Pierce–Hichborn House facts for kids
|
Pierce–Hichborn House
|
|
.jpg)
Pierce–Hichborn house from the front
|
|
| Location | 29 North Sq., Boston, MA |
|---|---|
| Built | 1711 |
| Architect | Pierce, Moses |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 68000042 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | November 24, 1968 |
| Designated NHL | November 24, 1968 |
The Pierce–Hichborn House is a really old house in Boston, Massachusetts. It was built around 1711 and shows off an early style called Georgian. You can find it at 29 North Square.
It's right next to the famous Paul Revere House. Today, it's a museum run by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. You can visit it for a small fee.
Contents
How the House Was Built
The Pierce–Hichborn House has three floors. It's made of brick, with special decorative bands between the floors. It also has large windows that can slide up and down.
The narrow side of the house faces the street. The main front of the house opens onto a small private path. Inside, each floor has a narrow hallway and stairs in the middle. On each side of the hallway, there is one heated room.
The house's main frame is made of strong oak wood. The decorative parts, like the fireplace mantels, are made from pine. Originally, each room had two windows facing the front and two on the side. Later additions changed this, removing some side windows. The house isn't perfectly square, with one corner being very sharp. This design helped it fit onto a small city plot of land.
History of the House
The original building on this spot was likely destroyed in a big Boston fire in 1711. The current house is a great example of early Georgian architecture. It's also one of the oldest brick buildings still standing in Boston.
Early Owners
A glassmaker named Moses Pierce built the house. He was the grandson of John Jeffs, who built the Paul Revere House about 30 years earlier. Even back then, this area was a busy city neighborhood. The Pierce–Hichborn House was just three doors down from the Revere House.
In 1747, a person named William Shippard bought the house. Later, in 1781, Nathaniel Hichborn bought it from Shippard. Nathaniel was a boat builder and a cousin of Paul Revere.
Later Years and Restoration
The Hutchinson family lived in the house until 1864. After that, it became a building with many apartments and a store. It stayed that way until the early 1940s.
In 1941, the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities bought the house. They bought it at an auction from a bank. In 1949, some of Hichborn's family members helped start an effort to fix up the house.
On November 24, 1968, the National Park Service officially named the house a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important historical place. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1970, the Paul Revere Memorial Association took over the house. They now run it as a museum, along with the Revere house next door.
See also
