Charles Bulfinch Architecture

Do you know why the Massachusetts State House and the Nation’s Capitol look alike? When President James Monroe visited Boston on his ‘great goodwill tour’ in 1818, he was so impressed with the urban planning which he saw in the town that he invited Charles Bulfinch to become the Architect of the Capitol. Did you know that almost half the West End is landfill? Former Boston selectman and architect Charles Bulfinch was a man of vision; not only did he design the Massachusetts State House and the Nation’s Capitol, but in 1807 he chopped the top off of Beacon Hill, then used it to fill in the Mill Pond designing Boston’s first street grid.

Boston was the child of my father and he did pretty much as he pleased with it.

Francis Vaughan Bulfinch

Duane Lucia will take participants on a 3-mile walk around the West End, Beacon Hill and Downtown exploring the enduring work of America’s first native born architect. The tour is part of the West End Museum tour and speaker series in celebration of Preservation Month.

Tour starts at the West End Museum.