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Faneuil Hall

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Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall today, east side
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
Built1742
ArchitectJohn Smibert; Charles Bulfinch
Architectural styleGeorgian
NRHP reference No.66000368[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLOctober 9, 1960

Faneuil Hall (Template:Pron-en or /ˈfænəl/; previously /ˈfʌnəl/), located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain, and is now part of Boston National Historical Park and a well known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".[2]

History

18th c.

The original Faneuil Hall was built by artist John Smibert in 1740–1742 in the style of an English country market, with an open ground floor and an assembly room above, and funded by a wealthy Boston merchant, Peter Faneuil. The ground floor was originally used to house African sheep brought over from the northwestern region of New Hampshire. The program was short lived however, due to a shortage of sheep and reasoning behind the program in the first place.

The grasshopper weather vane is a well known symbol of Boston; see the section "Grasshopper weather vane," below. Knowledge of the grasshopper was used as a test to determine if people were spies during the Revolution period. The people would ask suspected spies the identity of the object on the top of Faneuil Hall; if they answered correctly, then they were free; if not, they were convicted as British spies.[citation needed]

Faneuil Hall in 1776
Faneuil Hall circa 1890-1906

The hall burned down in 1761 but was rebuilt in 1762.

19th c.

In 1806, the hall was greatly expanded by Charles Bulfinch, doubling its height and width and adding a third floor. Four new bays were added, to make seven in all; the open arcades were enclosed, and the cupola was moved to the opposite end of the building. Bulfinch applied Doric brick pilasters to the lower two floors, with Ionic pilasters on the third floor. This renovation added galleries around the assembly hall and increased its height. The building was entirely rebuilt of noncombustible materials in 1898–1899.

20th-21st c.

On October 9, 1960 the building was designated a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places[3]. The ground floor and basement were altered in 1979. The Hall was restored again in 1992.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Faneuil Hall is now part of a larger festival marketplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which includes three long granite buildings called North Market, Quincy Market, and South Market, and which now operates as an indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery. It was designed by Benjamin Thompson and Associates and managed by The Rouse Company; its success in the late 1970s led to the emergence of similar marketplaces in other U.S. cities.

Uses of Faneuil Hall

On November 7, 1979, Faneuil Hall was the site of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's speech declaring his candidacy for president. On November 3, 2004, Faneuil Hall was the site of Senator John Kerry's concession speech in the 2004 presidential election.

The Headquarters of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts has been in Faneuil Hall since 1746, currently on the 4th floor.

Faneuil Hall is the home of the Boston Classical Orchestra, a professional orchestra, which has been performing in the "Great Hall" there regularly since 1980.

Name

Though Faneuil is a French name, it is anglicized as /ˈfænəl/ or /ˈfænjəl/.[4] There is some evidence that it was pronounced quite differently in Colonial times, as in funnel. Peter Faneuil's gravestone is marked "P. Funel," although the inscription was added long after his burial. (The stone originally displayed only the Faneuil family crest, not his surname.)

Building elements

Bell

The bell was repaired in 2007 by spraying the frozen clapper with WD-40 over the course of a week and attaching a rope. Prior to this repair, the last known ringing of the bell with its clapper was at the end of World War II, in 1945, though it had since been rung several times by striking with a mallet.[5]

In 2008, Faneuil Hall was rated number 4 in America's 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites by Forbes Traveler.[6]

Grasshopper weather vane

The gilded grasshopper weather vane atop Faneuil Hall
Firemen washing the grasshopper, 19th c.

The gilded grasshopper weather vane on top of the building was created by Deacon Shem Drowne in 1742. Gilded with gold leaf, the copper weather vane weighs eighty pounds and is four feet long.[7] The weather vane is believed to be modeled after the grasshopper weather vane on the London Royal Exchange, based upon the family crest of Thomas Gresham.[8][9] The weather vane was first, accidentally, brought and placed atop the Wren Building at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. After 3 months, designers realized that they had actually ordered a butterfly weather vane which was mistakenly shipped to Charlestown, SC (renamed Charleston in 1783). Six weeks later, order was restored as Faneuil Hall received its grasshopper, William and Mary got its butterfly, and Charlestown Town Hall was left with no weather vane at all.[citation needed]

  • View of Faneuil Hall from the harbor, early 19th c.
    View of Faneuil Hall from the harbor, early 19th c.
  • View of Faneuil Hall from the harbor; by Abel Bowen, 1838
    View of Faneuil Hall from the harbor; by Abel Bowen, 1838
  • Advertisement for William Hunter, seller of butter, cheese, eggs, 1849
    Advertisement for William Hunter, seller of butter, cheese, eggs, 1849
  • Fourth of July festivities at Faneuil Hall; Gleason's Pictorial, 1853
    Fourth of July festivities at Faneuil Hall; Gleason's Pictorial, 1853
  • Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, 19th c.
    Exhibition of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, 19th c.
  • View of Faneuil Hall from Dock Square, 19th c.
    View of Faneuil Hall from Dock Square, 19th c.
  • Faneuil Hall and Congress St., 1973
    Faneuil Hall and Congress St., 1973
  • Faneuil Hall and its newer neighbors, 2006
    Faneuil Hall and its newer neighbors, 2006
  • Great Hall, 2010
    Great Hall, 2010
  • The rostrum in the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2007
    The rostrum in the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2007
  • The Balcony in the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2007
    The Balcony in the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2007
  • West side of Faneuil Hall with Statue of Samuel Adams in Front, 2007
    West side of Faneuil Hall with Statue of Samuel Adams in Front, 2007
  • View from the back of the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2008
    View from the back of the Great Hall, Faneuil Hall, Boston MA, 2008

Timeline of events

  • 1761 - Building burns down
  • 1762 - Hall rebuilt
  • 1773
    • December 3 - Meeting about tea lately arrived on the ship Eleanor; Capt. James Bruce, Samuel Adams, Jonathan Williams, and others present[10]
  • 1806 -- Building remodelled and expanded by Charles Bulfinch
  • 1831
  • 1853
    • May 26 - After arrest of Anthony Burns, public meeting "to secure justice for a man claimed as a slave by a Virginia kidnapper, and imprisoned in Boston Court House, in defiance of the laws of Massachusetts."[19]
  • 1878
    • Aug. 1 - "Indignation meeting ... to protest against the injury done to the freedom of the press by the conviction and imprisonment of Ezra H. Heywood"[23]
  • 1903
    • March 4 - Frederic J. Stimson debates James F. Carey[25]
    • March 19 - Protest "against the suppression of truth about the Philippines"[26]
  • 1974 - Weathervane stolen, then returned[27]
  • 1992 - Building restored

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
  2. ^ Faneuil Hall Boston, the Cradle of Liberty
  3. ^ http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/designations/Lists/MA01.pdf
  4. ^ That is, rhyming with panel or Daniel.
  5. ^ Viser, Matt (2007-05-04). "It tolls for the city". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ Baedeker, Rob (2008-05-05). "America's 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites". Forbes Traveler. Retrieved 2008-05-14. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ "Grasshopper Weather Vane on Faneuil Hall Is Stolen". New York Times. January 6, 1974. p. 54. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Faneuil Hall Grasshopper". Celebrate Boston. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  9. ^ Unsworth, Tania (February 26, 1996). "Playing Tourist At Home". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-27. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Snow. History of Boston. 1828; p.293-294
  11. ^ Daniel Webster. A discourse in commemoration of the lives and services of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, delivered in Faneuil Hall, Boston, August 2, 1826. Boston: Cummings, Hilliard, and Company, 1826
  12. ^ Timothy Fuller. An oration, delivered at Faneuil Hall, Boston, July 11, 1831: at the request of the Suffolk Anti-Masonic Committee. 1831
  13. ^ Edward Everett. Eulogy on Lafayette: delivered in Faneuil hall, at the request of the young men of Boston, September 6, 1834. Boston: N. Hale, 1834
  14. ^ The freedom speech of Wendell Phillips: Faneuil Hall, December 8, 1837, with descriptive letters from eye witnesses. Boston: Wendell Phillips Hall Association, 1890
  15. ^ First Exhibition and Fair of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. 1837
  16. ^ Remarks of the Hon. Peleg Sprague at Faneuil Hall: before the citizens of Boston and its vicinity, upon the character and services of Gen. William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, the Whig candidate for the presidency of the United States. Boston: Whig Republican Assoc., 1839
  17. ^ Charles Francis Adams. An oration, delivered before the City Council and citizens of Boston, in Faneuil Hall, on the sixty-seventh anniversary of the Declaration of Independence: July 4th, 1843. Boston: J. H. Eastburn, City printer, 1843
  18. ^ Edward Everett. A eulogy on the life and character of John Quincy Adams: delivered at the request of the legislature of Massachusetts, in Faneuil hall, April 15, 1848. Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, state printers, 1848
  19. ^ Boston slave riot, and trial of Anthony Burns: Containing the report of the Faneuil Hall meeting, the murder of Batchelder, Theodore Parker's Lesson for the day, speeches of counsel on both sides, corrected by themselves, a verbatim report of Judge Loring's decision, and detailed account of the embarkation. Boston: Fetridge and Co., 1854
  20. ^ Speech of Gen. A. J. Hamilton, of Texas, at the war meeting at Faneuil hall, Saturday evening, April 18, 1863. Boston: Press of T. R. Marvin & son, 1863
  21. ^ Savannah and Boston: account of the supplies sent to Savannah ; with the Last appeal of Edward Everett in Faneuil Hall ; The letter to the mayor of Savannah ; and, The proceedings of the citizens, and letter of the mayor of Savannah. Boston: J. Wilson, 1865
  22. ^ Parks for the people: Proceedings of a public meeting held at Faneuil hall, June 7, 1876. Boston: Franklin press: Rand, Avery, & co., 1876
  23. ^ Proceedings of the indignation meeting held in Faneuil Hall, Thursday evening, August 1, 1878: to protest against the injury done to the freedom of the press by the conviction and imprisonment of Ezra H. Heywood. B.R. Tucker, 1878
  24. ^ Eben Norton Horsford. Discovery of America by Northmen: address at the unveiling of the statue of Leif Eriksen, delivered in Faneuil Hall, Oct. 29, 1887. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1888
  25. ^ Socialism: a speech delivered in Faneuil hall, February 7th, 1903, by Frederic J. Stimson ... in joint debate with James F. Carey. Boston: The Old Corner Book Store, Inc., 1903
  26. ^ Mass meetings of protest against the suppression of truth about the Philippines, Faneuil hall, Thursday, March 19, 1903.
  27. ^ "Grasshopper Weather Vane on Faneuil Hall Is Stolen". New York Times. January 6, 1974. p. 54.

Further reading

  • Burgon, John William, (1839). - Life and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham. - London: Robert Jennings
  • Abram English Brown. Faneuil hall and Faneuil hall market: or, Peter Faneuil and his gift. Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1901.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Faneuil Hall.
Preceded by Locations along Boston's Freedom Trail
Faneuil Hall 		Succeeded by
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