Faneuil Hall
Boston
Faneuil Hall is a brick building from 1742 in the center of Boston. On the ground floor there is a market. Upstairs is the great hall where the city has gathered for almost three hundred years.
A debated gift
In 1740 the merchant Peter Faneuil offered the city a building for the market. The town accepted after a long debate: not everyone wanted a covered market. The building opened in 1742, with the market on the ground floor and the hall upstairs.
The Cradle of Liberty
The town meetings were held in the great hall. Over the centuries, people asking for more freedom and equality for everyone spoke here. That's why the building is called the Cradle of Liberty.
Burned and enlarged
In 1761 a fire destroyed the building, which was rebuilt. In 1806 Charles Bulfinch made it wider and added a floor. The building still belongs to the city, which uses it for meetings, celebrations and ceremonies.
The long markets
Behind Faneuil Hall stand three long buildings, opened in 1826. The central one, Quincy Market, is granite, with a dome in the middle and a portico at each end. Since 1976 they have been full of stalls, small shops and street performers. Musicians and jugglers perform for the people walking by.
