{"nrhp_refnum":"72001298","name":"Pilgrim Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"75 Court St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Plymouth","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":41.95921703300007,"lon":-70.66827512499998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-04-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Pilgrim Hall is a two-story granite museum building at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts, built in 1824-25 to designs by Alexander Parris in the form of a Greek temple.","why_significant":"It is recognized by the American Association of Museums as the first public museum in the country and has been the main institution for interpreting Pilgrim history and artifacts. It is also a Greek Revival work by Boston architect Alexander Parris, and has hosted Plymouth's annual Forefather's Day observances since its construction.","narrative":"Pilgrim Hall is a granite museum at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts, designed by Boston architect Alexander Parris and built in 1824-25. Its cornerstone was laid on September 1, 1824. Parris, who also drew plans for Boston's St. Paul's Church and Quincy Market, gave the two-story rectangular building the form of a Greek temple, following the popular Greek Revival style. The original wooden Doric portico has been replaced by a modified Tuscan hexastyle portico of dressed granite, while most of the original building remains. A flat-roofed library wing was added in 1904. The American Association of Museums recognizes the hall as the first public museum in the country. Operated by the Pilgrim Society of Plymouth, it preserves and interprets Pilgrim history and artifacts, with fine and decorative arts, anthropological collections and a research library. The hall has also hosted Plymouth's Forefather's Day celebration each December, with orations by figures such as Edward Everett and Charles Sumner.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1824)","architect_builder":"Alexander Parris","architectural_style":"Greek Revival (Greek temple form)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in excellent condition and occupied; used as a museum and educational facility, with a 1904 library wing added and the original wooden portico replaced in granite.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.223224-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/88/7965/63796588/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/72001298.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001298/8ee7b780d3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72001298/8ee7b780d3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Giorgio Galeotti","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilgrim_Hall_Museum_-_Plymouth,_Massachusetts,_USA_-_August_13,_2015.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Giorgio Galeotti</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilgrim_Hall_Museum_-_Plymouth,_Massachusetts,_USA_-_August_13,_2015.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796588","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrim_Hall_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2319468"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/pilgrim-hall-72001298/"}