Old State House
Also known as: Second Town House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Washington and State Streets in Boston, the Old State House was built in 1712-13 as the city's Second Town House, replacing a wooden predecessor lost in the fire of 1711. It housed town, county and provincial government. Fire gutted it again in 1747, and it was rebuilt in 1748 within the surviving walls. The nomination describes it as the oldest surviving public building of Georgian design in the United States. Events tied to the road to revolution took place here: the 1761 argument by James Otis against the Writs of Assistance, the 1770 Boston Massacre at its east end, and the first Boston reading of the Declaration of Independence from its balcony in 1776. It served as the Massachusetts State House until 1798. Isaiah Rogers remodeled it in 1830 for use as City Hall. After a threat of demolition in the 1870s, it was restored in 1881-82 and now operates as a museum run by the Bostonian Society.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest surviving public building of Georgian design in the United States. It housed colonial and later state government and was the setting for events leading to the Revolution, including James Otis's 1761 argument against the Writs of Assistance and the 1770 Boston Massacre outside its east end. The Declaration of Independence was first read in Boston from its balcony in 1776.
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 66000779, listed October 15, 1966. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Washington and State Sts., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | October 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000779 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799 |
| Architect / builder | Original work unknown; 1830 renovation by Isaiah Rogers |
| Architectural style | Georgian (Late Georgian as rebuilt in 1748) |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated October 9, 1960 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and used as a museum, owned by the City of Boston and leased to the Bostonian Society; open to the public. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Boston National Historical Park |
| Coordinates | 42.35871, -71.05748 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 66000779.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1320533
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.