Charles Bulfinch
Inside Beacon Hill State House Bronze plaque by Herbert Adams, 1899 Commissioned by the Commonwealth.
Bulfinch’s first building was the Hollis Street Church (1788). Among his other early works are a memorial column on Beacon Hill (1789), the first monument to the American Revolution; the Federal Street Theater (1793); the “Tontine Crescent” (built 1793–1794, now demolished), fashioned in part after John Wood’s Royal Crescent; the Old State House in Hartford Connecticut (1796); and the Massachusetts State House (1798).
Over the course of ten years, Bulfinch built a remarkable number of private dwellings in the Boston area, including Joseph Barrell’s Pleasant Hill (1793), a series of three houses in Boston for Harrison Gray Otis (1796, 1800, 1806), and the John Phillips House (1804). He built several churches in Boston, of which New North Church (built 1802–1804), currently the Saint Stephens Church, is the last standing.
Serving from 1791 to 1795 on Boston board of selectmen, he resigned due to business pressures but returned in 1799. From 1799 to 1817 he was the chairman of Boston’s board of selectmen continuously, and served as a paid Police Superintendent, improving the city’s streets, drains, and lighting. Under his direction, both the infrastructure and civic center of Boston were transformed into a dignified classical style.
Bulfinch was responsible for the design of the Boston Common, the remodeling and enlargement of Faneuil Hall (1805), and the construction of India Wharf (1803-1807). In these Boston years he also designed the Massachusetts State Prison (1803); Boylston Market (1810); University Hall for Harvard University (1813–1814); the Meeting House in Lancaster, Massachusetts (1815–17); and the Bulfinch Building of Massachusetts General Hospital (1818), its completion overseen by Alexander Paris, who was working in Bulfinch’s office at the time the architect was summoned to Washington by President Monroe.
Inside Beacon Hill State House Bronze plaque by Herbert Adams, 1899 Commissioned by the Commonwealth.
Bulfinch’s first building was the Hollis Street Church (1788). Among his other early works are a memorial column on Beacon Hill (1789), the first monument to the American Revolution; the Federal Street Theater (1793); the “Tontine Crescent” (built 1793–1794, now demolished), fashioned in part after John Wood’s Royal Crescent; the Old State House in Hartford Connecticut (1796); and the Massachusetts State House (1798).
Over the course of ten years, Bulfinch built a remarkable number of private dwellings in the Boston area, including Joseph Barrell’s Pleasant Hill (1793), a series of three houses in Boston for Harrison Gray Otis (1796, 1800, 1806), and the John Phillips House (1804). He built several churches in Boston, of which New North Church (built 1802–1804), currently the Saint Stephens Church, is the last standing.
Serving from 1791 to 1795 on Boston board of selectmen, he resigned due to business pressures but returned in 1799. From 1799 to 1817 he was the chairman of Boston’s board of selectmen continuously, and served as a paid Police Superintendent, improving the city’s streets, drains, and lighting. Under his direction, both the infrastructure and civic center of Boston were transformed into a dignified classical style.
Bulfinch was responsible for the design of the Boston Common, the remodeling and enlargement of Faneuil Hall (1805), and the construction of India Wharf (1803-1807). In these Boston years he also designed the Massachusetts State Prison (1803); Boylston Market (1810); University Hall for Harvard University (1813–1814); the Meeting House in Lancaster, Massachusetts (1815–17); and the Bulfinch Building of Massachusetts General Hospital (1818), its completion overseen by Alexander Paris, who was working in Bulfinch’s office at the time the architect was summoned to Washington by President Monroe.
In the summer of 1817, Bulfinch’s roles as selectman, designer and public official coincided with a visit by President Monroe. The two men were almost constantly in each other’s company for the week-long visit, and a few months
later (1818) Monroe appointed Bulfinch the successor to Benjamin Henry Latrobe (1764–1820) as Architect of the Capitol in Washington,D.C. (The Capitol Building had been partially burned by the British in 1814.) In this position he was
paid a salary of $2,500 per year plus expenses.
As Commissioner of Public Building, Bulfinch completed the Capitol’s wings and central portion, designed the western approach and portico, and constructed the Capitol’s original low wooden dome to his own design (replaced by the present cast-iron dome in the mid-1850s). In 1829 Bulfinch completed the construction of the Capitol, 36 years after its cornerstone was laid. During his interval in Washington, Bulfinch also drew plans for the State House in Augusta, Maine (1829–32). He returned to Boston in 1830, where he died on April 15, 1844, aged 80, and was buried in Kings Chapel Burial Ground in Boston. His tomb was later moved to Mount Auburn in Cambridge, MA.
As Commissioner of Public Building, Bulfinch completed the Capitol’s wings and central portion, designed the western approach and portico, and constructed the Capitol’s original low wooden dome to his own design (replaced by the present cast-iron dome in the mid-1850s). In 1829 Bulfinch completed the construction of the Capitol, 36 years after its cornerstone was laid. During his interval in Washington, Bulfinch also drew plans for the State House in Augusta, Maine (1829–32). He returned to Boston in 1830, where he died on April 15, 1844, aged 80, and was buried in Kings Chapel Burial Ground in Boston. His tomb was later moved to Mount Auburn in Cambridge, MA.
No comments:
Post a Comment