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At State and Congress Streets is the facade
of the old Boston Stock Exchange. The original building was
constructed in 1891, and a large glass tower was added behind the
old structure in 1984. Retaining the facade allowed State Street to appear
as it has since 1891. This example
of architectural preservation was extremely innovative, and arguably spawned
a successful preservation movement in many other cities in the United States.
The following is quoted from How To See Boston by Moses King (1895)
about the 1891 building: "The most notable modern feature of State St.
is the twelve-story granite Stock Exchange (legally the State-Street
Exchange Building), one of the largest office-buildings in America, with
frontage of 170 feet on State Street, 160 feet on Kilby Street, and 53 feet
on Exchange Place. This huge hive of banks, corporations, safe-deposit
vaults, lawyers and business men, was built in 1889-1891, from designs by
Peabody & Stearns, at a cost of $4,000,000. Alexander S. Porter, a
prominent real-estate agent, conceived the plan, raised the money, and
carried through the negotiations, which were strictly cash transactions,
without mortgages. The magnificent Corinthian hall of the Stock Exchange
(115 by 50 feet) affords very exciting scenes when the stock market is
agitated. A gallery on the second floor is always open to visitors."
Thankfully, part of this building was saved. This site was
also the location of the Bunch Of Grapes Tavern, founded in 1713, and later a
popular meeting place of Sons of Liberty, and the first Masonic Lodge in
the United States
Nearby attractions include the
Old
State House,
Faneuil Hall, and
Quincy Market.
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