Boston's Old City Hall

At 45 School Street, Boston’s Old City Hall is a historic landmark on the Freedom Trail, known for its ornate stone exterior and statues. The site was once home to Boston Latin School, where Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock studied. Take time to look over the courtyard and read the outdoor inscriptions; the building itself has been undergoing renovations, so access inside can change. It is now partly used by a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, which is worth knowing if you are hoping to explore the interior as a historic space.

The building and its design

Old City Hall was completed in 1865, when its French Second Empire style was new to Boston. Architects Arthur Gilman and Gridley James Fox Bryant drew on the design of a recent addition to the Louvre in Paris. The building was among the first examples of this style in the United States.

A projecting central section gives the facade its shape, with a sloping mansard roof above. Outside, original stonework and statues remain, and the courtyard gives visitors another place to pause. The inscriptions on the statues provide context for the figures commemorated there.

From school site to city government

The building stands on the former site of Boston Latin School, identified as the oldest public school in the United States. Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock were among its notable alumni. A marker for the school can be found on the street in front of Old City Hall.

From 1865 to 1969, the building served as Boston’s city government seat. Mayors who worked there included Hugh O’Brien, the city’s first Irish-born mayor, and John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald, John F. Kennedy’s grandfather. Today, the building is partly occupied by a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, and renovations have affected access to some interior areas.