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GR I D L£V J F. 6R'i AN T. |
ARTHUR GILMAN, j

THE

CITY HALL,

BOSTON

CORNER STONE LAID, MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1862.

DEDICATED, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1865.

BOSTON:
PBEPARED AND PRINTED
BY AUTHORITY OF THE CITY -COUNCIL.
MDCCCLXVI.

ALFRED MUDGE & SON,
PRINTERS TO THE CITY.
34 School Street.

PREFACE

The City Hall, recently completed, is at once the most elaborate
and conspicuous, as well as the most important, of the municipal
structures of Boston. In its external outline and details, and in
its interior arrangements, it presents a striking addition to the
public edifices of the City, and one which certainly goes far to
do away with the reproach implied in the remark that our people
seemed to be careless or indifferent .to the graces of correct and,
stately architectural effect. The interest with which it has been
visited since its completion, by large numbers of persons, and
the general commendation which it has called forth, both for its
appearance and the accommodations it affords, give sufficient
evidence that any such advance in architectural taste will always
be appreciated at its full value in this community.
It has been the custom of former city governments, on occasion
of the completion of other public buildings of note, — such as the
New Jail, the Public Library, the Alms- House at Deer Island
and tho City Hospital, — to preserve, in pamphlet or book fof m,
a permanent record of the history and progress of the under
taking. The present publication, therefore, is but the continua
tion of a series, not only interesting to our own citizens, but
of value as a precedent elsewhere. The buildings, described

IV PREFACE.
and illustrated in this series, are, all of them, such as embody
the best experience and the most careful study of their
widely different requirements. They are spacious, conven
ient and substantial structures, entirely adapted to their re
spective purposes, and carefully arranged for the most thorough,
as well as for the most economical, administration of the insti
tutions for which they were respectively erected. And it is not
too much to say that all of them are distinguished, in a greater
or less degree, by such marked features of architectural merit, in
detail, as the wants of the present time would seem to demand
in the principal municipal structures of a wealthy and flourish
ing city.
In all these respects of adaptation, it is believed that the build
ing, which forms the subject of the present volume, will be found
to fall no whit behind its predecessors, while, as regards elegance
and elaboration of style, it decidedly surpasses any former struc
ture which the City has ever been called on to erect. That this
elevation of style should have been aimed at in this case was
naturally to be expected, not only from the central and conspicu
ous position occupied, but from the fact of 'its being the chief
structure for all City purposes, intended for the official and busi
ness transactions of the higher branches of the City administra
tion; and, as such, well described by Mayor Lincoln, in his
remarks on occasion of the dedication, as " the crowning glory
of our municipal architecture."
The style in which this building has been erected is so great
an innovation on the character of our previously existing public

PREFACE. V
structures as to have excited considerable attention, and to have
called forth more or less of criticism and remark. It may be
described as the Italian Renaissance, modified and elaborated by
the taste of the French architects of the last thirty years. On
examination it will be found to be a style which grows naturally
out of the character and requirements of our modern structures,
and which enables the architect of the present day to preserve a
high degree of artistic effect in his compositions, while at the
same time readily adapting itself to all the wants and uses of a
practical design. It is gratifying to observe that the taste of the
present day, — if by this term we may describe the generally
expressed approbation of the great majority of refined and
educated persons, — manifests everywhere a decided tendency
toward the Renaissance, as a style capable of supplying the
greatest amount of convenience attainable in our modern build
ings, combined with the most appropriate elegance in their
adornment. A striking proof of this tendency is to be found in
the fact that besides being long naturalized in France, and being
the only style in which all the great works of improvement of
modern Paris are composed, it has been so recognized and
studied elsewhere, that in the great English competition for the
projected new Government buildings, at Whitehall, the designs
to which all the highest premiums (,£800 each) were awarded,
by a commission consisting of the most accomplished judges in
the kingdom, were without exception in this style only. It will
doubtless ere long be fully recognized by sound architectural
critics as the true vernacular style of our age and country.

VI PREFACE.
From the dignified and classical character of its details, it is at
least peculiarly fitted for a great public structure, — while from
the numerous windows it admits of, it is equally manageable for
the various purposes required of it internally. In short, as
remarked by Mr. Fergusson,* one of the ablest as well as the
most critical writers on the fine arts of our day, — it is " a style
which, for want of a better name, is sometimes called the Italian,
but which should be called the common sense style. This, never
having attained the completeness which debars all further pro
gress — as was the case in the purely Classical or in the perfected
Gothic styles — not only admits of, but insists on, progress. It
courts borrowing principles and forms from either. It can use
either pillars or pinnacles, as may be required. It admits of
towers or spires or domes. It can either indulge in plain
walls or pierce them with innumerable windows. It knows
no guide but common sense, it owns no master but true taste.
It may hardly be possible, however, because it requires the exer
cise of these qualities ; and more than this, it demands thought,
where copying has hitherto sufficed; and it counts originality
which the present system repudiates. Its greatest merit is that
it admits of that progress by which alone man has hitherto
accomplished anything great or good, either in Literature, in
Science, or in Art."
This volume is now presented by the Committee on Public
Buildings as a final report of their doings. It also includes

?History of the Modern Styles of Architecture, p. 329.

PREFACE. Vll
a history of the proceedings heretofore taken, from the first
commencement of the undertaking to the final completion of
the building, ready for occupancy by the various departments
of the City Government.
The Committee deem it only an act of simple justice — and
they believe they speak the sentiments of their predecessors in
so doing — to record as one of the closing acts of official duty
their testimony to the zeal and fidelity with which the Architects
of the building have at all times forwarded the views and
wishes of the Committee, in preparing, under their advice, the
almost endless details of a structure which will long remain as
a noble monument of their professional skill.
DANIEL DAVIES,
L. MILES STANDISH,
GEOEGE W. SPRAGUE,
NATHANIEL ADAMS,
WILLIAM W. WARREN,
CHARLES R. McLEAN,
NATHL. McKAY,
NAHUM M. MORRISON,
Committee on Public Buildings.
Citt Hall, Boston^
Dec. 30, 1865.

REPORT

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDIMS.

1862.

REPORT

OF the

COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
1862.

At the beginning of the year 1862,* the attention of
the City Council was formally directed to the necessity
for a new City Hall in the Inaugural Address from
Mayor Wightman. He said :
" In recommending the erection of a new City Hall
of sufficient size to accommodate all the departments of
the government, I do so from the conviction that the
present year will be a favorable one for this under
taking. The City Hospital, Public Garden, South Bay,
and other expensive works and improvements having
been provided for, it appears eminently proper, at this
time, to erect an appropriate building for a City Hall,
which has been required for the public business for
many years.
I have ascertained that the amount now paid for rents
for the various premises occupied for city purposes,

* The record of the various proceedings of the City Government, pre
vious to the year 1862, on the subject of a new City Hall, will tae found in
the Report, pp. 5-27.

4 THE CITY HALL.
exceeds the interest upon any reasonable estimate of
the expense of such a building as would be worthy of
our wealthy municipality. In anticipation of some
action upon this subject, arrangements have been made
by which temporary accommodations for the City
Council, and some of the city oflicers, could be pro
vided in the Old State House during the erection of
the new building, — the leases of the tenants being
predicated upon this contingency.
I trust, therefore, that this subject will receive the
prompt attention from the City Council which its impor
tance demands."
Soon after the organization of the new government,
the Joint Standing Committee on Public Buildings was
appointed, consisting of the following gentlemen :
Aldermen — FRANCIS RICHARDS, Chairman.
SAMUEL R. SPINNEY,
JOSEPH F. PAUL.
Councilmen — DANIEL DAVTES,
JOHN C. TUCKER,
JOHN W. LEIGHTON,
JOHN C. FALLON,
GEORGE W. SPRAGUE.
So much of the Mayor's address as related to the
erection of a new City Hall having been referred to
this Committee, they made a report in the Common
Council on the 19th of June, 1862, accompanied by
plans and elevations of the present structure, drawn,
under the direction of the Committee, by Messrs. Grid-

COMMITTEE S REPORT. 5
ley J. F. Bryant and Arthur Gilman, Architects. The
report was as follows : REPORT.
The addresses of the Mayor, at his first inauguration
in 1861, and again on the renewal of his term of office
in 1862, having alluded in the most marked manner to
the strong necessity which exists for increased accom
modation in the City Hall building, for nearly all the
branches of the city government. The urgency of the
question to which the remarks of His Honor has thus
given a renewed expression, has for the past twelve
years at least, forced itself with constantly increasing
weight upon the consideration of each successive city
government, as each in their turn have gained from
experience a knowledge of the entire inadequacy of
the present structure to the important purposes it is
intended to serve. The subject has now, in fact, been
more or less under discussion for a period of twenty-
four years, — having been felt to be suspended only,
and not terminated, by the alteration and repair of the
present building in 1840. A history, therefore, of the
various action heretofore taken on this important sub
ject will, it is believed, enable the members of the
present City Council more fully to appreciate the ne
cessity of some speedy and decided measures for the
proper accommodation of the present, and the immedi
ately prospective wants of our populous and growing
city. There appears to have been a singular and almost
unbroken unanimity of feeling and conviction upon

6 THE CITY HALL.
this subject on the part of all the successive Boards of
the city government since the year 1838, when the
necessity of seeking more spacious and convenient
quarters than those afforded in the Old State House
building forced itself upon the minds of our prede
cessors of that day. On the 2^th day of May, 1838,
an order was passed empowering the then Committee
on Public Buildings to report a plan for a new City
Hall, the cost of which should not exceed the sum of
$ 100,000, and to submit the same for the consideration
of the City Council. In compliance with these instruc
tions, on the 11th day of June of the same year, the
late respected Mayor Eliot, in behalf of the commit
tee, submitted a plan for a new building and a report
in accordance with the terms of the order, already
given. This early, and in many respects most able
report, concludes with the statement that the " situa
tion for the building which has been thought, on all
accounts, the most desirable, is the same, or nearly the
same, as that on which the old Court House now stands
in Court Square. It will however be important, — and
the committee esteem it even necessary, considering
the probable growth of the city and the extension of
the city business within a few years, — that a little
more ground should be covered than is now occupied
by the Court House." And as a means toward clear
ing away all obstacles to the securing as much room
as possible for the purposes of the city government
proper, this first committee on the subject voted to
" recommend the removing of the Court of Probate and
the Kegistry of Deeds into a separate building, to be

COMMITTEE S REPORT. 7
placed on a part of the site now occupied by the build
ing known as the Museum,"— a measure soon after hap
pily carried into effect. And on the same 11th day of
June, 1838, an order passed the Board of Aldermen
" That the committee be authorized to receive proposals
for the erection of a City Hall, according to the plan
presented, and to contract for its erection as soon as
the necessary arrangements can be made." The order
was duly sent down for concurrence, but the plan sub
mitted not receiving the approbation of the other
branch in all respects, no further record of it appears
at the time in this connection. On the 25th day of
June, however, the committee were further instructed
" to ascertain whether the land and buildings, situated
in the vicinity, of the old Court House, belonging to the
estate of Asa Richardson, deceased, can be purchased,
and if so, at what price, and also to procure and report,
as soon as may be, additional plans, models, specifica
tions, and estimates of cost of said proposed new City
Hall." So that the delay, even at this early period of
the undertaking, appears to have arisen only from a
disapproval of the particular plan recommended by the
Mayor and Aldermen, and not from any indifference on
the part of the Common Council to the need which
existed for a new and more convenient structure.
On the inauguration of, the municipal government
for 1839, the Mayor's Address again brought up the
subject, upon which no definite conclusion had been
arrived at in the previous year, in a still more urgent
and forcible manner. That this was responded to at
once, and in the most prompt spirit on the part of the

THE CITY HALL.

city government, is shown from the fact that a com
mittee was appointed and the subject referred to them
at the very next meeting, or as early as the 14th day of
January. This committee appear to have gone to work
in good earnest, and to have made the best use of their
time in coming to an intelligent understanding of their
duties, since we find them on the 1st of April next fol
lowing asking authority from the city government " to
make such purchases of land as may enable them to
report a suitable plan." With this distinct view, then,
of erecting a building larger than the present City
Hall, we find this committee of 1839 fully authorized
by a vote of the same date as their report, to make
such purchases of land as they may think necessary
and proper for the purpose named in their application.
And on the 4th of June following, it was "Ordered,
that the Treasurer be, and he is hereby authorized to
borrow, under the direction of the Committee on Fi
nance, the sum of sixty thousand dollars, for the pur
pose of making payment for the estates purchased by
the committee on the erection of a new City Hall, in
the vicinity of the old Court House." With the view of
carrying out the project in the same vigorous and decided
spirit which had hitherto marked the action of this com
mittee, and of prosecuting the undertaking with that
degree of earnestness in which it had been commenced,
— an earnestness, it would seem, commensurate only
with their conviction of its imperative necessity, — they
appear to have at once proceeded to remove the build
ing from the estates purchased as above, in order to clear
the site ; and, probably, also paid some compensation

COMMITTEE S REPORT.

to the tenants for vacating their leases, as an order of
inquiry " as to the reasons of this course," was intro
duced, by the friends of a slower policy, on the 14th of
October, and, as appears by the record, failed of adop
tion. But still no decided action had been reached,
upon the main question of the new building, at the
expiration of the municipal year of 1839.
On the 23d of September, of that year, it had been
" Ordered, that the Joint Committee, on the erection of
a new City Hall, be instructed to pay the sum of $500
for the best plan and model for a City Hall that shall
be presented to said committee, on or before the first
day of December next." But the temporary measures
of relief which grew out of all this effort, and with the
results of which we have from that day to the present
been compelled to accommodate ourselves as we best
might, appear only in the entries of the following year.
On the 15th of January, 1840, it was ordered in con
currence, " That the report in relation to the alteration
of the old County Court House to fit it for the purpose
of a City Hall, and which was referred to the conside
ration of the present City Council, be taken from the
files and referred to a committee to consider and report
as soon as practicable." On the 18th of May follow
ing, — the Mayor and Aldermen having, on the 11th
of the same month, refused to concur with the action of
the Common Council to fit up the old building, — a
committee of conference was appointed on the subject-
matter of the difference between the two branches of
the City Council, and with the best results ; since on
the 27th of July this committee reported three different
3

10 THE CITY HALL.
plans of alteration, with estimates of the expense of
each, and the third plan named, having been recom
mended by them for adoption, was fully adopted in
concurrence, at an estimated expense of $14,475. On
the 19th of October, 1840, the Joint Standing Com
mittee on Public Buildings reported that they had made
all contracts, for the alteration of the building, within
the sum thus placed at their disposal, and that the same
is now in rapid progress. The grounds in front, which
had been purchased for an extension of building area,
were ordered to be laid out and enclosed with an iron
fence; and, on the 15th of March, 1841, on the report
of the committee that the building would be ready for
the next meeting of the Common Council, it was voted to
occupy it for that purpose. On the 18th day of March,
a convention of both branches was held, to dedicate the
new City Hall, and an address was delivered on the
occasion by the Mayor, Hon Jonathan Chapman, being
No. 9 of City Documents on file. An extract from this
sensible production will show the grounds on which
the speaker judged the movement to be worthy of con
gratulating the city authorities of that day; while, at
the same time, it must lead us to the reflection that
such grounds, at the present time, no longer exist, and
that the growth of the city has placed us now in a
similar position to that from which the Mayor of 1841
informs the city government that they were happy to
have been relieved. "We have now," says this address,
" rooms sufficiently spacious for every department and
office of the government. What is of great importance,
also, we have now for the first time all the officers of

COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 11
the government under one roof; a circumstance, not
only important to the despatch of business, but valuable
as bringing all the officers into more frequent inter
course, and exciting feelings of entire unity and har
mony amongst them." This desirable state of things, it
is evident, no longer exists, as we have long since out
grown the area of accommodation which alone rendered
it possible. Other considerations which follow are,
however, equally applicable now as then, since we still
remain, as in the words of the address, "in a central
yet quiet spot, everything around," if not " within," as
remarked in the concluding observations, " seeming all
that a reasonable being could desire or ask" for the
purpose of such a structure.
It was evident from the first, however, that the occu
pancy of this building was, as we have already stated,
to be regarded as only a temporary measure of relief.
If each department and each officer of the city govern
ment were, for the first time in our municipal history,
introduced into apartments sufficiently spacious for
their daily uses, there was yet nothing of that wise
provision for " the probable growth of the city and for
the extension of the city business within a few years,"
to which the previous report of Mayor Eliot had so
significantly alluded. The building was indeed accom
modated to all the more pressing demands of that day,
but it could be made to accommodate no more. And
although there is no doubt that the alterations at that
time effected in it should, on the whole, be regarded
as eminently judicious for that period, yet the fact
cannot be overlooked that its restricted accommodations

12 THE CITY HALL.
became quite apparent within five years after its first
occupation by the government. Within nine years after,
these deficiencies had in fact become the subject of
repeated discussion in both branches of the City Council.
The increased number of offices necessarily created,
together with the natural and inevitable increase of
business in every already existing department, the result
of demands consequent upon the growing wealth and
position of the city, had reduced the building within so
short a term of years to a condition of unfitness for the
wants of the government, almost as great, compara
tively, as had been experienced in the building which
they had left on the occasion of their former removal.
Each year only added to the growing weight of the
inconvenience, and on the 21st of February, 1850, an
order passed the Board of Aldermen " that the Mayor
and Aldermen Rogers and Holbrook, with such as the
Common Council may join, be a committee to inquire
into the expediency of making additions to the -City
Hall." The order subsequently passed the Common
Council in concurrence, and Messrs. Richards, Seaver,
and Appleton were joined to the committee on the part
of the Council.
The history of the various and repeated efforts which
have been made to bring this matter to a successful
issue by almost every successive city government since
the first introduction of the order of 1850, would alone
be sufficient to convince us that it is our imperative
duty no longer to evade or postpone the responsibility
of early and decided action. There is scarcely a volume
of the City Records, from that day to this, in which the

committee's report. 13
partial and abortive attempts to provide the city with a
suitable edifice for the decent accommodation of their
municipal authorities fail to hold a large and con
spicuous place. No harmonious action having resulted
from the order of 1850, on the 13th day of January,
1851, it was again " Ordered, that Alderman Briggs,
Holbrook, and Smith, with such as the Common Council
may join, be a committee to consider the subject of
making an addition to the City Hall, for the further
accommodation of the city officers," and the Council
readily concurring, joined on its part Messrs. Swallow,
Richards, and Smith. On the 17th of February, this
joint committee made a report upon the imperative
necessity which existed for such addition, and on the
24th of the same month, they were authorized to offer
a premium for the best plan that should be offered
within fourteen days from the passage of the order.
But still no further harmonious result appears to have
been arrived at as a consequence of this action than had
marked the abortive effort of the preceding year.
The year 1852 soon opened with a repetition of the
same attempt at action. But by this time the project
for increased accommodation in the City Hall had
become entangled with another question, which seri
ously retarded the progress it might otherwise have
been expected to have made. On the 1st day of March,
an order of the Common Council, appointing Messrs.
Swallow, Lincoln, Lawrence, Sprague, and Nicolson,
with such as the Mayor and Aldermen may join, a
committee to consider the subject of making an addition
to the City Hall, for the accommodation of the city

14 THE CITY HALL.
officers, and for the Public Library, came up to the
Board of Aldermen for concurrence, and Aldermen
Ober, James," and Reed, were accordingly joined on the
part of the latter board. On the 15th of April following,
it was " Ordered, that the Joint Standing Committee
who have in charge the subject of making additions to
the City Hall be authorized to report any plan they
may deem expedient by which accommodation for all
the city officers and for the Public Library may be had
in one building." But this crude and anomalous idea
was happily disposed of by the good sense of the
committee, who, as the easiest means of averting a
result so utterly fatal to the uses or convenience of both
buildings, on the 10th day of May following, reported
through their chairman, Mayor Seaver, " That it is not
expedient for the City Council to take any further
action in the premises at the present time," and thus,
for another year, the opportunity for the much desired
improvement was again lost.
The year 1853 having been the period in which the
great work of the present Public Library was first
seriously considered, it was deemed unadvisable to bring
forward the claims of any other project which would
necessarily involve the city in any great expenditure.
No attempt at any action in the matter of a new City
Hall, was therefore made in either branch of the city
government for that year. And this state of feeling
probably continued throughout the greater part of the
following year, during which the steps toward building
the Library were actively taken. We have seen that
the preceding City Councils had in each case taken up

committee's report. 15
the subject of the City Hall with considerable vigor
in the first month or two of their administration, and
that the decision upon it seemed to fade" away before
the pressure of other and more immediate, because only
temporary, questions as they came, each, towards the
end of their respective terms of service. In fact, it
has generally been found that any attempt to make an
appropriation of any magnitude, if not acted upon and
some definite conclusion arrived at upon it before the
summer recess, is rendered almost hopeless of success in
the later sessions of the year. The members naturally,
perhaps, prefer to leave the decision upon the expendi
ture to be incurred in the hands of their incoming
successors, under whose more immediate direction the
necessary appropriations are to be expended. But the
city government of 1854 still appear to have felt it
incumbent on them not to go out of office without
adding something of their own to the swelling testi
mony on the subject of this crying necessity, which the
records of the previous years had already rolled up.
Accordingly, as one of their latest acts, on the 28th
day of December they delivered themselves of their
share of conviction in the following entry: " Whereas,
the present City Hall is insufficient, inconvenient, and
in many respects unsuitable for the transaction of the
various and rapidly increasing public business of the
City, therefore, Resolved, As the opinion of the City
Council, that the true interest of the City requires the
erection at an early day of a new and more commodious
City Hall, equal to the present and prospective wants of
the City." And on the 30th day of December this

16 THE city hall.
resolution was referred to the next City Council for
their attention.
The work on the Public Library, however, still con
tinuing through the year 1855, no action of any kind
was taken in regard to the matter during that year.
But on the 17th of March, 1856, it was again "Ordered,
That the Committee on Public Buildings consider and
report what repairs and additions are necessary to be
made to the City Hall, with authority to procure plans
and estimates ; " and this act was approved by the Mayor
on the 18th of the same month. The Joint Standing
Committee on Public Buildings having reported to the
Common Council in favor of the enlargement, on the
5th of May it was further "Ordered, That the whole
subject of the report of the Committee on Public Build
ings, respecting repairs and alterations of the City Hall,
be recommitted to said committee, with authority to
procure plans and estimates of said repairs and altera
tions, or of a new building, or of both, at their dis
cretion." A plan having been brought forward, in
consequence of this order, on the 11th of July follow
ing an order was passed in concurrence, " That the
Committee on Public Buildings have further time to
report on an enlargement of the old City Hall, or the
erection of a new one." But no further decision
appears to have been arrived at before the expiration
of the year.
The city government of 1857 again took up the
familiar subject. On the 6th of April it was ordered,
in concurrence, " That the Committee on Public Build
ings be requested to inquire and report if further

committee's report. 17
accommodation be required for the city government and
officers, and if so, by what means it may be best sup
plied." And this order, thus referred, produced from
the pen of the able and experienced chairman of that
committee, — the late Mr. Alderman Bonney, — a
report by far the most full, interesting, and conclusive
that has ever appeared upon the subject ; looking at
the whole matter in all its bearings, and touching upon
all its requirements in a manner which may be con
sidered to exhaust whatever might properly be said
upon the question. " The order," says this well-
considered report, " contemplates two inquiries : first,
whether any, and if any, what further accommodations
are required, and where, and in what way, and by
what means such want may best be supplied. It is
not to be presumed that your committee are to con
strue the order strictly, and look only to wants that are
imperative ; for, if so, we should say at once that there
is no officer who has not some place or office where he
can be seen and consulted upon public business, either
within or without the walls of the City Hall. But we
presume that we are to inquire whether the officers of
the government, and the public who have to transact
business with such officers, have such accommodations
as it becomes the most opulent city (relatively) now
in the nineteenth century to furnish ; and whether in
appearance even, the City Hall is what it should be, as
the representative habitation of that government, to
say nothing of the inconvenience occasioned to those
of us who assist in the transaction of the public busi
ness, and without compensation therefor, in having to
4

18 THE CITY HALL.
go into three or four buildings in as many streets, to
chase up a fact or to get information that ought to be
near at hand, and within the walls of the same build
ing. We presume further, that the inquiry has refer
ence to the extent of accommodations within the City
Hall building, and what are required to be, or ought
to be within such building, and how far they are now
so provided.
" We give an answer to this inquiry briefly, when we
say that ten distinct departments of the public service have
their offices without the City Hall building, and that sev
eral of them require more than one room to each
department ; while the balance, that are now accommo
dated in the City Hall building have not the accom
modations they require, and very few indeed have in
extent, and none in security from fire, such accommo
dations as the public have a right to demand at our
hands." This report was laid on the table and ordered to be
printed (City Document No. 42), in the Common
Council, on the 7th of May, 1857, and on the 8th of
June following came up before the Board of Aldermen
in the following form, as appears from their record of
that year :
" The Joint Standing Committee of Public Buildings,
to whom was referred the order of the 8th of April,
requesting the committee to inquire and report if fur
ther accommodation," &c, &c, reported as per City
Document, No. 42, that such accommodations are

COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 19
imperatively required for the reasons therein stated,
which report was accepted by the Common Council,
and the following resolve and order were passed :
Resolved, That iu the opinion of the City Council, more and
better accommodations for the government are required, and that
such accommodations should be provided within the limits of the
City Hall building ; and especially is it important that the several
offices for the government should be much more secure from fire
than they now are, or can be made without an entire renovation
of the present building ; therefore it is Ordered, that the Com
mittee on Public Buildings procure plans to be made for a
building for the city's use on the site of the present City Hall
(and also on the Public Garden), with the estimates of the ex
pense thereof, with the required rooms for all the present City
Officers, and that for this purpose the sum of $2,000 be, and the
same is hereby appropriated. And the question coming up
before the Board of Aldermen for concurrence in this resolve
and order, the same were fully concurred in, with the substitution
only of $1,000 for $2,000 as the amount thus appropriated.
But at the next meeting of the Aldermen, on the 15th
of June, the encouraging propositions which had thus
been adopted were again reconsidered in that Board, —
Alderman Bonney having moved that " in view of the
pressing state of the finances the same be postponed,
but recommending the subject to the early consideration
of our successors." On the 22d of June it appears
that the Common Council had, in the interim, non-con- •
curred in the resolution of postponement, and that they
insisted on their previous vote to take immediate and
decided action in this important matter. No other
course remained open to the Board of Aldermen, enter-

20 THE CITY HALL.
taining the views expressed in the resolution of the
15th, than to lay the matter on the table, where it
remained until the 28th of December. On that day
the Aldermen insisted on their vote of the 15th of
June ; and the Common Council concurring, as it would
have been useless to have done anything more, the
nineteenth year of attempted action for the purpose of
providing the City of Boston with proper and suitable
quarters for their government passed fruitlessly away.
Their successors of the next year, 1858, to whose
early consideration the matter had been thus recom
mended, acquitted themselves of their trust in the most
summary manner. On the 8th of February in that
year, it was ordered, " That all documents of the previ
ous city governments in relation to the erection of a
new City Hall be taken from the files and referred to
the Committee on Public Buildings." But at the next
meeting, on 15th of February, the order was on motion
laid on the table, and the matter was thus again indefi
nitely postponed.
On the 25th of July, 1859, a further attempt was
made to proceed in the business. On that day it was
" Ordered, that so much of the Mayor's Message on the
subject of the Back Bay Lands as relates to the neces
sity of further accommodations for a City Hall, be
referred to the Committee on Public Buildings." The
Committee kept the matter by them till their last meet-
¦ ing on the 29th of December, when they again reported
reference .to the next City Council.
The introduction of the subject in the city govern
ment for the year 1860, was the occasion for giving it
a greater amount of attention than it had ever before

committee's report. 21
received in a single year. As early in the year as the
16th of January, an order passed referring that portion
of the Mayor's Address which related to the erection
of a City Hall, and to the enlargement of the courts,
to a joint committee of both branches of the City Council.
As early as the 6th of February, this committee reported,
" That, having given the subject a careful consideration,
they are unanimously of the opinion that it is not now,
and probably will not be for many years, expedient to
remove the City Hall from its present location, near the
business centre, and, therefore, as the building now
occupied for that purpose is one of great solidity, and
well adapted without material change for the accommo
dation of many departments of the government, they
therefore advise that an enlargement of the same be
made towards School Street, of sufficient capacity to
afford ample room for all the present and prospective
requirements of the city government, for at least twenty
years to come. Should the time however arrive when
the public may demand that the City Hall should be
located further south, the new rooms proposed to be
erected would then be, from their position, well adapted
for renting for business purposes." The committee
also recommended the passage of an order authorizing
the Committee on Public Buildings to procure plans and
estimates for the enlargement of the present building
in a southerly direction. The report was carefully
drawn up and, by the Committee on Printing, author
ized to be printed on the 5th day of June, — being
City Document, No. 44, of printed Documents now on
file. But the diversity of views which prevailed
appear to have induced a more than usual delay of

22 THE CITY HALL.
action, and it was not until the 5th of January, 1861,
the last meeting of the municipal year, that the majority
of the committee reported a plan at an estimated cost
of $100,000, and the minority of the committee having
reported another at an estimated cost of $120,000, the
whole subject was again recommended to the notice of
their successors.
The year 1861 brought another urgent reference, in
the Annual Address of the Mayor, to the absolute
necessity for other, better and safer accommodation for
all the branches of the city government. And the mat
ter has once more been handed over to a Committee of
the present year on a repeated assurance from the same
source, that it is incumbent on us to take some decided
action in reference to it before our own term of service
expires. In this point of view, that portion of the
Mayor's Address has again been referred to your Com
mittee for consideration.
We have thus gone over in detail, but as briefly as the
subject would allow, the whole history of the original
efforts which led to the temporary occupation of the
present building, and have brought up in review a
record of the earnest and reiterated efforts which have
since been made, extending over a period of twelve
years, to procure some better and safer depository of
our important public archives. We think it a question
which in all decency should now be met and settled.
It is a ghost in our municipal councils which will not
be laid. Year after year it has returned to vex our
meetings with fruitless debates, and to encumber our
committees with useless ¦ action. But, meanwhile, all

COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 23
the branches of the public service are embarrassed and
impeded in their daily routine, — the utmost inconven
ience is impatiently borne alike by all classes of the
public officers, — the limited accommodations of those
within the building giving them but little advantage
over those who are quartered outside in leased premises,
while an amount of rent is annually paid for this exter
nal and partial accommodation, equal to the interest the
city would pay on a principal of more than $100,000.
We submit that the reproach implied in a submission
to this state of facts is one which a city like Boston
ought no longer to endure ; and that the duties attached
to our own term of service are marked by no other
feature of a more pressing and immediate responsibility
than arises out of the necessity which has been set
forth in such strong terms, and by so many successive
boards of our predecessors in office.
The question of location has always, with a very slight
exception, been considered a settled one. The present
site will always remain, as now, in the immediate vicinity
of the great business centres of the city. The area is
ample for extension on the rear, as well as on the front,
to an extent that shall not materially diminish the
pleasantness and beauty of the desirable square which
lies open to School Street, — while the ample passage
way on the east side and the open area of the Cemetery
on the west, give assurance of a full supply of light
and air to every portion of the structure. The land in
front, so wisely purchased tinder the administration of
Mayor Eliot, at a cost of $60,000, now represents a
value of more than $250,000,- if required to be bought

24 THE CITY HALL.
at the present time, in any location similarly situated, —
an advantage both to the convenience and appearance
of the building which it would indeed be difficult to
estimate in any precise pecuniary amount, and which
might yet be thought an unjustifiable and extravagant
expenditure, were it now for the first time incurred, by
the payment of anything approaching to its actual and
substantial value. If the city government should give
up the present spot therefore, it would be extremely
difficult to secure another location of equal advantage
in this respect, by any outlay which they could readily
justify either to their constituents or to themselves.
It is perfectly obvious to your Committee that previ
ous city governments have by their several Committees
• on Public Buildings, and particularly by the more en
lightened action of later years, developed projects now
preserved among the records of your Committee, some
of which would probably be found to be sufficiently
complete and comprehensive to meet the present emer
gency, or at the least to be well adapted for our renewed
and attentive consideration. We believe the present to
be a most judicious time for undertaking the erection of
the much needed structure, finding our reasons for this
conviction in the present largely reduced prices of
materials, and in the abundance and cheapness of un
employed laborx And we think it better on every
ground of financial policy to capitalize the principal of
the sums now paid for outside rents, and at a low and
permanent rate of interest, than to have those rents go
on increasing from year to year, with the increase in
the value for other purposes of those temporary accom-

committee's report. 25
modations for which so large a sum is even now com
pelled to be paid. And we recommend immediate
action, therefore, on the whole subject, not less on
grounds of true economy than on those of convenience
and propriety, which for so many years have been suc
cessively put forth. We trust, too, that we shall be
found in this matter to have learned some degree of
wisdom from the experience of our predecessors, and
that a subject of this importance having again and again
been referred, at the instance of almost every Mayor
who has filled the civic chair, may not once more be put
on record as having been considered with attention,
reported on with entire conviction, postponed until after
the recess of midsummer, and at last fading away for
the twentieth time in the later sessions of the year into
a feeble recommendation to our successors, to do some
thing in a matter which we had not the nerve to under
take as a part of our own imperative duty, — and while
the responsibility as well as the merit of doing it, at
tached not to their but to our own term of municipal
office. There is another consideration which has impressed
itself forcibly upon the minds of your Committee, and
which furnishes an additional reason for immediate
action. The roof and some other parts of the present
building are in such a condition as will very soon require
extensive repairs, and it cannot be occupied for any
great length of time, with comfort for the officials or
credit to tbe city, without such repairs are made. Your
Committee have not made any estimate of the amount
which would be likely to be required for such a pur
pose, nor have they deemed it worth while to do so

26 THE CITY HALL.
until some action has been had upon the present propo
sition. But they have little doubt that a considerable
sum would be positively necessary, and they would sug
gest that it would be injudicious to incur such an outlay
upon a building so confessedly inadequate, even for the
purposes of its present occupancy. They would feel
very little satisfaction in going to a further expense,
when it is certain that the lapse of each successive year
would only render it more and more fruitless for any
permanent good.
Impressed with these convictions, therefore, your
Committee have sought to examine the whole subject
of a new City Hall, with the utmost care, and fully to
mature in their own minds the whole idea of the requi
sitions and the proper arrangement of the much needed
structure. To this end, they have thoroughly gone over
not only all the records, bearing on the subject, now
preserved in the city archives, but have also made a
close and critical examination of all the plans prepared
by various architects in former years, in pursuance of
the several votes of the City Councils, to which allusion
has been made in the preceding pages of this report.
In the performance of this task, they have been mate
rially aided by the assistance and advice of most of the
city officials, whose daily routine of duties at the City
Hall enables them to judge of the imperative require
ments of any new structure, and particularly of the
relative position and accommodation of all the apart
ments for which it is most desirable to make provision.
The Superintendent of Public Buildings in particular
has been assiduous in his endeavors to give them the
full benefit of his long experience at the City Hall,

COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 27
and of his intimate acquaintance with the internal neces
sities and conveniences of arrangement which in the
opinion of your Committee should render such a new
building a model of well-matured and economical con
struction for civic purposes. Nor have several of your
Committee been without a considerable experience per
sonally, extending over quite a lengthened term of
annual inquiry into the various requirements of the
subject, as well as the best and most feasible methods
of meeting them in a satisfactory manner. And they
are led to believe that they have thus been able to avail
themselves of a pretty large share of whatever knowl
edge or information is likely to be most practically use
ful on a subject involving many conflicting details of
distribution, economy, and taste.
As the final result of their labors, your Committee
have caused to be prepared a plan embodying the
matured convictions of their best judgment, designed
and arranged under their own immediate direction and
superintendence. They have intended fully to provide
in it for the due and convenient location of the several
apartments necessary for the accommodation of all
the various branches of the city government. And in
order as far as possible to avoid the reiterated, and as
they cannot but think, needless, delays of former years,
they now present it as a part of this report, together
with the following description* of the arrangement,
accommodation, and style of the proposed structure.

*It will appear by the subsequent description ofthe buUding as finished
that changes have been made in the internal arrangement of the building.

28 THE CITY HALL.

BASEMENT STOET.
City Physician's public office . . 27X28 feet, 12 feet high.
City Physician's operating room . 23X28 feet, 12 feet high.
Waiting room, in connection with Direc
tors of Public Institutions . . 25x30 feet, 12 feet high.
Clerks of Institutions . . . 18X25 feet, 12 feet high.
Storeroom for Messenger . . . 14X20 feet, 12 feet high.
Storeroom for Superintendent of Public
Buildings  11^X20 feet, 12 feet high.
Engine House . . . . 27X33 feet, 12 feet high.
Meeting room for Engine Co. . . 27X28 feet, 12 feet high.
Apartment containing twelve water-clos
ets and eighteen urinals . . 30X32 feet, 12 feet high.
Cellar for fuel .... 31X57 feet, 12 feet high.
Cellar for heating apparatus . . 15X46 feet, 12 feet high.
Hall and staircases . . . . 32X76 feet, 12 feet high.
Two entrances from Court Square . 12X25 feet, 12 feet high.
FIRST STOET.
Treasurer's business room . . 57X31.6 feet, 15 feet high.
Treasurer's private room . . . 13X14 feet, 15 feet high.
Auditor  27X36 feet, 15 feet high.
Lavatory and water-closets for Auditor
ancl Treasurer . . . . 12X14 feet, 15 feet high.
Safes for Auditor and Treasurer, each 6X12 feet, 15 feet high.
"Water Eegistrar's business room . 29X31 feet, 15 feet high.
Water Registrar's private room . . 13X14 feet, 15 feet high.
Assessors' room .... 27X40 feet, 15 feet high.
Police general room .... 27X32 feet, 15 feet high.
Chief of Police room . . . 16X26 feet, 15 feet high.
(with private staircase leading to the
Mayor's private room).
Overseers of the Poor . . . 25X30 feet, 15 feet high.
Directors of PubUc Institutions . .18X25 feet, 15 feet high.

committee's report. 29
Hall and staircases . . . . 32X76 feet, 15 feet high.
Entrance corridor, connecting principal
entrance from School St. with hall 15X48 feet, 15 feet high.
Two staircases from Court Sq. entrance 12X25 feet, 15 feet high.
SECOND STOET.
Mayor and Aldermen's room . . 46X46 feet, 25 feet high.
Mayor's lobby with accommodation for

Mayor's Clerk
Mayor's private room
City Clerk's room
City Clerk's private room
City Clerk's mortgages
City Clerk's safe .
City Solicitor
City Solicitor's private room
Large committee room

. 16X25^ feet, 13 feet high.
25X26^ feet, 13 feet high.
. 26X30 feet, 13 feet high.
14£X22£ feet, 13 feet high.
. 18X22 feet, 13 feet high.
8X12 feet.
. 16X23 feet, 13 feet high.
15£X17£ feet, 13 feet high.
. 25X46 feet, 13 feet high.

Committee room and Clerk of Commit
tee's room .... 18X25 feet, 13 feet high.
Committee room .... 18X25 feet, 13 feet high.
Superintendent Public Buildings . 23 X26£ feet, 13 feet high.
Superintendent of Public Buildings'
private room . . . . 16X16 J feet, 13 feet high.
City Messenger .... 18£X18£ feet, 13 feet high.
Hall and staircases . . . .32X76 feet, 13 feet high.
THIED STOET.
Water Commissioners' business room . 23X26£ feet, 11 feet high.
Water Commissioners' private room . 14£X16£ feet, 11 feet high.
Supt. of Sewers and Supt. of Lands'
business room .... 24X31£ feet, 11 feet high.
Private rooms of the above . . 14X16 feet, 11 feet high.
City Registrar  17X31 J- feet, 11 feet high.
Superintendent of Schools . . 17£X25 feet, 11 feet high.
School Committee .... 46X25 feet, 11 feet high.

30

THE CITY HALL.

Committee room
Superintendent of Streets .
Superintendent of Streets, private
Engineers of Fire Department .
Superintendent of Internal Health.
Supt. of Internal Health, private
Hall and staircases
Continuation of Mayor and Aldermen's
room up through this story . 46X46 feet

17JX25 feet, 11 feet high.
24X311 feet, 11 feet high.
14X16£ feet, 11 feet high.
, 17X31£ feet.
23X26,1. feet.
14£X16£ feet.
76X32 feet.

FOUETH STOET.

Common Council room

46X46 feet,

38 feet high

Common Council conversation room and

large committee room .

. 32X42 feet,

11 feet high

Clerk of Council

20X26 feet,

11 feet high

Clerk of Council, private room

. 12X25 feet,

11 feet high

Safe for do. ....

6X12 feet,

11 feet high

Dressing room for Council .

. 22X25 feet,

11 feet high

Range of water-closets, &c. .

10J-X25 feet,

1 1 feet high

Committee room .

. 23X23 feet,

11 feet high

tt tt

23X23 feet,

11 feet high

tt tt

. 23X25 feet,

11 feet high.

It tt

18X25 feet,

11 feet high

tt tt

. 18X25 feet,

11 feet high.

tt tt

23X23 feet,

11 feet high

Superintendent of Lamps .

. 24X25 feet,

11 feet high

Hall and staircases .

32X76 feet,

11 feet high

FIFTH

STOET.

Gallery plan of Common Council and suite of fourteen rooms of
various sizes in the French-roof story.
The story under the dome, and the dome itself, to be used for Fire
ancl Police Telegraph, and for sleeping-rooms for the operators.

COMMITTEE'S REPORT. 31
The construction of the brick walls surrounding the
Hall in the centre affords an opportunity for the most
thorough and perfect ventilation of every apartment
throughout the building. Through a series of hollow
brick flues, connected with each apartment by registers,
and at the top, with the main hot-air shaft from the
heating apparatus, an entire circulation of air through
out the structure can at all times be easily maintained.
The advantage of this arrangement will be particularly
felt in the council chamber, an apartment which is liable
at times, — such as the yearly organization of the city
government, the conventions of the two branches, and
the debates upon matters of more than ordinary inter
est, — to overcrowding of its area, and the consequent
ill effects of a heated and vitiated atmosphere. Against
such a state of things, the system of ventilation pro
posed would, it is believed, afford complete security.
It is desirable to observe, in this connection, that the
council chamber is provided with deep and ample gal
leries, in a space not readily available for other pur
poses, and which will afford complete accommodation
for a large attendance of the public without encroach
ing upon the floor of the chamber.
The external style and appearance of the proposed
building are sufficiently shown in the drawings of the
various fronts which are herewith submitted, and need
therefore but little of additional description. They
have been very carefully prepared, in accordance with
the views of your Committee, by two architects of well
known standing and ability, and are believed to be such
as will reflect permanent credit on the taste of their

32 THE CITY HALL.
designers. The style selected is one which grows nat
urally out of the character and requirements of the
structure. It will at once be recognized by all those
conversant with such matters, as the prevailing style
of modern Europe, a style which the taste of the pres
ent Emperor of France, in particular, has so largely
illustrated in most of the modern works of the Erench
capital. Derived originally from Italian sources, and
particularly from the later edifices of the Venetian
Republic, it has now been so successfully naturalized
in other countries as to have become the prevailing
manner for most of those edifices of a dignified and
permanent character, other than churches, which are
destined to be regarded as the best architectural rec
ords of our time by posterity. Your Committee have
desired, in this respect, not to fall behind the progress
of art in other communities, but to present a design
which, with a due regard to economy and convenience
of construction, shall yet stand as a fair memorial of
our own advancement in the knowledge and taste of the
age. We believe that it will commend itself alike to
the approbation of the city government and of their
constituents, as graceful and harmonious in proportion
and detail, and particularly as being light and cheerful
in its prevailing character, and rich in its general
appearance, without any very elaborate or costly deco
ration of its parts We think it expressive in its out
line and arrangement, of the purposes for which it is
proposed to be erected, and such as will impress the
spectator with a sense of fitness and propriety for the
principal municipal structure of an enterprising and

committee's report. 33
thrifty community. And we are confident that the pub
lic in general would have good reason to be fully satis
fied with it as a permanent ornament to the central and
imposing locality on which it is proposed to place it.
From approximate estimates, made by reliable me
chanics of well known standing, your Committee are
led to believe that the building as proposed can be
erected of suitable materials, and in* the best style, for
a sum not exceeding $160,000, if contracted for during
the present year. They would therefore recommend
the passage of the following orders.
FRANCIS RICHARDS,
SAMUEL R. SPINNEY,
JOSEPH F. PAUL,
DANIEL DAVIES,
JOHN C. TUCKER,
JOHN W. LEIGHTON,
JOHN C. FALLON,
GEORGE W. SPRAGUE,
Committee on Public Buildings.
Ordered: That the Committee on Public Buildings be directed
to erect a suitable building for a City Hall, on the site of the
present building and grounds, in general accordance with the
plans submitted by them this day, at a cost not exceeding the
sum of One Hundred and Sixty Thousand Dollars.
Ordered : That the Treasurer be, and he is hereby directed
to borrow, under the direction of the Committee on Finance, the
sum of One Hundred and SLxty Thousand Dollars, the same to
be appropriated for the purpose of the erection of a City Hall.
6

34 the city hall.
Alderman Rich submitted to the Board the following
order :
Ordered : That in consideration of the loud calls on the City
for large appropriations of money for war purposes, the Com
mittee on Public Buildings, having in charge the erection of a
new City Hall, be instructed to take into consideration the
expediency of abandoning the undertaking, or suspending any
further proceedings thereon for the present time, and that said
Committee be requested to report the result of their delibera
tion at the earliest practical moment, and also that said Com
mittee be requested to report, in detail, what rooms are occu
pied by city officials who could be accommodated in the new
building, whether said rooms belong to the City, or not, and the
rent paid for each room. l

The order was read twice, and, on motion of Aid. F.
Richards, the subject was indefinitely postponed by the
following vote : Yeas, — Aldermen Parmenter, Pray,
Francis Richards, Spinney, and Wilson, 5. Nays, —
Aldermen Amory, Hanson, Paul, and Rich, 4. Absent,
— Aldermen Norcross, Henshaw, and C. A. Richards,
3. A motion to reconsider the foregoing motion (to
indefinitely postpone) was made and lost.
The foregoing report was accepted, and the accom
panying orders were passed, by concurrent votes of both
branches of the city government. On the 2bth day of
July, a petition of George Howland Shaw, and others,
l' that all action in relation to the proposed City Hall
may be deferred for the present," came before the Board

ORDERS ADOPTED. 35
of Aldermen, from the Common Council, and was read
and placed on file. On the 4th of August, following, a
contract for the work of the foundation wall and base
ment having been made with Messrs, Adams, Roberts,
and Jacobs, the necessary preparations were completed
in season for laying the corner-stone on the 22d of
December, and the ceremony took place on that day,
in the presence of a large and interested concourse of
spectators.

LAYING OE THE COKNER-STONE,

AND

CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING.

PROCEEDINGS

AT THE

LAYING OE THE CORNER-STONE.

The corner-stone of the new City Hall of the City of
Boston was laid on December 22, 1862, the anniver
sary of the Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth.
At the request of the Committee on Public Buildings,
the Mayor invited the officers of the Grand Lodge of
Masons in Massachusetts to participate in laying the
corner-stone of this edifice. The invitation was most
courteously accepted, and the Masonic ceremonies
formed an interesting part of the proceedings on this
occasion. The size of the new building allowed the foundation
and front wall to be erected and prepared for the
corner-stone, while the city government occupied the
old City Hall. A procession was therefore formed,
under the direction of the City Messenger, in the room
of the Mayor and Aldermen, which proceeded to the
platform erected for the ceremonies, in the following
order :

40 the city hall.
Brigade Band.
Chief of Police.
Committee and Superintendent of Public Buildings, and Architects
of the new City Hall.
Mayor.
Grand Master, and Officers of the Grand Lodge.
Past Mayors and Invited Guests.
Board of Aldermen.
Common Council.
Other Members of the City Government.
The exercises commenced with the following
ADDRESS OP ALDERMAN PRANCIS RICHARDS,
Chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings.
Mr. Mayor : The Committee on Public Buildings
of the City of Boston, under the direction of the City
Council, have commenced the erection of a new City
Hall, and they have made such progress that it becomes
proper at this time, in continuance of an old custom, to
deposit some mementoes and statistics of the times in
which its erection was commenced. The Committee
have directed me, sir, to request you, as the head of the
government which has inaugurated this important and
necessary improvement, to officiate over such ceremo
nies as you may deem proper for this occasion.

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 41

ADDRESS OF MAYOR WIGHTMAN.
Mr. Chairman : In conformity with the arrange
ments of the Committee on Public Buildings of the
City Council, and in compliance with your request, we
are here assembled in presence of the members of the
City Council, and of the officers of the Most Worshipful
Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts, to lay the
corner-stone of a building to be erected for the use of
the Municipal Government of the city of Boston.
Gentlemen of the City Council : The present
occasion is one of peculiar interest to you as the
official representatives of our citizens, inasmuch as
by your action the City of Boston, for the first time
in her memorable history, is to lay the foundation,
and erect an edifice for the various departments of
her government.
The full, clear and comprehensive report of the
Committee, made on the 19th of June last {City
Document, No. 44,) upon this subject, received your
approving votes with an unanimity as generous as
it was deserved. The record of the action of the
various City Councils, from 1838 to 1862, presented
an array of facts, which not only show the wisdom
but the necessity of your prompt and decisive action.
There are some interesting facts in connection
with the erection of the town houses and town
halls of the olden time, which may not be inappro
priate to mention upon this day, the anniversary of

42 the city hall.
the Landing of our Pilgrim Fathers, and upon this
occasion. It appears that for nearly thirty years
after the first settlement of Boston, in 1630, although
the subject of a town house was frequently agitated,
the town was without any public building for town
purposes. In 1656, an influential and wealthy citizen,
Capt. Robert Kayne, died, and left a Considerable
legacy* in his will, for the purpose of building
a town house.
In March, 1657, a committee, consisting of Captain
"Savage, Mr. Stodard, Mr. Howchin, and Mr. Edward
Hutchinson, senior, was appointed " to consider of ye
modell of ye Towne House to be built ;" also of the
expense and location, and to take up subscriptions
"to propagate such a building." I have before me
the original subscription paper for the erection of
this edifice, with the following heading :
"Whereas, thear is giuen a Confiderable fume by Capt: Kayn
towards the Building of a towne houfe wcl fume will not ataine
the Building w1* he mentioneth in his Will, now Confidering the
vfefulnes of fuch a Structure wee whofe names are vnder written,
doe ingage our felues our heyres executors for to giue towards
the aboue fd hous and alfo a Condit in the Market place, the
feuerall fumes vnder written " :

The first signature is Gov. " Jo. Endecott, £2 10s."
Next is Deputy Gov. " Ri. Bellingham in country
pay, £10." Then follows:
* £300. See "Agreement for the Town House," Appendix.

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 43
Edward Tynge, in corne, 10 00s OOd.
John Evered, in goods and corne, 10 00s OOd.
Peter Olliuer, in goods and provisions, 10 00s OOd.
James Olliuer, provided thare be a cundit
withall, in goods and provisions, 12 00s OOd.
Timothy Atkins will give in hats, 5 00s OOd.
Hezekiah Usher will pay in English goods, or
equivalent, twenty poundes, provizo yt ye
market house be erected and a cundit, 20 00s OOcl.

In this manner three hundred and fifty-six pounds
were contributed, principally in goods, by one hundred
and twenty-two of the inhabitants of the town, among
whom were some of the most distinguished of the
New England Puritans.
The result of this effort was the building of a town
house of wood, at the head of State Street, where, the
old State House now stands, between the years 1657
and 1659, at a cost of six hundred and eighty pounds.
This building was consumed in the great fire which
occurred in 1711. During the following year (1712),
another town house, of brick, was erected in the same
place ; this was also destroyed by fire in 1747, in which
" the ancient books, early records, and other valuable
papers were burned." This was regarded then, as now,
as a serious calamity. In 1748 the building now known
as the Old State House was erected for a town house,
but appears to have been occupied by the " General
Court of the Commonwealth, and the Supreme and
County Courts." That town houses were generally
used for the courts is apparent from the fact, that when,
in 1742, Peter Faneuil, a liberal and wealthy merchant,

44 THE CITY HALL.
erected " Faneuil Hall," at his own expense, and pre
sented it to the town, it is described as containing not
only " a large and sufficient accommodation for a
Market place, but has also superadded a spacious and
most beautiful Town Hall over it, and several other
convenient rooms which may prove very beneficial to
the Town for offices or otherwise." It is also a remark
able fact, that, notwithstanding that he proposed to build
this at his own charge and make a present of it to the
town, the proposition was opposed to such an extent at
a town meeting held in Brattle Street Meeting-house
in July, 1740, that the generous offer of Mr. Faneuil
was accepted by only a majority of seven votes — three
hundred and sixty-seven being in the affirmative, and
three hundred and sixty in the negative. Singular as
this vote may seem to have been which decided the
erection of the most celebrated building connected with
our national history, it would not be difficult to find
similar instances of the peculiarities of our people even
in the present day.
Faneuil Hall appears to have been the first actual
town house, as it was also the first city hall, in Boston.
From 1742 until 1822, a period of eighty years, the
rooms were used by the selectmen, town clerk, treasurer,
and other town officers, while the town meetings were
held in the main hall. It was here that the first city
government was organized, in May, 1822, and it con
tinued to be occupied by the city officers until Sep
tember 17, 1830, when the Old State House was
remodelled and dedicated as " City Hall."
In a few years, however, it was found that "the

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 45
inconveniences to which the citizens generally, as well
as the municipal officers, were exposed by the existing
arrangements, — the constant and great danger to im
portant documents and records from fire, and the insuf
ficient space allotted to many of the officers for the
transaction of the business of their respective depart
ments," — could only be remedied by the erection of a
commodious and suitable building. This was reported
by Mayor Eliot in May, 1838, and it was then proposed
to erect " a handsome, well lighted, and well ventilated
building " upon this spot, at an estimated cost of one
hundred thousand dollars. The Mayor and Aldermen
were, however, overruled by the Common Council in
relation to a new building, and finally, in July, 1840,
they concurred in an order to alter the old Court House
into a City Hall, at an estimated expense of $14,475.
Although the alterations were skilfully and admirably
made, the size of the building was only adapted to the
city government at that time, and consequently, within
a few years, the same inconveniences, from restricted
accommodations, began to be experienced, which had
caused the removal from the former building.
These difficulties continued to increase, and year
after year, since 1850, the most favorable reports have
been made, plans, specifications, and estimates have
been obtained, and each succeeding city government has
appeared to realize more and more the need of a City
Hall worthy of a great and prosperous municipality.
Since this building we are now superseding was first
occupied for a City Flail, the assessed valuation of
Boston has increased from ninety-four and one half

46 THE CITY HALL.
millions in 1840, to three hundred and sixteen millions
in 1862 In this progress of events, the increase in
the population and wealth of the city has added largely
to the duties and responsibilities of its officers.
To meet these exigencies, new departments and offi
cers have been created, and old departments have been
reorganized and extended. Among the new depart
ments are the Police, Water Commissioners, Dhectors
of Public Institutions, Commissioners of Public Lands,
Trustees of the Public Library, and Trustees of Mount
Hope Cemetery. In addition to these are the following
officers : City Engineer, City Physician, Water Regis
trar, City Registrar, Clerk of Committees and Mayor's
Clerk ; Superintendents of Internal Health, Public
Lands, Public Buildings, Public Schools, Telegraphic
Fhe Alarm, and of Lamps ; all of whom, except the
Trustees of the Public Library, require offices for the
transaction of the public business. In all the old
departments, the increase of labor has been very great,
particularly in those of the City Clerk, Treasurer, Au
ditor, and Assessors, and consequently a corresponding
increase in the number of assistants and clerks has
been required.
Under these circumstances, it is self-evident that the
accommodations furnished in the present City Hall are
now, and have long been, entirely inadequate for the
proper performance of the public duties. There are
forty-seven standing committees of the City Council,
and but two committee rooms in the City Hall, so that
the offices of the City Clerk, of the several Superin
tendents, and even that of the Mayor, are obliged to be

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 47
used for the meetings of the committees. The rooms
are generally small, badly lighted, and without ventila
tion. One of them is occupied by the recording assist
ants to the City Clerk ; another assistant is located in
the public anteroom used by reporters and other per
sons, while the City Clerk and Mayor's Clerk have their
desks in the room of the Board of Aldermen. The
Superintendents of Public Lands and of Sewers, with
their clerks, are crowded into another, the Superintend
ents of Streets and of Internal Health, with two clerks,
attend to their office duties in an apartment which
scarcely allows room enough for the desks of the occu
pants, while the Superintendent of Public Buildings
and Clerk of Committees have even worse accommo
dations ; and I am confident, that if any one of our
merchants, who has deemed this building unnecessary,
would go through the offices in the present City Hall,
he would not only change his opinion, but would be
satisfied that the accommodations . afforded to the chief
recording officer of our city are inferior to those for
the clerks in his own store, and that the City Treas
urer, the receiver and disburser of six or seven millions
of dollars annually, is crowded with his clerks, book
keepers, and tellers into a single room, which, for size
and inconvenience, probably, could not be equalled by
that of any other city treasurer in the Union. But the
City Treasurer is not the only sufferer from this state
of things ; the citizens, on the monthly pay-days, are
obliged to wait outside the office in the cold, and some
times snow and rain, for their turn to enter and receive
their money, which is not only exceedingly annoying,

48 THE CITY HALL.
but is an unnecessary waste of time. This would be
scarcely tolerated in a country town in New England,
and it is certainly unworthy of the wealth and reputa
tion of Boston.
But it may be asked, admitting all this to be correct,
was it expedient to erect a new City Hall at this time,
while the country was struggling under the pressure of
a disastrous war] It is too true that we are passing
through a war terrible in its consequences, and which
may well make the stoutest heart falter at the prospect
before us, as to the future of our country. But are not
other works and enterprises, both public and private,
proceeded with 1 Are we to sit down in despair, as if
this war was to culminate in a dissolution of the Union,
and the result of it was to determine whether- or not
our city was to be destroyed by an earthquake 1 Indi
viduals do not so regard it. Witness the magnificent
warehouses, the sumptuous stores, and the palatial resi
dences with which they are bordering our streets and
avenues. Nor is there any demurrer on the part of our
citizens to the vast sums appropriated and expending
upon the Public Garden, the City Hospital, the City
Stables, and other public improvements, not one of
which bears any comparison, in importance, to the City
Hall. The latter is to provide for the exigencies of the
public business ; the former are for ornament, philan
thropy, or convenience. Even the war itself has fur
nished additional reasons for its erection, inasmuch as it
has been the cause of adding more than a million of
dollars to the disbursements from the city treasury
within the last six months, and it has also required the

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 49
organization of a new department, both ministerial and
financial, and of a most laborious character, to disburse
the State aid to the families of our soldiers.
By procrastinating its erection even pecuniary inter
ests are sacrificed ; because at no previous time since
the city was chartered has money been so abundant, or
could be obtained on such favorable terms ; and the
advantage of making contracts at this time might not
again occur for many years. Besides, we must take
into consideration the fact, that even if the war was to
be closed forthwith, a long time must elapse before the
city would be in any better condition to bear the
expense ; for, if we feel the pressure during the issue
of so much paper currency by the government, what
will hereafter be our condition when, in common with
other municipalities, we are called upon to furnish the
means for its redemption'? Could we then have de
ferred the building of a City Hall for ten or twenty
years longer, without compromising the public inter
ests to a far greater extent than the present expend
iture of $160,000, or even $200,000] To-day the
public archives of the city, belonging to many of its
departments, are exposed to remediless loss by fire
and other casualties, in ordinary buildings, rented,
from then necessary location in this vicinity, at high
if not exorbitant rents. The most valuable are kept in
safes, but the great mass of papers and public docu
ments have no proper place for their security or preser
vation. Is not this discreditable to a city which is
the most wealthy, in proportion to its size, of any in
the world ]

50 THE CITY HALL.
. There is an astonishing apathy, often amounting to
culpable neglect, in regard to the preservation of public
papers. As Chairman of the Committee on Streets, in
1858, 1 accidentally learned that all the invaluable plans
in relation to streets and the public domain, involving
rights, titles, and legal questions of the utmost impor
tance, the loss or destruction of which would be irreme-
diable in many cases, while the expense of restoring
others by new surveys would be more than the whole
cost of a City Hall, had not been kept in any place of
security except that afforded by the City Engineer's
office, which was then in the upper rooms of a store on
Washington Street. In 1859, I brought this subject to
the attention of the government, and by personal effort
obtained the erection of the present fire-proof office and
repository, over the office of the Registry of Deeds.
For the want of proper places for their preservation,
our historical records and files of papers have been lost
to a deplorable extent. Last year I purchased for the
city, from the estate of a deceased antiquarian, nearly
two hundred valuable papers, originally belonging to
the official files of the town, dated from 1680 to 1775,
including nearly all the official papers in relation to the
erection of Faneuil Hall, and the building of Long
Wharf. These papers must have been abstracted
many years ago, as our present City Clerk has
no knowledge of their ever having been in his
possession; and it is a remarkable fact that there is
scarcely a paper of any historical interest, previous to
1800, now remaining upon our files. Those which
remain, and the printed documents which have been pre-

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 51
served, are arranged in wood cases around the' walls of
the committee rooms, exposed to loss by fire at any time.
To persons unconnected with public affairs, it is diffi
cult to appreciate the exceeding trouble and loss of
time, from a want of room to arrange the documents
belonging to a department for convenient reference.
There is not an officer in the city government that does
not daily and hourly suffer from this cause, and the
number of valuable papers which are thus mislaid or
lost causes great annoyance.
There is another consideration which is worthy of our
attention. It is that the erection of this City Hall is to
be commended on the ground of economy, and as a
means of reducing the taxes upon our citizens. There
are now one half of the departments located outside of
the present City Hall ; the rent of the premises they
occupy is eight thousand dollars per annum. As the
amount appropriated for the new building ($160,000)
is to be obtained by a loan for twenty years at five per
cent, interest, and as these bonds command from thir
teen per cent, to fifteen per cent, advance, the interest
is reduced to less than four and one-half per cent.; and
amounts to but little over $7,000 per annum, — which
is from $800 to 1,000 less than is now paid for rents.
The principal of the loan, or cost of the building, does not
form a part of the annual city tax, but is gradually pro
vided for from sales of public property and other
receipts, deposited from time to time in the Sinking
Fund, to meet the bonds at maturity.
But this is not the only saving. It appears from the
Auditor's books, that during ten years, from 1852 to

52 THE CITY HALL.
1862, the expenditures for repairs, alterations, and
improvements on the present City Hall amount to
$16,504.24, to which is to be added an unexpended
appropriation of $4,000 to repair the roof, being a
total of $20,000, or an average of $2,000 per annum.
Within the same time there has also been expended
for repairing and fitting up rented offices $7,264.96,
and for safes for these offices, $3,144.8^=10,409.85 ;
which is an average of more than $1,000 per annum.
We have thus a grand total of $30,000, or $3,000 per
annum, which average was not likely to be diminished
in the future ; and I believe it will be no more than a
fair statement to say, that -under the present arrange
ment for the rents and repairs of the public offices,
the citizens are taxed $11,000 per annum, while the
interest on the capital to be invested in the new City
Hall will not exceed $7,500.
I have thus, gentlemen, endeavored to present some
of the facts and reasons which, in your judgment, and
in my own opinion, were sufficient to justify the
erection of a City Hall at this time. In a city Hke
this, increasing so rapidly in wealth and population,
public improvements cannot remain stationary. When,
therefore, we consider the vast expenditures which
have been made in extending the area of our territory
on the South Bay, and the Neck lands; in laying
out new avenues, and widening and extending old
streets; in building the most approved correctional
and eleemosynary institutions ; in erecting spacious and
admirably arranged school-houses; in founding and
supporting a public library, in every respect worthy

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 53
of the Athens of America ; and in establishing a
City Hospital destined to become one of the most
beneficial if not beautiful of our public institutions,
we cannot but be impressed with the conviction that
our action in the present instance has been in strict
conformity with that solemn oath of office we have
each and all of us taken, to " faithfully and impar
tially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent
upon us, to the best of our knowledge and ability."
Most Worshipful Grand Master : I herewith pre
sent to you a metallic box containing an engraved
plate, historical documents, and other appropriate
articles, to be deposited by you in this corner-stone,
according to the usages of your ancient order.
The Masonic Ceremonies were then commenced with
some preliminary remarks by the Grand Master, and
the invocation of the Divine Blessing, by the Grand
Chaplain, Rev. Thomas J. Greenwood.*

* The Brethren present were :
M. W. William D. Coolidge, Grand Master.
R. W. Marshall P. Wilder, Deputy G. Master.
R. W. Winslow Lewis, Senior G. Warden.
R. W. Peter C. Jones, Junior G. Warden.
W. C. C. Dame, G. Treasurer.
W. Charles W. Moore, G. Secretary.
W. T. J. Greenwood, G. Chaplain.
W. William H. Sampson, Senior G. Deacon.
W. C. J. Cleveland, Junior G. Deacon.
W. William D. Stratton, G. Marshal.
W. Isaac Cary, J. W. Barton, G. Stewards.
W. Luther L. Tarbell, G. Tyler.
Also R. W. Benj. Dean, of Boston, Wm. Sutton, of Danvers, and others.

54 the city hall.

PRAYER.
Supreme Architect of the Universe ! Under thy
bending heavens, the broad canopy that covers all
our earthly interests, and earthly hopes, we come to
discharge the appropriate duties of the occasion which
has called us here.
We feel it meet, and needful for us, that we should
first of all invoke thy blessing upon the transactions
of the hour. %
We come, by appropriate ceremony, agreeably to the
usages of our ancient and cherished institution, to lay
the corner-stone of an edifice here to be erected, for
the use of this city and the convenience of its civil
government. May thy blessing attend the rite, and
thine approval sanction what we do.
We acknowledge our dependence upon thee! and
we bless thee that we are dependent, as upon the
Father of the spirits of all flesh !
From early time thy prospering smile has rested
upon our city, and upon our land. We have enjoyed
a goodly heritage. The feeble have become strong,
and the weak have become mighty ! And now, as
indicated by their increasing prosperity and enlarge
ment, thou hast put it into the hearts of this people
to rear upon this spot another edifice, for their better
accommodation in the discharge of the official duties
of those who are called by the city's voice to places
of trust and responsibility, as the public servants.

laying of the corner-stone. 55
Let the walls of the building rise upon this founda
tion-stone, under thy fostering care. And if it please
thee, Father, let those who are engaged in its erection,
be preserved in health and free from all accident and
harm, even till the cap-stone shall crown it, amid shout
ings of joy, and the structure stands an ornament and
an honor to the city.
And here, Great God ! let the building remain under
the blessed aegis of our free institutions, to subserve the
public interests undisturbed, ever to coming generations.
In the midst of the mutations of time, and the changes
of circumstance, let thy blessing, we pray thee, rest
upon this goodly city, for its olden memories and its
present devotion ; upon all its interests, civil, religious,
artisan, commercial, and educational, and may the influ
ence of each and all tend to public good.
Bless, O God, bless abundantly the civil government
of this city in its present and future labors ! Give thy
rich blessing to the retiring and to the incoming Chief
Magistrate thereof; the outgoing, give the blessing
which belongs to him, for the exceeding faithfulness
and devotion with which his many and arduous duties
have been performed ; and the incoming, inspire with
like faithfulness and devotion to duty, which is the
greatest blessing we can crave for his official labors.
Let all who are or may be associated with them, receive
the blessing of thine approval upon their work, and let
them thus be strengthened and stimulated to still more
earnest labors for the common good !
Bless, we beseech thee, our ancient and glorious
Commonwealth. May thy grace be imparted very

56 the city hall.
largely to its Chief Magistrate, and all who are associ
ated with him in framing or administering the laws.
Let fidelity to the common good characterize a»ll their
labors, and so let them,— and the people through them,
— receive constant favor from thy hand !
But while we are here, Great God ! in the midst of
the hum of industry, and the signs of prosperity all
around us, for the discharge of a pleasing duty, let us
not forget, we pray thee, our dear country, under thy
grace the fountain of all our blessings, now torn and
distracted by civil discord and strife. Man's folly,
ingratitude, and wickedness stand darkly against the
prospering smile of God! Madness rides upon the
wings of the hour, and peril lurks in all our ways!
Under the fearful cloud that has fallen around us, and
amidst the fiery tempest of war that hurtles through
the land, thou alone canst be our helper ! Thou alone
art our hope ! Oh, stretch over our land the arm of
thine Almighty power ! Lift over our bleeding country
the availing shield of thy protection and care ! As
thou wast with the fathers in the day of their need, be
now the gracious helper of their sons.
Let thy hand roll away the cloud that darkens our
political heavens, and thy spirit breathe speedy peace
through all our borders ! To this end bless the Presi
dent of the United States, and all who are associated
with him in our National Government, and councils.
Give them very largely of thy wisdom, and prudence to
guide and direct the affairs of State in this momentous
crisis which we are called to meet ; that the Union and
Harmony of the States may be restored ; the glori-

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 57
ous Constitution from our fathers exert its mild and
equal sway over all, unweakened, unimpaired, and our
dear country still hold on, and forever, her way of
advancing greatness and glory, under the benediction
of our God, — the pride of our hearts, and the hope of
the nations of the earth! Let rebellion, and faction,
and discord cease from our midst, and enable us now
and henceforth to act as in some degree grateful for
the unspeakable blessings thou hast conferred upon us,
moving under the hallowed beamings of the Religion
of Jesus, toward the degree of perfectibility we may
attain !
O God our Father ! remember in thy tender mercy
the thousands of our youth who have gone out from
their happy homes to endure the privations of the
camp and to meet the perils of the battle-field, in con
tending for the preservation of the constitution, laws,
institutions, and homes of our land ! Hold over them
the shield of thy protection, and be thou their helper in
every emergency they are called to meet ; and restore
them speedily, we pray thee, under the mild beamings
of returning peace, to the homes and hearts that are
waiting for them !
Bless, O God, as thou alone hast the power to bless,
the desolated homes, and the thousands of bleeding
hearts that have been, or may be called to, make the
terrible sacrifice of yielding up their loved ones on the
bloody altar of this fearful strife ! Tenderly compas
sionate their condition, and help them to bear all bur
dens, still trusting in thee for that issue, which shall
yet come, in which thy ways shall be vindicated, and

58 the city hall.
all their sorrows be turned into joy, through him that
bindeth up the broken-hearted !
And now, blessed Father, we again invoke thy favor
on the occasion which has gathered us. Regard, in thy
great kindness, the work which is here performed.
Graciously smile upon this Grand Lodge of our order.
May its officers . guide in the spirit of wisdom and
brotherly love. May its subordinates, and our whole
fraternity throughout the globe, receive that blessing
from thee which shall make them an instrument in thy
hand for the promotion of the excellent graces and
kindly amenities of life among men, and so let thy
great name be glorified in all our borders !
Let this building rise in its beauty and grandeur to
it's completion. Let the light of Christian Truth be
spread, and be borne to the hearts of the children of
men everywhere, until all mankind shall be baptized
into its holy spirit, and turned from all error into all
needed truth ; — until at the name of Jesus every knee
shall bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord to
the glory of God the Father !
Lead us in the way in which thou wouldst have us to
go, through all time, and when our brief pilgrimage of
mortality is ended, in forgiveness of all our sins, bring
us, and in thine own good time, all thy children home
to the great temple of immortal light and love, to go no
more out forever and forever, and through Jesus, our
constituted Redeemer, accept our praises evermore.
Amen.

laying of the corner-stone. 59
After appropriate music by the band, C. C. Dame,
Grand Treasurer, read the description of the contents
of the box, which was then placed in the receptacle
prepared for it, and the corner-stone lowered into its
place in the southeast corner of the building. The R.
W. Deputy Grand Master and Senior and Junior Grand
Wardens applied the proper jewels of their office, the
square, the level and the plumb, and each declared that
the craftsmen had done their duty. The Grand Master
then striking three times upon the stone with his gavel,
said, " I find this foundation-stone well laid, true and
trusty, and in conformity with the plan, in peace, love,
and harmony."
Deputy Grand Master, Marshall P. Wilder, then
poured corn upon the stone from a golden cornucopia,
saying, " May the health of the workmen employed in
this undertaking be preserved to them, and may the
Supreme Grand Architect bless and prosper their
labors." Senior Grand Warden, Winslow Lewis,
next poured wine from a silver vase upon the stone,
saying,. " May plenty be showered down upon the
people, and may the blessing of the bounteous Giver
of all good rest upon this place." The Junior
Grand Warden, Peter C. Jones, followed by pouring
oil upon the stone with a similar benediction. The
Grand Master then said : " May corn, wine, and oil,
and all the necessaries of life abound among this
people, and may the blessing of Almighty God be
upon this undertaking, and may the workmen be
blessed while engaged on it, and may the structure
here to be erected be preserved to the latest ages,

60 the city hall.
and may it promote the object for which it is designed."
The audience then joined in singing Old Hundred, after
which the Grand Master addressed the Mayor and City
Government as follows :

address of grand master w. d. coolidge.
Mr. Mayor and Gentlemen of the City Council :
In compliance with your invitation, and in conformity
to ancient masonic usage, we have now laid the corner
stone of this new City Hall, and I have pronounced
the foundation-stone well laid, true and trusty. Under
your special care, and that of your successors, let this
edifice arise in all its magnificent proportions to be
an ornament to the city and a convenience to the
members of its government, and the pride and honor
of her citizens.
On this 22d day of December our minds naturally go
back to the time when our forefathers landed at Ply
mouth. This beautiful structure is an evidence of the
consummate skill and ability of our architects and
builders. Let it rise in its architectural beauty to be in
the sight of this people a joy forever.
The Mayor then continued his Address, as follows :
Most Worshipful Grand Master : I thank you and
the Most Worthy officers of the Grand Lodge of
Masons, for the valuable and interesting services you
have performed on this occasion. The invitation you so
kindly accepted was tendered from a profound respect

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 61
for your ancient and honored institution, and I trust
that hereafter, when this building shall be completed
and become the pride of our city, your participation
in the laying of this corner-stone will be regarded by
you with pleasure and satisfaction.
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee
on Public Buildings : Having thus performed a duty
most gratifying to me, both personally and officially, I
am happy to know that so many of the members of the
Committee are to remain in the City Council during the
ensuing year, and I have reason to believe that we may
safely intrust to them, and to our successors, the com
pletion of a work which has been this day so happily
inaugurated. And, Mr. Chairman, permit me to express
my sincere regret that you, to whom the city is so much
indebted for the consummation of this great public.
improvement, are not to have any official supervision
over its erection, but — as these stones are placed one
upon the other, and as the beautiful design of the archi
tect is developed ; as its walls and columns and cor
nices are finished — let it be your satisfaction, as it will
be mine, to feel that our humble efforts were instru
mental in adorning our loved city with an edifice so
graceful in its architectural proportions, and so per
fectly adapted to the present and future wants of the
government. And if now our hearts are saddened at
the present gloomy condition of our country, let us still
cherish the hope that when these walls shall be crowned
with its towering dome, we may see from the flagstaff
upon its summit the glorious flag of our nation waving

62 THE CITY HALL.
over it as the emblem of a restored and reunited
country. The band then played the " Star-Spangled Banner,"
and the ceremonies were concluded with a benediction
by the Rev. Mr. Greenwood.

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 63

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOX, PLATE, AND OTHER ARTICLES
DEPOSITED UNDER THE CORNER-STONE OF THE NEW
CITY HALL.
The box is made of sheet-copper, tinned inside and
outside, and is thirteen inches square by four inches
in height. In this box the annexed list of articles
are enclosed :
1. A silver plate, measuring ten and three-fourths inches by
seven and three-fourths inches, upon which the following is
engraved : THIS CORNER-STONE OF A BUILDING^
FOR THE USE OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF THE
(8avtvnmtnt ai tiu $ity of ^oistow,
Was laid on the 22d day of December, 1862,
BY HTS HONOR,
JOSEPH M. WIGHTMAN, Mayor,
Assisted by the
MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND LODGE OF FREEMASONS OP MASSACHUSETTS,
M. W. William D. Coolidge, G. Master.

Thomas P. Rich,
Thomas C. Amory, Jr.,
James L. Hanson,
Samuel R. Spinney,
George W. Parmenter,
John F. Pray,

City Government for 18 6 2.
Mayor.
JOSEPH MILNER WIGHTMAN.
Aldermen. Elisha T. Wilson,
Francis Richards,
Joseph L. Henshaw,
Joseph P. Paul,
Calvin A. Richards,
Otis Norcross.

64

THE CITY HALL.

Common Council.
JOSHUA D. BALL, President.

John W. Leighton,
Cornelius Murphy,
Dennis Bonner,
Matthew Keany,
Albert Bowker,
Richard Beeching,
George Hinman,
Augustus Reed,
John C Tucker,
Philip O'Donnell,
Bernard Cullen,
John Glancy,
Seldon Crockett,
Elias E. Davison,
Benjamin P. Edmands,
Dantel H. Whitney,
John S. Pear,
Joseph A. Brown,
Linus M. Child,
Michael F. Wells,
Daniel Davies,
William E. Bicknell,
George P. Clapp,
George 0. Shattuck,

Jabez Frederick,
Charles J. McCarthy,
James Riley,
Henry W. Foley,
Joseph Buckley,
John S. Tyler,
Morris C. Fitch,
Winsor Hatch, 2d,
William Carpenter,
Franklin H. Sprague,
Samuel G. Bowdlear,
William H. Ireland,
Joel Richards,
Loring B. Barnes,
Cyrus Hicks,
Horace B. Fisher,
William B. Fowle, Jr.
Joshua D. Ball,
John C. Fallon,
Lucius A. Cutler,
Sumner Crosby,
George W. Sprague,
Henry A. Drake,
Stanley Gore.

Committee on Publio Buildings.
John C. Tucker,
John W. Leighton,
John C. Fallon,
George W. Sprague.

Francis Richards,
Samuel R. Spinney,
Joseph F. Paul,
Daniel Davies,
Grldley J. F. Bryant and Arthur Gilman, Architects.
Samuel C. Nottage, Superintendent of Public Buildings.
Samuel F. McCleary, City Clerk.
D. Bkiscoe, Engraver.

2. Message ofthe President of the United States to Congress,
December, 1862.
3. Reports of the Secretaries of the Treasury, of War, Navy,
and Interior, 1862.
4. Massachusetts Register, 1862.

LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE. 65
5. City Charter and City Ordinances.
6. Boston Municipal Register for 1862.
7. Map of the City of Boston, revised to 1861.
8. Inaugural Address of the Mayor, January 6, 1862.
9. Report of the Committee on new City Hall, 1862.
10. Report of Committee on Boston Volunteers, 1862.
11. Annual Report of Boston Board of Trade, 1862.
12. Two Semi-Annual Reports ofthe Superintendent of Schools,
1862.
13. Annual Report of the Trustees ofthe Public Library, 1862.
14. Annual Report of the Chief of Police, 1862.
15. Annual Report of the City Auditor, 1862.
16. Oration before the City Authorities, July 4, 1862, by Hon.
G-eorge T. Curtis.
17. Boston Almanac, 1862.
18. Boston newspapers, December 20, 1862.
19. A sealed glass bottle, containing two United States Treasury
Notes of the denominations of one and two dollars ; Postal Cur
rency of fifty, twenty-five, ten, and five cents ; also a Treasury
Note of the " Confederate States of America," of the denomination
of twenty dollars, a United States Cent of 1862, and an impres
sion from the City Seal.
20. A photographic outline View of the new City Hall.

The box containing the foregoing articles is hermeti
cally sealed, and then put inside another copper box
fifteen inches square and six inches high, which is also
closed hermetically, after filling the space between the
two boxes with dry pulverized charcoal. The cavity in
the stone which received the box, is eighteen inches
square and eight inches high.

10

66 THE CITY HALL.

MAYOR LINCOLN'S ACCESSION TO OFFICE.
At the commencement of the year 1863, Mayor
Wightman, to whose zeal and industry (ably seconded
by the efforts of Alderman Francis Richards, Chairman
of the Committee of Public Buildings, and Councilman
Daniel Davies,) the city had been mainly indebted
for bringing this long vexed question to a successful
close, retired from office, and was succeeded by Honor
able Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr. The inaugural address
of the new incumbent contained the following reference
to the work :
" One of the most impressive circumstances of the
services of to-day is the fact that probably this is the
last city government that will be organized within
these walls. The multiplied municipal interests of our
growing city has demanded for some years greater
accommodations for its public offices than the present
building affords. The expediency of erecting, in this
time of war, a new building, has not been left for us to
decide, but has been determined by our predecessors.
Plans have been drawn, contracts have partially been
made, and, in fact, a building has actually been com
menced to take its place. It is our duty in good faith
to carry out what has been left unfinished by others ;
but if we have " entered into their labors," it should
be with a clear understanding of what they proposed
to do, and the means which they have appropriated
toward its end.
In examining the order for the erection of the build-

mayor Lincoln's address. 67
ing, I find that the committee are directed " to erect
a City Hall, at a cost not exceeding the sum of one
hundred and sixty thousand dollars." That a building
can be erected for such a sum, I have my doubts ; and
I am confirmed in this belief by the contracts already
made. These only include granite, masonry, carpentry,
iron-work, and taking down the old building, and
amount to $144,300.
Plastering, copper-work, carving, plumbing, heating
apparatus, painting, glazing, marble-work, gas-fixtures,
fitting up offices, services of architects, and furniture,
have not been contracted for, and have been estimated
by competent judges at $123,800. This sum, added
to 144,300, makes a total of 268,100, which must
approximate toward the real cost of the work. To
this may be fairly added the cost of removal, and rents
which the city will have to pay while rebuilding,
amounting to ten or twelve thousand dollars. I have
deemed it my duty to bring this subject to your early
consideration, so that we may definitely know, at the
outset, the cost of the edifice, and not be subject to
the continual annoyance of new loans to carry on or
complete the work."
The above portion of the Mayor's address was
referred to the Committee on Public Buildings for
their consideration, and on the 30th of March, they
made the following REPORT.
The Committee on Public Buildings, to whom was
referred so much of the Mayor's address as related to

68 THE CITY HALL.
the cost of finishing the new City Hall, have consid
ered the same, and submit the following report :
During the year 1862 contracts were made for the
hammered stone, the mason's work and carpenter's
work, which amounted, in the aggregate, to about
$150,000, which, being deducted from the original
appropriation, left a balance of $10,000. The Com
mittee have given the plans a careful examination to
satisfy themselves as to whether any changes from the
original plan are necessary, or expedient, to render the
building more substantial and desirable and better
adapted to the purposes for which it is designed ; and
after many meetings and much consultation they are
unanimously in favor of making the following changes,
the advantages and cost of which they respectfully pre
sent. 1. To place all the apparatus for heating the
entire building, and the fuel for the same, in a cellar
occupying the central portion of the North or Court
Square front, thus leaving the entire basement for
offices and for such other purposes as it may be appro
priated to, and removing all the dirt and dust and
other objectionable features of the heating department
entirely out of view. 2. To make all the floors, from
the basement to the third story inclusive, of brick and
iron, thus rendering the building nearly fire-proof in
the principal stories, and giving it a character of
security and permanency in keeping with its objects.
The cost of excavating and building a cellar as recom
mended will be as per estimates, including an iron and
brick floor, $7006.00. The cost of making the other

REPORTS AND ORDERS DURING CONSTRUCTION. 69
three principal floors entirely of iron and brick will be
as per estimates $26,000. The whole cost of effecting
the changes of the original plan recommended by the
Committee will thus be $33,006. There remain to be
contracted for, to complete the building, the plastering,
plumbing, painting and glazing, stairs, roof covering,
copper gutters, heating apparatus, marble and filing,
safes and iron cases, gas fitting, ventilators, and other
items, all of which have been carefully calculated at
such prices as prevail at this time, but many will not
be needed for at least one year. The Committee are
of opinion that it is for the interest of the city to defer
contracting for those matters which will not soon be
required; but, as much of the work should be contracted
for at once, and as it is necessary that the contractors
for the masonry and carpentry should be early informed
of any changes that are to be made, the Committee
respectfully request such an addition to the appropria
tion as will furnish them with the means to carry out
the changes recommended, and to execute the addi
tional contracts which ought to be made the present
year.. They therefore ask the passage of the accom
panying order. JOSEPH F. PAUL,
SAMUEL R. SPINNEY,
L. MILES STANDISH,
DANIEL DAVIES,
JOHN W. LEIGHTON,
GEO. W. SPRAGUE,
NATHANIEL ADAMS,
WILLIAM W. WARREN,
Committee on Public Buildings.

70 THE CITY HALL.
Ordered : That the Treasurer be, and he hereby is authorized
to borrow, under the direction of the Committee on Finance, the
sum of one hundred and forty thousand dollars, the same to be
added to the appropriation for a new City Hall.
The order was passed unanimously by both branches
of the City Council.
On the 1st of March, 1865 — the work meanwhile
having progressed with great thoroughness and care
under the direction of Alderman Davies, Chairman of
the Committee on Public Buildings during this and
the previous year — an additional appropriation of one
hundred thousand dollars was asked for to defray the
expenses of completing the Hall. The request was
granted. On the 27th of March, 1865, the following order was
passed by the City Council and approved by the Mayor :
Ordered: That the Committee on Public Buildings be, and
they are hereby ordered to report to the City Council the amount
of money that will be required to finish the City Hall, and when
the same will be completed and ready for occupancy.
In compliance with the above order, the Committee
on the 3d of April, 1865, made the following
REPORT.
The Committee on Public Buildings who were ordered
to report to the City Council the amount of money that
will be required to finish the City Hall, and when the
same will be completed and ready for occupancy, have
considered the subject, and respectfully report, that it is

REPORTS AND ORDERS DURING CONSTRUCTION. 71
the opinion of the Committee that the amount asked for
by them, viz., one hundred thousand dollars, will be
sufficient to finish the building, including the fencing
and grading, and a part of the furniture ; but that it is
difficult to make at this time an accurate estimate of the
cost of furnishing. The Committee believe, however,
that another appropriation of twenty-five thousand dol
lars will be sufficient to furnish the building complete.
Some of the rooms will be occupied by the first day of
July next, and the whole building will be completed
and ready for occupancy by middle of September next.
DANIEL DAVIES,
L. MILES STANDISH,
GEO. W. SPRAGUE,
NATHANIEL ADAMS,
WILLIAM W. WARREN,
CHARLES R. McLEAN,
NATHANIEL McKAY,
NAHUM M. MORRISON,
Committee on Public Buildings.

The report was accepted.
The following order was approved by the Mayor,
July 14, 1865 :
Ordered : That the Committee on Public Buildings, under the
direction of his Honor the Mayor, be directed to make all neces
sary arrangements for the dedication of the City Hall, during the
present municipal year, and that the expense attending the same
be charged to the appropriation for the City Hall.

72 THE CITY HALL.
In conformity with the foregoing order the Committee
on Public Buildings, with the advice of the Mayor,
appointed the 18th of Sept. (the 17th being Sunday),
for the dedication of the building.
On the eleventh of September, 1865, it was ordered
by the Board of Aldermen, " That a message be sent to
the Common Council proposing that a Convention of
the two branches of the City Council be held at the Com
mon Council Chamber, in the new City Hall, in School
Street, on Monday, the eighteenth instant, at 1 2 o'clock,
M., for the purpose of celebrating, with appropriate
ceremonies, the completion of the new building."
The formalities for the dedication of the new build
ing, which took place on the 18th September, 1865,
were as follows :

THE DEDICATION.

11

THE DEDICATION

On Monday, September 18 * 1865, at 12 o'clock M.,
a joint convention of both branches of the City Council
was held in the Council Chamber, at the new City Hall,
for the purpose of dedicating the building to the use of
the city government of Boston. Upon taking the chair,
his Honor the Mayor stated the object of the meeting,
and called upon Alderman Daniel Davies, the Chairman
of the Committee on Public Buildings, who had charge
of the work, to proceed in discharge of his official duty.
Alderman Davies then came forward and made the
following remarks :

-*&

Mr. Mayor : It becomes my duty, as Chairman of
the Committee on Public Buildings, to surrender to you,
the chief executive officer of this city, this building,
which has been erected by the direction of the City
Council for the purposes of a City Hall.
On the first day of July, 1862, the orders were
received by the Committee, directing them to erect suit
able buildings for a City Hall. During the fall and

* The seventeenth, of September, the anniversary of the foundation of
Boston, occurred on Sunday, and the services were postponed, therefore,
until the next day.

76 THE CITY HALL.
winter of 1862, the contracts were made for the exca
vation, the stone work, masonry, and carpentry. A
portion of the foundation being ready on the 22d day
of December, the corner-stone was laid, which finished
the work for that year. Early the next spring, the
work was recommenced, and it has been constantly
prosecuted to the present time. As a full description,
with plans of the building and grounds, the names of
the contractors, and portions of work performed by
each, and the expense of the work, will soon be printed
in detail, it is unnecessary to give them at this time.
Although considerable work yet remains to be done,
it was thought best by the Committee that the building
should be formally dedicated on this day, — the anni
versary of the foundation of the town of Boston.
And now, Mr. Mayor, under the direction and in
behalf of the Committee on Public Buildings, I surren
der to your charge this building, and deliver to you this
key, which controls its entrance.
To these remarks the Mayor responded as follows :
Mr. Chairman : As the representative of the Execu
tive Government of Boston, it is my duty, as well as
my privilege, to receive ,from your hands this key, as a
formal delivery of this beautiful edifice. The peculiar
felicity of the Committee on Public Buildings is, that
their work appears in tangible form ; it is not placed
upon file, or bound up with the City Documents, but
appears in our public streets, and while ministering to
the wants of the people, gratifies the taste and embel-

THE DEDICATION. 77

lence

lishes and ornaments the city. The degree of opuk
and wealth which a community has attained is indicated
by the character of its public buildings ; and although
the useful purposes to which they are devoted are of
more vital consequence than their mere form, yet the
harmonious combination of the practical with the beau
tiful carries with it a higher illustration of the culture
and refinement of the people. It has been your pri
vilege, together with that of your associates, in addition
to the usual work committed to your charge, — such as
the building of public stables and engine houses, police
stations, hospitals, and school-houses, — to be called
upon to superintend the erection of this crowning glory
of municipal architecture, — an edifice wisely adapted
to the official and business purposes of the government,
and also an expressive and imposing structure, typify
ing by its costly and elaborate embellishments the dig
nity and relative rank of our city. It is a subject of
just pride to our citizens that within a few years there
has been a marked change in the outward appearance
and style of all classes of our buildings. The stranger,
who from time to time visits our metropolis, must be
impressed with the architectural progress which has
been made in the character of our private dwellings, as
well as those devoted to science and art, and to the wor
ship of Almighty God.
While public-spirited individuals have united their
means for the erection of many elegant structures
appropriated to the institutions which bless our people,
the city itself, through its municipal authorities, has not
been negligent of its duty in this respect.

78 THE CITY HALL.
Whatever difference of opinion may have existed as
to the expediency of erecting a new City Hall at a time
when the dark cloud of civil war was hanging over the
country, yet its completion is celebrated when the bright
beams of peace are cheering the hearts of the people.
As the work on the magnificent Capitol at Washington,
in which the National Council holds its session, still res
olutely went on during the dark period, so we, with an
unfaltering faith in the success of the country's cause,
abated not one jot or tittle in our original design. The
inflation of the currency and other chcumstances may
have swelled the figures on our Treasurer's books ; but
we believe we have presented to our constituents a
building worth all it has cost.
For the patient assiduity and skilful manner in which
you, Mr. Chairman, and your associates of the Commit
tee, have discharged the special duties incumbent on
your official position, I have no doubt you will receive
the thanks of our citizens. This building will long
remain a memorial of your devotion to the public ser
vice, and a monument to the taste of the architects who
designed, and the faithful Boston mechanics who have
been engaged in its erection.
As the organ of the city government, I cheerfully
receive it from your hands, with sincere congratulations
on the near approach of the consummation of your
labors in its behalf.
Rev. Chandler Robbins, D. D., pastor of the Second
Church, offered the following

THE DEDICATION. 79

PRAYER.

Almighty and most merciful God, our Father which
art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name ! We would
come together for the first time into these goodly halls
with devout acknowledgments of Thy glory and Thy
goodness, and of our dependence and obligations.
We adore Thee as the Architect and Owner of the
heavens, and the earth, and all things which they
contain. Remembering that " except the Lord build
the house, they labor in vain that build it," we would
thank Thee that Thy providence has worked together
with those whose skill and strength have reared this
edifice ; that while stone has been laid upon stone and
beam upon beam, no hostile power has marred the
work or destroyed the workmen. We thank Thee that
by Thy favor it stands complete, and that the various
officers of our municipal government are permitted,
under such auspicious circumstances, to take possession
of its ample and commodious apartments, and to dedi
cate them to their public uses. May they come into
its unpolluted walls with clean hands and pure hearts,
with new purposes of fidelity, and new interest in all
that concerns the welfare of our city and its inhabitants.
We thank Thee for all the historic recollections,
both of civic and national interest, which this occasion
revives. We thank Thee that Thou didst lead our pil
grim ancestors across the ocean, and guard and guide
them, while with toils and prayers they laid the founda
tion of this city, and of a new empire in the west. We
thank Thee for their faith and their piety, their patience
and their trust, their love of liberty and respect for

80 THE CITY HALL.
law, their fidelity to conscience, their political wisdom
and their practical energy, for all those qualities which
fitted them for the successful performance of the work
which Thy Providence laid upon them, and the fruits
of which we are this day enjoying. We thank Thee
for all and each of those wise and faithful men, in the
long line of their, successors, who, in their respective
generations, have contributed in any way to promote
the true prosperity and establish the fair fame of Bos
ton. The whole history of our city is one continued
record of Thy favors. May we not be ungrateful.
May we not be unworthy of such a past. May we not
be forgetful of the hand that has built us up and the
mercy that has blessed us. Let us emulate the virtues
and public spirit of our fathers, and not through pride
and impiety fall away from honoring and serving our
fathers' God.
As our thoughts revert on this anniversary to the
adoption of that Constitution which formed the basis of
our national union, we would with one accord offer .our
thanksgivings and supplications in behalf of our coun
try. We would remember with gratitude how Thou
didst watch over the infant Republic, and protect it
from foreign enemies ; how Thou didst enlarge its bor
ders and increase its greatness ; how Thou didst nour
ish and defend it till it took its place among the leading
nations of the earth ; and when, in these latter years,
intestine discord threatened its destruction, how Thy
Right Hand and Thine Arm saved and delivered us.
We thank Thee, O gracious Lord, that Thou hast
brought us out of all the horrors and miseries of a
fratricidal war, and art cheering and comforting us with

THE DF.DICATION. 81
the blessings of reviving peace. Oh, grant, we beseech
Thee, that it may be a righteous and permanent peace.
As we lay aside the weapons of warfare, dispose and
help us to put away from us forever those lusts and
iniquities which were the cause of the war, and which
would be a perpetual source of future discord and
calamity. Taught by the bitter discipline through
which we have passed, may we become a wise, just,
and Christian people.
Bless, we entreat Thee, the President of the United
States. Enlighten his mind, that he may discern what
is for the true interest of the Republic. Enlarge and
purify his heart, that he may be both liberal and just.
Strengthen his hands, that he may firmly execute the
laws and vigorously carry into effect wise and equitable
measures for the reconciliation and reconstruction of
our disordered nation. Endue the members of his Cab
inet, and all who are connected with the administration
of the National Government with understanding and
virtue. Discarding selfish ambition and party preju- ,
dice, may they work together faithfully and successfully,
with one mind, and in the fear of God, for their coun
try's good.
And now, O God, we would humbly and fervently
commend to Thy continued protection and favor our
beloved city ; its Chief Magistrate, and all the members
of its government, and all who are associated with its
service; its institutions of learning, science, charity,
justice, and religion; the interests of its trade, com
merce and industry, and all the instruments and ele
ments of its prosperity. Save it from those things
which divide, corrupt, and disgrace a people; save it
12

82 THE CITY HALL.
from luxury, intemperance, faction, infidelity, and every
form of vice and ungodliness. May it be the home of
order, concord, health, intelligence, and humanity; of
all the virtues which ennoble, the arts which adorn and
refine, and the Christian faith and piety which exalt a
city. Let this edifice, dedicated and set apart to municipal
services and duties, be a centre of good and salutary
influences. Here may men of integrity, discretion, and
practical ability, consult harmoniously, legislate wisely,
and act impartially, for the public good. May it stand
for many years a tower of defence as well as an orna
ment. As it shall become venerable from age, may it
become more and more venerable from association with
the worthy names and faithful services of those who
shall have occupied it. And, long after its walls shall
have crumbled, may the spot on which it stands be sur
rounded by the abodes of a prosperous and Christian
people. O God, in Thy great mercy, accept these our thanks
givings and prayers, forgive and cleanse us from our
sins, and help us to live to Thy glory. May all the
kingdoms and inhabitants of the world be blessed with
the knowledge of Thy truth and the experience of Thy
saving health. Give to Thy dear son Jesus Christ, our
Lord, the sceptre of the nations, that he may reign over
them in righteousness and peace. In him may our
prayers be heard, our offerings be accepted and our
works blessed, and through him we will render unto
Thee all praise and glory forever. Amen.
The Mayor then delivered the following address :

ADDRESS OF THE MAYOR,
FREDERIC W. LINCOLN, JR.

Gentlemen of the City Council, and Fellow-Citi
zens: We are assembled on an occasion which will
hereafter mark an important era in the municipal his
tory of Boston. We have met this day to dedicate,
with appropriate ceremonies, a new building to be
devoted to the local administration of the affairs of this
city. On this two hundred and thirty-fifth anniversary
of its civic birth, our minds are naturally and fondly
carried back through the stirring events of these many
years. The long procession of noble men, who have
given it a name and character, again passes on the stage
before us. We watch with intense interest the move
ments of the fathers of the town, who, self-exiled from
the land of their birth and the sepulchres of theh
ancestors, landed upon these shores, and, building a
home for themselves and theh little ones, laid the
foundations of a city which should be known and
honored through many generations. We would bow
in reverence to the motives which led them to form
this infant settlement. They were not mere adventu
rers, — the cast-off mendicants from the Old World;
many of them, were men of culture and education ;

84 THE CITY HALL.
some with a fair share of worldly goods, all of an incor
ruptible integrity; yet they left the conveniences and
comforts of theh native land to found, upon the barren
strand of a New World, a state where the privileges of
civil and religious liberty, of which they had been
deprived by arbitrary power, might be enjoyed by them
selves and their posterity. The success which crowned
theh efforts is illustrated in every page of our annals,
and is to be seen in our present condition and prosperity.
Boston, the capital of Massachusetts Bay, through all
its colonial and provincial existence, affords one of the
best examples of the steady development and progress
of civil freedom, culminating in the revolutionary era,
when the sister colonies, espousing her cause, united in
the Declaration of Independence, thus establishing the
Republic of the United States, and introducing a new
people mto the family of nations.
Our local history commences with September seventh,
old style, or September seventeenth, new style, 1630,
when the Court of Assistants of Massachusetts Bay,
then sitting at Charlestown, acting under a charter
granted by Charles the Fhst, ordered that this peninsula,
which had heretofore been called Shawmut and Tri-
mountain, should take the name of Boston. Such were
the peculiar associations connected with Boston in Eng
land, that the leaders in the enterprise had resolved,
previous to embarking from theh homes, that the chief
town should be called by this name. Boston had been
famous hi the annals of the persecuted Puritans ; a large
portion of the company belonged to that city and the
county of Lincoln, in which it is situated; and it is said

THE DEDICATION. 85
that the name was also considered as a compliment
to the Rev. John Cotton, a distinguished clergyman of
that place, who united his fame and fortune with them,
and afterwards became the pastor of the Fhst Church in
the new settlement.
It was thus early decided, on account of its natural
advantages, to be the capital of the colony. There
were other places which had been settled previously,
which had a claim to the distinction, such as Salem,
Dorchester, Charlestown, and Cambridge, but its rapid
growth and prosperity soon justified the wisdom of the
selection. It was designed for a commercial town, was
limited in extent, and was sometimes designated "Black-
stone's Xeck," after the first settler. Its greatest wants
were wood and meadow land, so that those of the
people " who lived upon theh cattle " took farms in the
adjoining country, which were granted to them for the
purpose. It was feared by many that it would be no
place for continued habitation, for want of a staple
commodity; but, as early as 1647, her interests had
become diversified ; she not only raised from the earth
and the sea enough for all her inhabitants, but had a
large commerce with Virginia, Barbadoes, and the
Summer Islands ; with France, Spain, Portugal, and
even with England.
Johnson says, in speaking of the colony of Massa
chusetts Bay, that "the maritime towns began to increase
roundly, especiaUy Boston, the which of a poor country
village, in twice seven years it became like unto a small
'city, and is in election to be Mayor Town suddenly,
chiefly increased by trade by sea." He also says, at an

86 THE CITY HALL.
earlier date, that " it is the centre town and the metrop
olis of this wilderness work, and its continual enlarge
ment presages some sumptuous city."
There is no clear account of the commencement of
our municipal government. The records in the possession
of our City Clerk do not give any hght on the subject.
The affairs of the colony and the town were so connected,
as it was the seat of government, that probably at first
the Governor and Assistants, the majority being inhab
itants of the town, exercised all the powers that were
necessary. Sometimes there appear upon the records,
" Overseers of the Town's Concerns, " or " persons
chosen for the occasion of the town." But in 1645 a
regular Board of Selectmen was chosen, John Winthrop,
that year acting as Deputy Governor of the Colony,
being Chairman, and James Penn, one of theh number,
Recorder and Treasurer. As the town increased in
population and wealth, frequent attempts were made by
a portion of the inhabitants to secure for it the name
and privileges of a city. As early as 1651 the subject
was agitated; again in 1708, in 1762, in 1784, in 1815,
and finally with success in 1822. The whole number
of votes cast was four thousand eight hundred and
eleven ; the number in favor of the city government
was two thousand eight hundred and five ; the number
against the project was two thousand and six. A
charter was obtained from the Legislature, which received
the signature of Governor Brooks, February 23, 1822,
and was accepted by the people on the following fourth
of March. The new government was organized at
Faneuil Hall on the first of May, the Chairman of the

THE DEDICATION. 87
Selectmen, Eliphalet Williams, in an appropriate speech,
transferring the powers of the old town organization
to the Mayor, John Phillips, who delivered an inaugural
address, — the oath of office being administered by
Chief Justice Parker, and a prayer offered by the Rev.
Dr. Baldwin, the senior clergyman of the town.
No single thing affords a better illustration of the
character of the people of Boston than theh long con
tinued love for a democratic form of municipal organiza
tion. It was only when the population became so large
that theh interests suffered materially by the old customs,
that they would consent to delegate the powers of the
local government to a limited number of theh own fel
low-citizens. A watchful and jealous scrutiny of the
conduct of theh official servants is still a marked
characteristic of Boston, and woe will befaU our city
when the great body of her citizens cease to take an
interest in her pubhc affairs.
You will not expect me, gentlemen, on an occasion
like the present, to deliver an historical discourse upon
so inspiring a theme as the annals of Boston, tempting
though it be. I have aUuded to the commencement of
our town, because the associations connected with this
anniversary requhed it, and in order that we may be
reminded of the days of smaU things, and of the great
contrast between the distant past, and the present of
which we form a part. To the student of history, I
verily beheve there is no more interesting study to be
found, than the record of the events which have made
Boston what she is to-day. He will find that she has
had a healthy and well-developed progress in everything

88 THE CITY HALL.
which promotes the welfare of civilized man, — the
cause of religion and morals, education and science^
commerce and industry, good order and social happiness.
While the machinery of town government, based upon
the example of the mother country, was followed so far
as it suited her condition, yet better methods and addi
tional institutions were organized, more wisely adapted
to the character and prospective wants of the people.
The stirring events which made her name famous in
the revolutionary era have somewhat overshadowed her
earlier history ; but I contend that her career has been
brilliant from the first ; and her intrepid stand against the
encroachments of arbitrary power at that time was but
the natural consequence of that education and discipline
which her people had been receiving for a century and
a half in the defence of theh colonial and provincial
rights. There is not a more pregnant page in the
records of the progress of mankind towards civil liberty
than the part which our town took in that long struggle,
in which she was finally defeated, when the original
charter of Massachusetts Bay was taken from* the col
ony, and it became a province of the King. Then com
menced a new era in her history, apparently dark, but
gradually lighting up as she successively combated and
defied the several British governors, who, representing
the prerogatives of the Crown, claimed her slavish alle
giance, until she had the happiness of seeing the last of
the loyal line forced to take his departure from the
town, and sail down the waters of our beautiful bay
with his mercenary troops, never more to return. The
events of the revolutionary period are as famihar to us

THE DEDICATION. 89
as "household words." As Boston was the theatre
where its great principles were earliest discussed and
promulgated, so was its vicinity the scene of some of its
most important engagements when an appeal was made
to arms. The long struggle on other fields, and in dif
ferent parts of the country, she sustained with men and
means in a cheerful sphit ; and when peace came, her
people, and especially her mechanics, spoke with a reso
lution which could not be resisted, in behalf of the adop
tion of the Federal Constitution, which was the glorious
consummation of the patriot's prayers, and the bright
herald of the nation's prosperity. At the advent of the
new government under Washington — the country saved
by the valor of her sons, and the Union consolidated by
the provisions of this immortal instrument — Boston again
started on her onward course. Her representatives took
a leading part in the National Councils, while her citi
zens at home embarked in new enterprises for the devel
opment of the commercial and industrial resources of
the country. The keels of her merchant ships vexed
the seas of every continent. Her capitahsts made the
streams of New England, as they descended to the
ocean, work theh passage as manufactories were planted
on theh murmuring courses. Her mechanics and arti
sans, invigorated by the new motives to labor which
independence had secured, added new wealth to the
community ; and her professional men of every class
gave a fresh lustre to science, and dedicated theh learn
ing to the advancement and elevation of mankind. In
the history of the last half century, she has been in
unison with the rapid progress and marvellous success
13

90 THE CITY HALL.
of our common country. Her wealth and population
have increased with a healthy and steady growth.
Often reproached as the representative of Ideas in ad
vance of the public sentiment of the whole Union, she
to-day is honored as never before, for her unflinching
adherence to principle ; and the Republic itself will not
part with her fame or the renown of her great men, so
long as it holds a place in the front rank of the consti
tutional governments of the world.
I must confess to you that, in the preparation for this
occasion, among the multitude of subjects, I have found
it difficult to so order my thoughts as to select the appro
priate topics for consideration. The primary cause
which led our ancestors to this place was religion ; and
it would be an interesting field of survey to trace the
progress of religious thought and theological inquiry, —
to see how, with the advance of years, the tenets of the
older sects were liberalized and new churches planted
and prospered, so that now, hving in harmony, we have
the representatives of aU the denominations into which
the Christian world is divided. Education was the stone
upon which our fathers laid the foundation of theh
superstructure; and this interest has been so prominent
through our history, that the modern friends of free
schools have sometimes considered it our special token
of regard, and other communities have gladly followed
in the inteUectual paths which we have marked out for
ourselves. I believe it is generally acknowledged, that
there is no large city in the world where the people of
every class are so weU versed in the common rudiments
of knowledge; and certainly there is none, in comparison

THE DEDICATION. 91
with the population, where there are so many institutions
devoted to the higher branches of scientific investigation,
and to the encouragement of elegant literature and the
fine arts. Institutions for charitable and philanthropic
purposes have always been fostered, keeping pace with
human wants and needs, so that hardly an "hi which
flesh is heh to " is left neglected in the circle of, our
ministering agencies.
The glorious success of our national arms in crushing
the late rebeUion and exthpatmg that foul blot on the
nation's character, which has so long been our reproach,
wiU have an important effect on our commercial and
industrial relations. Channels of business heretofore
obstructed, or undeveloped, wih soon open to the spirit
of adventure or enterprise. Holding fast on those
methods and objects of traffic which have been a source
of her worldly success, Boston is destined to expand stiU
more in this direction; and that prosperity which is
based upon a mutual interchange of the commodities of
the earth with the handicraft of man, can be anticipated
for our city with the liveliest feelings of hope and cheer.
A modern teacher of pohtical economy has a maxim,
that, " to increase the wealth of a people, you add to
theh power to bless the world." We, therefore, may
rejoice from the highest motives, at aU the signs of an
affluent city which appear, if we constantly bear in mind
that our duties correspond with the privileges we enjoy.
Another class of subjects pertinent to the occasion, if
time would permit, would be a consideration of the vari
ous interests directly connected with the special preroga
tives and duties of a municipal government. The topo-

92 THE CITY HALL.
graphical changes which have taken place in the town
since its settlement, have been as marked as any in' its
history. Commencing on a peninsula of about seven
hundred acres, with its additional territory, mostly
reclaimed from the sea, it is now not far from sixteen
hundred acres; while East Boston and South Boston,
now. single wards, have each an extent of surface suita
ble for habitations and business purposes larger than the
original town. Some of the prominent hiUs in the City
proper have been leveUed, and its creeks have been
filled up. Many of its ancient streets, foUowing the line
of the shore, or creeping at the base of its original
heights, or suiting themselves to the diversities of the
surface of the soU, have been straightened and widened ;
and this is a work which must go on, to meet the new
exigencies of a teeming and thriving population, — a
prolific source of official business, and involving a large
expenditure of the public money. Our harbor, naturaUy
one of the most magnificent in the world, whose spacious
and convenient waters were the very cause of the loca
tion of the town, has, through the ravages of the sea,
been seriously impaired, and deserves the most careful
management, especially in those schemes for the city's
enlargement which an increasing commerce may require.
When we consider the miUions of people who are in the
future to inhabit this continent, and are to form this ener
getic and busy nation, and recollect that the good harbors
on the Atlantic coast, which connect us with the old
world, can be counted on one's fingers, while this geo
graphical fact presages that Boston wiU always hold an

THE DEDICATION. 93
important commercial position, yet it gives a new signifi
cance to this interest so vital to its prosperity.
The sanitary condition of our city, always a matter of
concern with our ancestors, as is seen in their early
appointment of a board of health, becomes more and
more a subject of municipal care as poptdation increases.
The liberal supply and proper distribution of water, the
fhe department, which protects our dweUings and ware
houses from the devouring element, the police, who
shield us from the designs and acts of wicked men, the
institutions where the vicious are incarcerated, or the
unfortunate or the insane find their homes, the finances
of the city, the construction of sewers, the paving and'
lighting of streets, the markets, cemeteries, hospitals,
pubhc library and schools, aU these and kindred subjects
afford themes of thought and comment, and are- naturally
forced upon our attention, as we sit together for the fhst
time in a new buUding to be devoted to their manage
ment. But your patience would weary, and my strength
would faU, in the attempt to give them that elaborate
consideration which theh merits demand.
As has aheady been stated, the first city government
of Boston was inaugurated in 1822, at FaneuU Hall.
Some of the municipal offices remained in that ancient
edifice a number of years ; others were located in what
was then caUed the County Court House, the buUding
formerly on this spot, in which the meetings of the
Common CouncU were held. On the two-hundredth anni
versary of the settlement of the town, September 17th,
1830, the old State House having been remodelled for
the purpose, the different branches of the government,

94 THE CITY HALL.
which had previously been in separate buUdings, took
possession of it, and an address was delivered by
the Mayor, Harrison Gray Otis. On the same day
appropriate commemorative services, of a popular
character, took place at the Old South Church, an
address being delivered by Josiah Quincy, the second
Mayor of Boston, and a poem by Charles Sprague.
The city government remained in the old State House
about ten years, when another change took place, and
it removed back to this point, bringing with it other
additional departments of the public service. The
edifice was formally dedicated as a City HaU, March
18, 1841, by an address from Jonathan Chapman, then
Mayor of the city. The corner-stone of the edifice in
which we are now assembled was laid December 22,
1862, — the anniversary of the landing of the PUgrims
at Plymouth, — with appropriate Masonic services and
an address by the Mayor, Joseph M. Wightman. This
is the first building, therefore, which has been buUt
and specially designed for municipal purposes ; and
the present government wUl have the satisfaction,
before their term of office has exphed, to see its
administrative oflicers suitably established, with the
best facUities for the accommodation of our citizens
and the .despatch of public business. We have no
insphing historical associations connected with this
edifice, as had our predecessors, who occupied FaneuU
Hall and the old State House ; but the vicinity reminds
us of the early past, as we look into the ancient burial-
ground by our side, and recoUect that Johnson and
Winthrop, the fathers of the town, have, for upwards

THE DEDICATION. 95
of two centuries, been sleeping within its sacred
enclosure; and that not far distant rest the bones of
Hancock and Adams, and other patriots of another
historical period. Nor can we forget that, on the very
spot where the statue of Franklin is located before
our windows, he played as a Boston schoolboy; and
that within a stone's throw stUl stands the Old South
Church, so redolent with the patriotic memories of
other days.
We, and our successors in office, are to give this
new buUding a name and character. May its sym
metry and beautiful proportions be emblematical of the
purity of life and elevated principles of those who
shaU occupy these seats, fiU the several departments of
public service, and manage the municipal affairs of this
city ! The past is secure. The general character of
our government from the first has been a fitting repre
sentative of the reputation of our people. Few names
upon our Municipal Register we could wish blotted
from the roU , for no city has been more favored with
faithful and devoted public servants. ' The most afflu
ent in fortune, the highest in social position and culture,
have deemed it an honor to participate in the conduct
of our civic affairs, and citizens who had distinguished
themselves in some of the most exalted national posi
tions, have put on again the badge of office, and devoted
theh time and talents for the promotion of the city's
welfare. We have seen in other large municipalities,
paradoxical as it may appear, that those citizens who
have the most at stake, and whose fortunes and happi
ness are dependent in a great measure upon good

96 THE CITY HALL.
government, are the very ones who take the least
interest in theh local affairs, and those who would have
exerted the best influence, on account of theh intel
lectual gifts or moral character, shrink, as from poUu-
tion, from the discharge of those duties which they
cannot neglect without detriment to the public weal.
A municipality is formed to organize order, to afford
protection to persons and property, and to secure the
blessings of peace and prosperity to a community.
These can only be accomplished by the active and
zealous interest of the best men. They should occa-
sionaUy take office themselves, when theh services are
needed; and they should always watch with a jealous
care the tendencies of pubhc measures and the motives
of those who originate them. If Boston has acquired
any reputation in the conduct of her internal affairs,
it is because her people have so distinguished themselves
in these matters ; and when it shaU be otherwise, her
glory wiU have departed, and she should give up the
right of self-government, for she wiU no longer deserve
the privilege. The pride which a Bostonian feels in
his city, whether he was born within its limits or has
made it his home by adoption, is justified by its past
history, its actual condition, and its future prospects.
Our business men are not, as in some other localities,
mere seekers of fortune, temporary sojourners untU that
object is accomplished ; but they are a part of *the
living community, identified with aU its concerns, and
looking forward to spending the evening of theh days
within its precincts, or within the influence of its cher
ished associations. Hence a public sphit is fostered,

THE DEDICATION. 97
which pervades every class and condition, which inter
ests itself in every cause which wiU add to the good
name and fame of the city, and which in the affluent is
so often illustrated in the liberal endowments of our
Uterary and charitable institutions.
In ancient times cities were estabbshed, under a dif
ferent form of civilization, for mutual protection of the
people, and were surrounded with waUs and fortifica
tions as a defence against a common enemy. Now,
business is theh mother, and whUe it is the chief inter
est and the greatest element in theh outward growth,
they become the great centres of mischief unless there
is in the inhabitants a love of religion and virtue, and
a taste for those objects of nature and art which
ennoble the mind and refine the character. I do not
beheve, with Jefferson, that "great cities are great
sores," for I hold that municipalities were the first to
be identified with the cause of popular liberty ; but we
may accept the remark as a warning, and endeavor to
make our city the great fountain from which shall
spread those influences which shall be for the healing of
the nation.
In addition to the local associations connected with
this day, it is weU to remember that it is also the anni
versary of the adoption of the Constitution of the
United States. Sharing with the whole country in the
blessings of the Union, no city has been more loyal
than Boston, or has exhibited better proofs of its devo
tion to the National Government. The late infamous
attempt to destroy the integrity of the Repubhc at once
aroused her patriotism, and she proved, through the
14

98 THE CITY HALL.-
long and protracted struggle, that the fires of liberty,
kindled by the fathers, were stiU burning on her altars.
Her sons went forth to the field of battle, or stood upon
the decks of our naval ships, taking theh lives in theh
hands for the common defence, whUe her daughters
lent theh ministering aid by the bedsides of the
wounded and dying in the hospitals, or, remaining at
home, comforted and cheered the absent by theh
timely contributions to their pressing needs. The old
flag, whose beautiful colors have always mingled
gracefully with the atmosphere which surrounds our
habitations, now floats over a reunited country. Stream
ing in the free ah as the representative of noble ideas
and a great nationality, the best interests of humanity
fostered and protected under its ample folds, its honor
an absorbing passion, the people of Boston wiU be the
last to submit to its humUiation, and with a resolute
spirit wiU defend its fair fame, whether assaUed by
domestic traitors or foreign foes.
To-day, then, gentlemen of the City CouncU, on this
double anniversary, with the associations connected with
the memory of the ancestors who laid the foundations
of this city, and the statesmen who framed the Federal
compact which gave constitutional life to a nation, we
appropriately dedicate an edifice for the home of muni
cipal legislation. Its deliberative haUs may never echo
with the sublime eloquence which stirs the hearts of
the people in senatorial chambers, or inflames their
passions in the popular assemblies ; the subjects of
discussion may be prosaic, but theh results wiU affect
the happiness and comfort of many homes. We would

THE DEDICATION. 99
dedicate these waUs to the cause of good order and good
government ; to a watchful care of the morals of the
community ; to a zealous stewardship of all its pubUc
interests ! Let the narrow sphit of party and partisan
ship stop at the threshold and seek other theatres for
the display of theh intrigues ! Let official power be
considered a sacred trust to be exercised by the most
worthy citizens, — the possessor himself the bright
exemplar and representative of the highest standard of
pubhc virtue ! Let wholesome laws and wise ordi
nances advance the material prosperity of our beloved
city, and the personal welfare of all its inhabitants !
And with a filial obedience to the commands of the
Great Ruler of the Universe, in whose hands are the
destinies of communities as weU as individuals, may
the prayer of the people be ever that on the city seal :
"Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis."
As God was with our Fathers, so may He be with us.

DESCEIPIION OF THE BUILDIM

DESCKIPTION OE THE BUILDING.

The City Hall faces School Street, with a large
and beautiful space in front, through the centre of
which is a broad avenue, paved with North River
flagging, leading to the principal entrance of the
buUding. On the left, as you ascend from School street, in the
centre of the grass-plot, stands the statue of Franklin, with
a gravel walk surrounding the base, for the inspection of
the statue and the bronze bas-reliefs in the pedestal,
which represent some of the principal events in the life
of that great phUosopher. The space on the opposite
side of the avenue, as yet, remains unoccupied, and
presents only a beautiful bed of green.
The distance from which the edifice can be viewed is
too limited to give the most favorable impression of its
harmonious proportions and outline ; but even under
this disadvantage it presents a grand and imposing
appearance. European travellers, and persons from
other cities of the United States, unite in the opinion
that nowhere else on this continent can a municipal
buUding be found of such elegance, and so well adapted
for its designed use.
The fence in front of the building corresponds well
with the dignified architecture of the edifice. It is

104 THE CITY HALL.
constructed of hon, supported by massive granite posts.
Two central posts are fifteen feet in height, and the
middle block in each weighs nine tons. These posts
are pierced vertically for the introduction of gas-pipes
to the lamps wliich surmount them. Between these
posts is placed an ornamental gate of unique design,
and at each side three guard posts are erected.
The face of the enthe principal front of the buUding,
and that of the west side, toward the cemetery, are of
white granite, from the celebrated quarries of Concord,
New Hampshire.
The basement on all sides, together with the trim
mings of the rear and of the east side, upon Court
Avenue, are of the same handsome material; whUe the
ashlar or face of these two latter facades is of the
stone from the old City HaU, which occupied a portion
of the site on which the present edifice stands.
The exterior walls are backed with brick, and are
vaulted between the facing and brick. With very few
exceptions all the interior partitions are of brick, many
of them containing ah spaces which serve for the ven
tilation of the principal apartments.
The basement, first, second and third stories, are
wholly fire-proof, theh floors being composed of brick
arches laid in cement, supported by iron beams. The
staircase halls throughout every story are constructed in
a similar manner, and with the stairs, which are of hon,
are fire-proof.
The floors of the fourth, fifth and attic stories, are of
the best burnetized timber construction. The roof is
also of wood, covered with copper and slate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 105
The interior finish of the first or principal story of
the buUding is in butternut. That of aU the other
stories is of pine, with the exception of counters, furni
ture, water-closet finish, etc., which are of oak, walnut,
chestnut and butternut.
The grand entrance is from School Street into the
first-story hall, which is paved with squares of black
and white marble ; and, as the visitor enters, he beholds
the magnificent staircases, which are, perhaps, the most
striking .and effective feature of the interior. The con
struction of the risers and treads and outside stringer is
of hon ; the ornamental moulded face stringers, newels,
raU and balusters, being of solid oak. The continuous
platform, which forms the landing in each story, is carried
on eight oak columns, covering an hon column within,
the columns standing in pahs, fluted, and having rich
Roman Ionic capitals carrying entablatures. The stairs
diverge from the centre of the hall, opposite the main
corridor in the first story, after rising ten steps,
in two separate flights, to the right and left, and are
continued thus, in a double flight, to the fifth story.
Standing as they do, in a clear, unobstructed space of
twenty-eight by seventy-two feet, and lighted above by
five elaborately coffered and panelled skylight openings
in the ceUing of the fifth story, at the height of ninety
feet from the lower floor, the effect of these staircases is
extremely spacious and imposing, and they are probably
not equaUed, either for dimensions or superiority of
design and finish, by any in the country.
The corridor, leading from the School-street entrance
to the staircase haU, is fourteen feet five inches in width.
15

106 THE CITY HALL.
In the wall, back of the first landing, and facing the ves
tibule, is a tablet ,of exquisite workmanship, composed
of veined Italian Sienna and white statuary marble, upon
which is placed the foUowing inscription :

CITY HALL.
Corner-Stone Laid. Deo. SS, 1S(3S.
J. ffi. OTffltrtman, JJtfagor.
JDed.ioa.ted. Septeira/ber 179 1865.
ff, JS3F. aifncolit, Jr., M&2ot.
Gridley J. F. Bryant and Arthur Gilman, Architects.

The original Report of the Committee of 1862 fur
nishes a full and particiUar description of the dimen
sions, arrangement, and intended uses of the buUding.
Several changes in the distribution of the apartments
having been made, however, during the progress of the
works, the following account wUl serve to convey an
idea of theh nature and extent.
The sub-ceUar of the buUding is used for a heating
apparatus for the whole structure, and for the storage of
fuel. The basement story is twelve feet in height in
the clear, and has two commodious entrances on Court
Square. In this story are two rooms for the Directors
of Public Institutions and their clerks (contiguous to
which is a spacious room for the reception of indigent
persons); the office of the Sealer of Weights and
Measures; the Soldiers' Aid Committee; the Superin
tendents of Hacks, Trucks and Pawnbrokers; the
City Physician (two apartments) ; the Janitor ; a repair
shop for the fire alarm telegraph ; a room for storing

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 107
tools used by workmen on water- works, and a large
store-room. There are also two rooms for the Pohce
Department, — one for searching parties under arrest
and for storing stolen property, the other containing
two ceUs, connected with the private office of the Chief
of Pohce, above, by a sphal staircase. Water-closets
and urinals in this story are also provided in an
apartment by themselves.
In the first story are the offices of the City Treasurer
(two rooms), connecting with which is a large brick
vault, enclosing burglar and fire proof safes, the whole
of the most massive construction; the offices of the
Water Registrar and Water Board (three rooms) ; Over
seers of the Poor (two rooms) ; Chief of Police and
Detectives (two rooms) ; Assessors (one), and Auditor
(two rooms). These apartments are all seventeen and
a half feet in height, and afford ample space for the
business to be transacted in them.
In the second story is the Mayor and Aldermen's
room, forty-four feet four inches by forty-four feet eight
inches, and twenty-six feet four inches in height, extend
ing upward through the third story. In plan it is an
unequal octagon, the four cardinal sides being consid
erably longer than the diagonal ones ; each side is filled
by a richly moulded arch, supported by coupled Roman
Ionic columns and pilasters, — the columns finely exe
cuted, in close imitation of Sienna marble.
The ceUing is paneUed to correspond with the outline
of the waUs, having rich centre pieces in the four prin
cipal panels, together with a large and very elaborate
one in the centre.

108 THE CITY HALL.
Adjoining, on the left, is a lobby, containing a ward
robe for each Alderman, and water-closets and urinals.
On this floor, are the offices of the City Clerk (three
rooms — in one of which is located a brick vault for
receiving all the volumes of records), Superintendent
and Committee on Public BuUdings, (two rooms),
Clerk of Committees (one), City Messenger (one),
City Registrar and Directors of Mount Hope Cem
etery (two rooms), and one large committee room ;
also, the Mayor's private office and the office of his
clerk. The rooms in this story, with the exception of
the Mayor and Aldermen's chamber, are thirteen feet in
height. In the third story, which is twelve feet in height, are
two rooms for the Internal Health Department, two for
the Superintendent of Streets, one for the Milk Inspec
tor, a private office for the Superintendent of Fire
Alarms, two rooms in connection for the Superintendent
of Sewers and Lands, two for the Chief Engineer of the
Fhe Department and Superintendent of Lamps, and
three rooms for the City Engineer and his assistants.
The Common CouncU Chamber is located in the
fourth story, directly .over the Mayor and Aldermen's
room. It is a square apartment, measuring forty-four
feet eight inches on a side, and twenty-seven feet in
height to the ceUing, which is octagonal. It has gal
leries on three sides, capable of seating two hundred
and fifty persons. The gaUeries do not project into the
apartment, but are constructed over the adjoining rooms
and staircase gallery, and are entered from the fifth story.
The waUs of the attic and dome overhead are supported

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 109
by a range of ten handsome composite columns, standing
on the line of the front balustrade of the three gal
leries. The ceUing is coved and enriched with panels, orna
mental drops, and other appropriate details.
The furniture in these two principal apartments, and
throughout the building, was made specially for the
places which the different articles were intended to
occupy, from designs drawn under the direction of the
Building Committee. In these designs beauty and
elegance are combined wdth utUity, and the fine effect
of the different apartments is greatly enhanced by the
blending of the variously colored woods and the appear
ance of harmony in aU the arrangements. Indeed, the
general impression which the visitor receives from a
survey of the interior of this beautiful edifice, is in no
small degree heightened by the elegant workmanship
and unity of design displayed in this department.
Adjoining the CouncU Chamber is a dressing-room,
fitted up with aU the modern conveniences, connecting
with which is a large conversation and committee room.
There are on this floor two rooms for the Clerk of the
CouncU ; one for the Soldiers' Fund Association ; one
for the Harbor Commissioners ; three for the School
Committee, and two not yet appropriated. There is
also a large room containing water-closets, urinals, wash
bowls, &c.
In the fifth story, within the roof, is a room for storing
the older records of the Assessors ; a store-room for the
Auditor ; a sleeping room for the watchmen ; a large
room for the storage of documents, and five rooms yet

110 THE CITY HALL.
unassigned, all elaborately fitted up for storing docu
ments until needed for more important city purposes.
The attic, as has been remarked, is directly over the
Common CouncU Chamber, and is surmounted by the
dome. It contains the operating room of the Fire-
Alarm Telegraph; two sleeping rooms for the employes,
who are obliged to spend the principal part of theh
time in this lofty out-look ; a library for the use of the
operators during theh leisure hours; a wash-room, and
a store-room. Going stiU higher, in the dome itself, is the battery
room, thirteen feet five by forty-one feet nine inches, a
repair shop, and a store-room.
A reference to the plans of the several stories, form
ing part of this document, wiU convey to the reader a
clear idea of the location, dimensions, and uses of the
various apartments, herein generaUy enumerated.
The dome is surmounted by a balcony, from which
rises a flagstaff, whose height above the ground is two
hundred feet. Four weU-executed Uons' heads look out
fiercely from the corners of the balcony, and a magnifi
cent gilded eagle surmounts the centre of its front.
It wUl be seen by the foregoing description that there
is ample room in the new edifice to meet the prospective
wants of the city for many years. After cutting off the
outside rents, which have in some years been upwards
of $10,000, .and for many years not less than $7,000,
and providing every important office with two or three
rooms, as above enumerated, with a large number of
committee rooms, there stUl remain eight or ten rooms
for which at present there is no assignment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. Ill
We now proceed to give the names of the contractors,
and others, who have contributed in a greater or less
degree to the advancement of the work on the edifice.
The granite was furnished by O. E. Sheldon, Thomas
HoUis, George Penniman, and E. C. Sargent, and was
quarried from the celebrated " Rattlesnake Ledge," at
Concord, N. H. Messrs. Wentworth & Co. furnished
half of the marble chimney pieces. The remainder of
the marble work, including the beautiful tablet before
spoken of, was supplied by Bowker & Torrey. The
North River tUes in the basement were supplied by
Daniel C. Hutchinson, and the dressed North River
flagging in front of the hall by Baldwin & Emerson.
The iron floor-bearers were from the mills of the Phoenix
Iron Co., of PhUadelphia. The ornamental iron-work
of the exterior and interior, (excepting fences and gates,)
was supphed by J. W. Tuck & Co., and Messrs. Chase
Brothers. AU the other iron work, including fences
and gates, was provided by George W. and F. Smith,
with the exception of a portion of that for the stairs,
which was supplied by Denio & Roberts. The glass
was furnished by Tuttle & Gaffield ; the gas piping by
S. A. Stetson & Co. ; the gas fixtures by S. A. Stetson &
Co., Turner & Ware, Shreve, Stanwood & Co., and
Bliss & Perkins ; the wooden floorings by John W.
Latherbee ; the locks and door trimmings by Enoch
Robinson & Co.; the general hardware by Brooks &
Darling ; the copper roofing by Charles S. Parker &
Sons ; the copper gutters and conductors by Hicks &
Badger ; and the lightning rods by William A. Orcutt.
The beUs and tubes are from the manufactory of S. W.

112 THE CITY HALL.
Fuller. The window shades were furnished by W. B.
EUis & Co., G. H. Cunningham & Co., and H. A.
Turner & Co. The soapstone fixtures were supphed by
George H. Foote and George W. Beach. The directo
ries and signs were executed by H. F. Moore.
The contractors for the mason work were Messrs.
Adams & Jacobs. Mr. Jonas Fitch contracted for the
carpenter work, which has been executed under his
constant superintendence and that of Mr. J. L. Fuller,
for many years in the employ of Mr. Fitch. Under
their direction were constructed the grand stahcases.
The plaster and stucco work was done by Messrs. Titus
& Ripley. The painting has been done under a contract
by Haven & Dexter. The glazing was performed by
Weston &f Putnam, the plumbing by Hawthorne &
Loudon and WUliam Trainer, and the carved work on
the dome by Mclntyre & Gleason. The scagliola
columns, in the Mayor and Aldermen's chamber, are the
work of Mr. Asa D. Morse.
In regard to the furniture, it is sufficient to state that
nearly all the fixed articles, such as counters, &c, were
made and put up by Mr. Fitch. The movable furniture,
except that for the Mayor and Aldermen's room, was
furnished by Stephen Smith and Joseph L. Ross. The
movable furniture in the Mayor and Aldermen's room,
the president's rostrum and the clerk's desk in the coun
cil chamber, the chairs for both chambers, and the furni
ture for the Mayor's private room, were furnished under
a contract with Messrs. Boyce Brothers and Squhes, and
are the work of Messrs. Touissaint & Co.
The clocks in the various apartments are from the

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 113
manufactory of E. Howard & Co., and H. L. Foss &
Co. The carpeting has been supphed by Goldthwaite,
Snow & Co., WUliam E. Bright, Fowle & Co., Lovejoy
and Co., John H. Pray & Co., Sweetser & Abbott, and
F. B. Wentworth & Co.
To Messrs. B. F. CampbeU & Co. belongs the credit
of heating the new structure upon the principle of steam
at low pressure, combining the best experience of all the
various principles heretofore brought to the public notice.
The foUowing gentlemen have served as sub-commit
tees in immediate charge of the erection of the new haU
since its commencement: In 1862, Messrs. Francis
Richards, Daniel Davies, and John W. Leighton; 1863,
Joseph F. Paul, Daniel Davies, and Nathaniel Adams ;
1864, Messrs. Davies, Adams, and WiUiam Carpenter ;
1865, Messrs. Davies, Adams, and Wm. W. Warren.
Mr. Joel Wheeler, employed by the city to superin
tend the construction of the buUding, has given his
personal attention to the work daUy throughout, until
the fuU completion of the building. Mr. James C.
Tucker, Superintendent of Pubhc BuUdings, in his official
position, has aided, in conjunction with Mr. Wheeler, in
advancing the work from day to day.
The excess of the cost of this buUding over the
original estimates has been made a subject of remark in
one or two of the public journals. But when we take
into consideration the great additional value and security
gained by the construction of fire-proof floors, and a sub-
ceUar for heating apparatus and fuel, as recommended
in the report of the committee of March 30th, 1863,
16

114 THE CITY HALL.
together with the other alterations and additions recom
mended at that time, we shall be led to believe that this
additional cost has been wisely incurred. To the great
and unprecedented advance which took place in the
price both of labor and materials during the progress
of the building, in consequence of the war, must be
referred a large, if not the greater part of the increase
of cost on the books of the City Treasurer. Some
of the contracts for hon, lead, copper, paints, glass,
etc., etc., were necessarily made at a time when gold
was selling from 260 to 280 in aU our markets; —
add this unexpected advance in prices to the cost
of furniture, fences, and grading and laying out of
grounds, and it wiU be found, on a fair comparison,
that the cost of the. building proper would hardly . have
exceeded the estimates of 1862, if taken at the then
price of gold, and on the scale of values of materials
and labor then existing.
On the contrary, it is believed to be demonstrable
that, in view of the conjunction of the causes already
enumerated, this buUding has, in fact, been buUt with
the utmost economy, and with a very close adherence to
the original intentions of the committee who reported,
and of the city government, who authorized its erec
tion. It would be easy to show this in detaU, were
it necessary or proper to enter into an exact calculation,
giving the items, the dates of contracting, and the price
of gold at the time such contracts were made, as com
pared with the price ruling in the months of July and
August, 1862. Reducing the cost to a gold standard, —
scarcely departed from, it wUl be remembered, at the •

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. 115
date of the estimates alluded to, — and adding the extra
cost and real value of the hon fire-propf construction and
sub-ceUar, — deliberately adopted upon the recommen
dation of the committee, as before mentioned, together
with other important alterations and additions, — and it
wiU be found that scarcely any discrepancy exists be
tween the original expectations of the expense, and the
actual footing up of all the items fairly to be included in
the cost of the buUding itself. It was, of course, always
to be understood, that such items as grading, fencing,
and furnishing were not to be included in an estimate of
mechanical work requhed in erecting the structure.

THE COST OF CONSTRUCTION AND FURNISHING IS AS FOLLOWS :
Plans, Designs and Models  $11,177 00
Removing Old Building, Excavating, Carting and
Grading Grounds  6,243 85
Dressed Stone and cutting the same . . . 96,197 10
Mason Work, including setting the dressed stone . 54,358 47
Iron Beams, Stairs, Fence, and Gates . . . 65,237 30
Lumber, Carting and Burnetizing .... 4,555 24
Carpenter's Work, which includes all fixtures for
Closets, Counters, &c  100,431 37
Plastering and Stucco Work, which includes the
Scagliola Columns  15,592 94
Heating Apparatus ....... 22,525 36
Painting and Glazing  13,350 31
Marble and Soapstone Work, Tiling, &c. . . . 9,720 51
Slating, Coppering and Copper Gutters . . . 13,798 26
Window Glass  7,532 68
Plumbing  5,262 16
Amount carried forward,  $425,982 55

116

THE CITY HALL.

Amount brought forward,  $425,982 55
Carving  1,939 50
Hard Ware and Window Weights .... 4,29210
Gas Pipes and Fixtures  9,195 67
Lightning Conductors, Speaking Tubes and Bells . 602 20
Superintendent of Construction . . . 3,640 00
Fuel and Gas  4,049 90
Furniture and Carpets  51,829 75
Moving and Removing Franklin Statue, laying Cor-
ner-Stone, and incidental expenses of Committee . 3,659 75
Total  $505,191 42

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APPENDIX

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS,

IN THE POSSESSION OF THE

Maflachufetts Hiftorical Society,
RELATING TO THE ERECTION OF TOWN HOUSES IN BOSTON
IN 1657 AND 171 1.

Power Conferred by the Committee for the Town Hon — 1657.
Wee whofe names are vnder wrighten having full power
given vs by the Town of Bofton to Agree with workmen,
& in their behalfe to Engadge the Town, In the Payment
of any fum or fums for the building Erefting & Compleat-
ing of A houfe for the Town both for the forme & dimen-
tions &c. according as we fhall Judge meet, They the fd
Towne having Engadged themfelves to own & ftand by
vs and performe what promifes Covenants or Engadgmts
wee ftiould make in order to the accompliihing of the
premifes, And to facillitate the fd worke we the fd fub-
fcribed doe make choyce of M Edward Hutchinfon &
John Hull in o behalfe to Agree & Compound with
workmen & Engadge paym' in everie refpeft for the fd
worke & we doe hereby oblidge or felves to ftand by, own,
& performe what the fd Mr Ed : Hutchinfon & Jn Hull

120 APPENDIX.
foe deputed fhall doe or Engadge themfelves in as iff it
was the perfonall aft of everie one off vs & heervnto we
fubfcribe or. hands, by this binding oT. felves likewife to
own what the fd prtyes have allridy done in the fd worke
figned this 31 of the 6th month 1657.
Tho : Marshall
, Samuel Cobb
Townefmen J ___ _,
_ . { William Paddy
Comifioners j T 0
' Josh : Scottow
Jer : Howchin.

AGREEMT FOR THE TOWN HOUSE — 1657.
Boston Auguft i. 1657.
Wee whofe names are vnder wrighten Being chofen by
& in behalfe of the Town of Bofton, to bargain & Con-
traft with fome able workemen about A houfe for the
Town, we have Bargained & Contrafted, & by thefe pre-
fents doe bargain & Covenant with Thomas Joy and
Bartholomew Bernad of Bofton ; & the fd Thomas Joy &
Barth Bernad, are heerby bound & doe oblidge themfelves
vnto the fd Town of Bofton (& in vn[to] In their behalfe)
that they will Prepare & Ereft, a very fubftantiall and
Comely building In the place Appointed by the fd Town ;
The dimentions of wch Edifice fhall be fixty fix foot in
Length, and thirty fix foot in Breadth from out fide to
out fide, fet vpon twenty one Pillers of full ten foot high
between Pedeftall & Capitall, & well brafed all four
waies, placed vpon foundation of ftone in the bottome.
The wholl Building to Jetty over three foot without the

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS. 121
Pillers everie way: The height of the fd Houfe to be ten
foot betwixt Joynts above the Pillers, and a halfe ftorie
above that, with three gable Endes over it vpon each fide :
A walke vpon the Top fourteen or 15 foote wide with two
Turrets, & turnd Balafters and railes, round about the
walke according to A modell or draught Prefented to vs,
by the fd Tho : Joy, & Barth : Bernad. The fd Tho : Joy
& Barth : Bernad Likewife, finding all things necifarie and
meet for the fd Building, viz : Timber in in everie refpeft
& of everie fort, fubftantiall & meet according to Propor
tion & Art, Plank for the fides & ends three Inch thick*
well graved one into another, and into the timbers allfo an
Inch and halfe ; well plained and fmoothed one Both
fides, two Inch plank for the lower floor, and full Inch
for the vpper floor, Both fmoothed, and vpon the walk
duble boarded and well groved ; the Rooff well boarded
& fhingled, with gutters fufficiently made.
Bringing all to the Place, Erefting, finifhing & Com-
pleating the whole Edifice viz The Frame, foundations,
Floores, ftaires (viz Two pair halfe paced ftaires & turnd
ftaires vp into the walke) doores, window Cafes & Cafe-
ments, mantle peeces, Inclofures Pertitionsf &c The wholl
Edifice to be Erefted, by the thirty daye of the fourth
month called June next enfuing the date heeroff; and
Covered and fhingled within fix weekes after that. The
Town finding all the Iron worke, as nailes hookes hinges
&c. glafs with glafing and Lead for the Gutters mafonrie
worke as the chimnies, foundation of the Pillers with ftone

* Only we alow of Two Inch plank for the fids & ends above the Plates & beames.
t There is to be both Roomes from the chimnies clofed one both fides and one Crofs
partition in one of the Roomes ; befide the ftair Cafe.
17

122 APPENDIX.
brick & Lime belonging to the fame the afiVf? Tho : &
Barth: all the other worke as afforrd The Town finding
help at the rayfing.
In confideration of the premifes we doe heerby oblidge
ourfelves (according to order & in behalfe of the fd Town
of Bofton aflbrf?) To give & AiTigne over vnto the fd
Tho : Joy & Barthol : Bernad, or to either of them or their
affignes the three Hund : Pounds w0!1 is that Part of the
Legacy of Cap' Rob' Keyne (deceafed) defigned & be
queathed vnto the fd Town in his Laft will for ther vfe,
and alfo one hund. Pound more we heerby oblidge or
felves to Pay or Caufe to be paied vnto the fd Thomas &
Bartholomew or their Affignes In good Englifh goods at
prife Currant, and likewife to doe our vttmost that one fiffty
pound of this above mentioned paymt (viz out ofthe thre
Hun4) may be made in mony for the more lively cavfing
an end of the affor f d worke.
The Time of wch Payment fhall be as followeth viz:
one Hund. Pound at the Bringing of the Timber to the
Place A feccond Hund: at the rayfing A third Hund:
at the Inclofure & Covering A fourth at the finifhing and
Compleating vnto all thefe premifes abovefd we doe heerby
Joyntly & feveraly mutualy & Interchangeably bind or
felves by or hands & feales this firft of Auguft, 1657.
We doe alfo engadge that the three Hund : pound in
the Legacy abovefd fhall be made good vnto the fd work
men Thomas & Bartholomew.
Witnefes heer vnto
Joseph Newgate Edward Hutchinson [seal.]
James Browne John Hull, [seal.]
Henry Powning

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS. 123
RELATING TO Y" TOWN HOUSE RENTS. READ
MARCH ioIH 1711-12.
Whereas the Rents referved to the Town of Bofton for
feveral fpare Rooms in, under, and Adjoyning to the late
Town Houfe befide all rooms made ufe of there for Pub
lick Occafions, did according to the Rates they were lett,
or might have been Lett at amount to Eighty pounds Pr
annum. And the Great and Gen" Court or Affembly of this
Province haveing lately direfted, That there be a Houfe
built in or neer the place where the Old Town Houfe
flood, for Publick meetings on Civill Occasions, For
Province County and Town, Viz' For the Meeting of the
Gen11 Affembly, The holding of Councills and Courts of
Juftice and Town Meetings, the Charge thereof to be born
the One halfe by the Province, the Other halfe by the
Town of Bofton and County of Suffolk in Equall propor
tion, unto which propofal the Inhabitants of Bofton have
Voted their Concurrance.
And fince there is profpect of as great if not greater
improvem15 and advantage by fuch fpare room in the fd
new building now to be Erefted, it may not be unfeafona-
ble for the Inhabitants of this Town now to make Sutable
provifion to fecure that priviledge and benefitt to them
felves and their fucceffors.
And altho other Arguments might be of weight for
their being fo benefitted, Yet rather then forego and loofe
the fame, May it not be advifeable for them to agree upon
bearing fome Additional Charge in ye fd building as an
Equivalent, That fo they may be thereby Effectually Inti-

124 APPENDIX.
tulled to the benefit and improvement of all fuch rooms
and fpaices in under and adjoyning to the f d New building
which fhall be conveniently capable of being inclofed and
Improved for diftinft ufes, and otherwife not needfull to
be made ufe of for thofe afore mentioned Intentions pro
pofed by the Gen11 Court, and thereby to Leffen the Charge
of the Province, Town and County in their refpective
proportions as aforefaid. The which additionall Charge,
together with the Charge of Inclofeing and fitting of fhops
&c. there, may (if the Town fees meet) to very good
advantage be defrayd out of that their money wch is the
Effefts of Lands fold and in Equity ought to be fo layd
out as to raife and perpetuate an income to ihe Town.
And in cafe futable Application be made to the Gen11
Court on the behalfe of this Town relating to the premi-
fies, under the confideration of their Exceffive growing
*
Charge & Expences, & their fo great a lofs by the Late Fire,
& that the Late Town-House wch was built at the Charge
of ye Inhabitants of this Town was for neer fifty years paft
made ufe of for all Publick Occafions w'hout any other
Charge to the Public then that for fome of the Later years
they have born part of ye Charge of ye Repaires.
And that the Town of Bofton being the true and proper
Owners of all that Land on wch the faid New building is
now to be erefted. It is prefumed that they will readily
agree unto fo juft and reafonable a propofal.
Propofed By Jofeph Prout Read at ye begin ing of y=
Town meeting ye io*h of March 1711-12.

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS. 125
GEN"- COURT DIRECTIONS AB^ BUILDING A TOWN
HOUSE— 1711.
1711 Octo. Committee appointed by the Gen1 Court viz
Eilfha Hutchinfon Samuel Sewall Nathan1 Payn &
Thomas Noyes Efqra of the Council, Samuel Appleton,
Jofiah Chapin, John Clark & James Warren Efqrs Majr
Thomas Fitch, Cap' Simon Davis and Capt? Samuel Phipps
of the Houfe of Reprefentatives.
The Above Committee Advife that there be a houfe
built in or near the place where the old Town houfe flood
for the ufes mentioned in the Memorial as convenient as
may be without incomoding the ftreet the Breadth not to
Exceed thirty fix feet the Length fo as to be Convenient
for the Ends mentioned in the Addreffe. That a Com
mittee be Appointed by this Court to take Care for the
Building as fpeedily & prudently as may be, The Charge
thereof to be born the one half by the Province the other
halfe bv the Town of Bofton & County of Suffolk in
Equal proportion. By ord* of the Major part of the Committee,
Elisha Hutchinson.
November 40 1711 Read and Accepted And a Com
mittee Raifed and Directed to Advife with his Excellency
and fuch fkilful gent" as they may think fit to be Confulted
with about the Model of the Houfe.
Copy of the Minutes. IsA Addington Secry.

Note. That the Houfe is for Publick Meetings, on Civil Occafions; for the Province,
County & Town, vizt for the Meeting of the General Affembly The Holding of Councils,
and Courts of Juftice and Town meeting.

COPY OF THE SUBSCRIPTION PAPER
FOB THE
FIRST TOWNHOUSE IN BOSTON,
ERECTED BETWEEN 1657 aud 1659.

Whearas thear is giuen a confiderabl fume by Capt Kayne
towars the Bulding of a towne houfe wch fum will not ataine
the Bulding wch he mentioneth in his will, now confidering the
vfefullnes of fuch a ftructure we whofe names are vnder written,
doe ingag or felues or heyres executors for to giue towards
the abou fd hous and alfoe a condit in the market place the
severall sumes vnder written.* £ s
Jo : Endecott .... 2 — 10 — 00
pd Ri Bellingham in Country pay 10 — 00 — 00 pd 17.
pd Edward Tynge in Corne 10 — 00 — o pd
pd John Euered in goods and
corne .... 010=00 — 00 pd
pd 46 s Peter Olliuer in goods and
provifions . • . 10=00 — 00 '
John8 Barrett : in goods : or
corne .... 03 — 00 — 00 d. 29 Aug. 1658
pd James* Olliuer provided there
be a Cundit withall in goods
and provifions eqelly . 12 — o — 00 pd

* This was written between 23 March, 1656, and 29 August, 1658. Farmer.
Subsequent comparison allows me tosaythat it was written in 1656. — F.

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS.

127

Will Paine in goods and provifions
pd Richard Parker in goods and provifions
pd Nathaniell Williams in goods
pd Sarah Parker in provifions
pd Henry Powning in goods
pd John Cogan in Corne
| five pounds ....
paid Theodore Atkinfon will give in hats .
Tho Howkings .....
paid John Hull In Englifh goods five b"
pd Thomas Clarke in provifion or goods
pd Robt Turner .....
paid Richard Cooke in provifions .
pd Robert Swift 
paid. Samuel Hutchinfon in wheat
paid Joih Scottow in pvifion or goods
pd Will™ Hudfon will : pay in bricks lyeme
pd bords [ ] or timber the fome of
Hezekiah Uiher : will pay 2 In Englifh
Goods or equivolent, twentye : poundes,
prouifo : y* ye market houfe bee Errecled
in ye markett place- & A cunditt.
W™ Dauis will pay in goods & corne Fif-
teene pounds prouided y* market-houfe
bee erected in ye markett place & a coun-
duitt alfo raifed & Finifhed .
pd Thomas Buttolphe 
paid James Penn 
paid Jacob Sheafe in provifion & goods .
paid Tho : Lake \ In Englifh-goods & \ In pro-
viffions ....•••
pd Ifaak Waker in Englifh goods or provifions
paid John Sanderline $£
[ ] pd Robt : Patelhall, in planke, or boards
paid Thomas Matfon 
paid John Williams .*....•
paid Thomas Edfell 

•

iS-

oo . 00

10 — 00-

-00 pd

03-

-00-

-00 pd

• °5-

-00-

-00 pd

02-

-00-

-00 pd

K

-00-

-00 pd

• 005

00

00 pd

02

0-

— 0

• °5-

—00-

—00 pd

04-

—00-

—00 pd

• 5-

— 0 -

— 0 pd

°3

10

00 pd

. 02

10

00 pd

5

00-

—00 pd

• S

: oo

—00 pd

pd
paid

paid

10=00=00

20=00^00 pd

iS — —
02 — 00 — 00
05 — 00 — 00
12 — 00 — 00
09 — 00 : 00
03 — 00 — 00
03 — 00=00
05 : 00 : 00
1 — o — o
o — 10 — o
00 — 10 — o

128

APPENDIX.

paid Thomas Bligh 
paid Richard Gridley 
paid John Button ......
Benjamin Negus
James Eueritt in Flower. ....
Robt Batterly 
paid John Coney 
paid Samuell Mattocke .....
paid Rich4 Stanes ......
paid Rowland Story in Lewtenant Cooks hand
paid Ri Wayte .......
paid Phillip Whorton .....
paid Auguften Clement 
paid Richard Woodde in provifion | j
paid John Phillips . . ...
paid Tho Emons ......
paid Thomas Littell thre dayes worke .
Humphrey Bradfhaw thre dayes worke
Jofeph Bonde ten fhilings by Samell Lemist
George Brome a bufhel wheate
paid William Paddy 
paid Henry Kemble .....
paid Thomas" Makepeace .....
paid Jofhua Hewes .....
Ffrances Smith .....
paid Francis Doufe .....
paid John Pierce ......
paid Simon Eire 
paid Comfort Starr ......
paid Henry Phillips .....
paid Henry Shrimpton Corne wood .
paid John Lowel 
paid George Munioy three pounds
paid Jno. Joyliffe ......
paid Amos Richardfon .....
pd Edmond Grenleff . . . ' .
pd Edward Porter 

oo— 15

00

02 — 00 — 0

04 — 00-

— 0

01 — oo

—00

oo— 15-

—00

00—15-

—00

00 — 7-

—00

00 — 10-

—00

01 : 00

: 00

02 — 00-

-00

02 — 00-

-00

1 — 0-

— .0

01^- 0-

- 0

03— 0-

- 0

1 — 0-

- 0

00  IO

- 0

OO  IO

- 0

OO  IO

- 0

OO — 04—

- 0

12  O—

- 0

OO  IO—

- 0

01 — 00 .

0

OO  IO

- 0

OO . IO

-00

OO — 09-

- 0

S4 — 00

—

I . IO .

0

01 — OQ-

-00

05— 00-

-00

10 — 00—

-00

03—00

00

03 — 00—

-00

03 . 00 .

00

02 : 00 :

00

0 — 10 — 0

1 — 0—

- 0

COPIES OF ORIGINAL PAPERS.

129

paid Nicholas Phillips ....
pd Thomas Harwood ....
paid Thomas Brattle ....
paid Thomas Baker in Iron workes .
paid John Biggs in Shingle or worke
paid Jo : Marfhall in flioes
paid Henry Alline [ | .
paid Hugh Drury 
paid John Collens ....
paid Thomas Scotto ....
paid Nathanell Thorn ....
paid John Pears 
paid William Reade ....
paid Will Tay 
paid Jo? Blacklach ....
paid John Clough 
paid Sam11 Davice ....
paid Samuell Cole .....
paid Chriftopher Gibfon
paid Robert Nanney 
paid Henry Bridgham ....
paid Thomas Waker .....
paid Nathanell Raynolls
John Hawkines tobaco
paid Arthur Maffon ....
paid Ann Carter ios
paid James Dauis by Tho : Joy 6s & 4s more
paid Daniel Turill .....
paid Thomas Fich ......
paid Edmund Jacklin in glafs or worke if I be in
the contry when the houfe is to be glaffed
paid AVilliam Gibfon 
paid Jeremy Caftine .....
paid Edmund Jackfon by Thomas Fay
Miells Towne in lether ....
pd William Englifh — in fhoes
paid Jofeph Howe Twenty Shillings
18

o- 1-
5-
01-
002- 01-01-01- 1-1-
o- 1-
00-00-01-
00- 00-02-02- 02- 10- 12-
01-01-00-
00- 00-01-00- 01-00- 01-01-
00- 02-01-

-10 — o
-00 — o
- o — o
-00 — o
-00  00
- o — o
-00  00
-00 o
- o — o
- o — o
-10 — o
- o — , o
-10  00
-10  00
-00 — 00
-10  00
-05—00
-00 — 00
-00 — 00'
-00 — 00
-00 — 00
-10 — 00
-00 00
-00  00
-10 — 00
-10 . 00
-10  00
-00  00
-10 — 00
-00=00-05—00-00 — 00
-00 — 00
-5 s— 00
-00  00
- o — o

130 APPENDIX.
paid Samuel Norden in fhoes .... oo — io — o
pd i os Robert Nafh in worke .... oi — io — oo
paid Mathew Barnes — paid i — 9 — 3 . . 1 — 10 — o
paid Thomas Dewer ..... 01 — 00 — o
paid William Corfer ...... 00 — 10 — o
paid Bartholomew Cheever 30 f . . . 01 — 10 — o
Henery MefTenger — paid. . . . o — 10 — o
Will. Colburn in [ ] or provifion paid
16s  3 . 00 00
paid Edward Goodwin ..... o — 06 — 00
pd James Johnfon in his Comodityes . . 02 : 00 : 00
pd 5 s John Newgat promife to give five pound &
in [ ] the preveledg of our [ ] 10 — 00 — 00
Thomas Bumfted of Bofton promife . . 1— 00 — 00
paid Natha : Duncan  2 — . . —
paid Peter Duncan ...... 1 — 10 — 00
paid John Wifwall ..... 02 — 10 — o
paid Jofeph Wife ...... 2 — 00 — 00