation.^[303] The walls are made of plaster. The northern and southern walls each have seven doors, which originally led to barrel-vaulted artillery storage rooms;^[332] Bulfinch's plans showed ten such rooms.^[121] The western wall has a lunette window and, below that, a 5-by-7-foot (1.5 by 2.1 m) rendering of the Great Seal of Massachusetts.^[325] There are benches at the middle of the room,^[325] which are made of iron and wood.^[330] An ornate, gilded frieze with military decorations runs atop the walls.^[330][332] The ceiling is made of plaster, with raised moldings creating a grid; the intersections of these moldings contain circles with light bulbs. Four dormer windows each to the north and south, embedded in the roof, also illuminate the space.^[333]

East of the Ancient and Honorable Assembly Company's hall, a staircase ascends to a commandery room just below Faneuil Hall's cupola.^[330][333] The 13 risers in this staircase have embedded plaques with the names of the Thirteen Colonies.^[333][334] The commandery room itself measures 48 by 14 feet (14.6 by 4.3 m) and is illuminated by elliptical windows in the coved ceiling and by a lunette and bullseye windows from the east.^[333] On the commandery room's perimeter are pairs of Ionic columns, which support the coved ceiling.^[330][333]