Massachusetts General Hospital, Bulfinch Building facts for kids
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Massachusetts General Hospital
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 Location in Boston
Location in Massachusetts
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts |
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| Area | 4 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1818 |
| Built by | Alexander Parris |
| Architect | Charles Bulfinch |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000682 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | December 30, 1970 |
The Bulfinch Building is a very old and important part of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by a famous architect named Charles Bulfinch. Construction started in 1818 and finished in 1823. Later, the building was made much bigger between 1844 and 1846.
This building is special because it's a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a place recognized for its important history. It's a great example of a building style called Classical Revival architecture. It's also one of the few public hospital buildings from the early 1800s that is still standing today. Inside the Bulfinch Building, you'll find the Ether Dome. This is an operating room where the first public demonstration of using ether to stop pain during surgery happened. The Ether Dome is also a National Historic Landmark on its own!
What the Bulfinch Building Looks Like
The Bulfinch Building is a long, rectangular building with two floors. In the middle of its longest side, there's a large entrance with tall columns. This part is called an Ionic portico. The building is made from white granite stone that came from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The bottom part of the building, called the basement, is made of rougher granite.
The roof of the building is sloped, and the central part has a square attic section. There are chimneys at the corners of this attic, and a round, shallow dome in the center. Over the years, the inside of the building has been changed many times. This was done to meet the hospital's changing needs.
History of the Building
Charles Bulfinch designed the building in 1817. It was built over the next five years by Alexander Parris. When it was first built, the building had smaller sections, about half the size they are today. It could hold 73 patients. Much of the stone work for the building was done by people who were in the Charlestown Prison at the time.
The building was made almost twice as big between 1844 and 1846. Five new sections were added to each side. The main entrance hall, which Bulfinch designed, was also changed a lot during this time.
Bulfinch's design included a special operating room under the dome. He likely got this idea from the Pennsylvania Hospital building, which he probably saw in 1816. This operating room is now famous as the Ether Dome. On October 16, 1846, something very important happened there. It was the first time that ether was publicly shown to stop pain during surgery. This event changed medicine forever!
Because of this amazing event, the Ether Dome was named a National Historic Landmark in 1965. The entire Bulfinch Building was also recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1970. It was honored for being a great example of Classical Revival architecture. It was also recognized as one of the oldest public hospital buildings in the United States.
Over the years, many much larger and more modern hospital buildings have been built around the Bulfinch Building.
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