Faneuil Hall

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Faneuil Hall
(National Historic Landmark)
Faneuil Hall today, east side
Location:	Boston, Massachusetts
Built/Founded:	1740-42
Added to NRHP:	October 9, 1960
Governing body:	National Register of Historic Places

Faneuil Hall in 1776

Faneuil Hall, 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 known as "the Cradle of Liberty." ^[1]

1 History
2 The Grasshopper Weathervane
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

The original Faneuil Hall was built by artist John Smibert between 1740 and 1742 in the style of an English country market, with an open ground floor and assembly room above. Funding was provided by a wealthy Boston merchant, Peter Faneuil.

The grasshopper weathervane is a well known symbol of Boston - see the section Grasshopper Weathervane, below.

The hall burned down in 1761, but was rebuilt in 1762. 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 in 1898-1899, using noncombustible materials, and the ground floor and basement altered in 1979. It was again restored in 1992. The building is a National Historic Landmark and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

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

On November 3, 2004, Faneuil Hall was the site of Senator John Kerry's concession speech in the 2004 presidential election.

Though "Faneuil" is originally French, it is pronounced ['fæn.əl] or ['fænˌ.jəl] rather than ['fa.nøj]. Native Bostonians generally pronounce it to rhyme with "panel", "manual", or "Daniel", with the former generally preferred by older Bostonians (baby boomers and older), and the latter fairly common as well. There is some evidence that it was pronounced quite differently in Colonial times, namely as in "funnel". Peter Faneuil's gravestone is marked "P. Funel", although the inscription was added long after his burial. There was some confusion about his name then. The stone originally displayed only the Faneuil family crest, not his surname.

[edit] The Grasshopper Weathervane

The crest of Sir Thomas Gresham

The gilded grasshopper weathervane on top of the building was created by silversmith Shem Drowne and was modeled on the Gresham Grasshopper weathervane on the London Royal Exchange, thus associating the new building in the New World with a great center of finance of the Old World.

During the Revolutionary War, a challenge question issued by Colonial soldiers was: "What sits atop Faneuil Hall?" If the swift reply were not, "Why, the grasshopper, of course", there would be trouble.