Massachusetts Historical Society Building
Why it's listed
Located at the southeastern corner of Boylston Street and the Fenway in Boston, this three-story building has served since 1899 as the seventh home of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Boston architect Edmund M. Wheelwright designed it in Georgian Revival style, with a granite ashlar first floor and yellow brick with granite detail above, bowed corner bays, a central porch with balconies, and a cornice with rosettes and dentils. Inside, a marble lobby with a vaulted ceiling and Doric columns leads to a marble stair, and the reading rooms and offices are panelled in dark wood. A rear addition for library stacks was built in 1971. The Society, founded in 1791 through the efforts of the Reverend Jeremy Belknap, is described as the oldest institution of its kind in the country. Its collections include private papers, rare books, maps and museum objects numbering in the millions. The designation emphasizes the Society's age and collections more than the building itself.
Significance in brief: The Society, founded in 1791, is the oldest institution of its kind in the United States and has been pre-eminent in collecting, preserving and publishing historical material, especially manuscripts. The form states that the national significance lies more in the age of the Society and the quality and range of its collections than in this particular building.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 66000770, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1154 Boylston St., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000770 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Edmund M. Wheelwright |
| Architectural style | Georgian Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated December 21, 1965 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied by the Society, which owns it; open to the public weekdays for research and second-floor exhibits. A rear addition for library stacks was built in 1971. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Fenway-Boylston Street District |
| Coordinates | 42.34644, -71.08996 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 66000770.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q95113736
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.