Old City Hall
Old City Hall
4
About
Once Boston's city hall, this beautiful building is now home to one of the city's finest restaurants.
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Downtown
The largest area of the city, Downtown is rich with historical and iconic sites in Boston. Stroll through one of Boston’s most famous green spaces, the Boston Public Gardens, check out and make way for duckling statues, picnic under a beautiful tree overlooking the pond, and walk over the iconic footbridge where, during summer time, you will catch a swan boat toting children and eager tourists through the pond. Have your camera ready to capture its peaceful beauty in the middle of a bustling city. Continue on through the Gardens and take in some open green space at the Boston Common, where you can spend time throwing a frisbee, sitting on a park bench, or, in the winter time, skating on the frog pond. Head north from the end of the Common to see the golden dome of the State House, and travel through government center to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall, both a historic and popular destination worth a quick visit for a first time to Boston. Head to Long Wharf to visit the Aquarium, or catch a boat to Charlestown or even Cape Cod.
How to get there
- Government Center • 3 min walk
- State • 3 min walk
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2,576 within 3 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
112 reviews
Excellent
20
Very good
62
Average
28
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Piotr H.
Lodz, Poland3,877 contributions
Jun 2019
Very nice and old traditional building. Boston is reaaly beautiful city comparing with other cities in the U.S. And the old city hall is really worth seeing it.
Written October 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mharroun52
Flint, MI54 contributions
Jul 2019 • Solo
The grounds are well kept. The statue of the donkey is cute. The front doors are so tall with such low door knobs.It was late when we got there so we didn't get to see much but was impressed with how well kept it is.
Written July 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ncunningham7
3 contributions
A couple of statues and monuments to check out from the outside. Pretty building and cool statue of Ben Franklin
Written March 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travel R
Rochester, MN2,029 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
Well up-kept historic buildings. Which has a statue of a donkey in front and one of Benjamin Franklin just outside it’s doors.
Written July 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
retireeVancouver
Vancouver, Canada1,828 contributions
Sep 2019
There were several points of interest at the Old City Hall. First, was how different the Old City Hall looked like from the other red bricked buildings around it. Notice that it has an all white facade with a projecting central section encased with columns. Its front doors also were an eyecatcher at the time it was built - in the 1860's - because of its laid-in marble circles. This style of building caught on in the States, notably in Washington. Because of its architectural style, this historic building is now a landmark in Boston. It has been repurposed rather than pushed over and houses Ruth Chris's Steakhouse and offices. It probably is easier to photograph the Old City Hall when the leaves have fallen off the tall deciduous trees planted out front.
The second feature at this location were the two statues of notable Bostonians in the courtyard out front. One was of Ben Franklin whose accomplishments were shown in 4 reliefs around the pedestal of his statue. The other was of Josiah Quincy whose accomplishments as an early Boston mayor, Senator, and Harvard University president were prominently inscribed on his pedestal. Each statue had a different sculptural style, but each appeared to be evenly matched in height when seen in the courtyard on either side of the entry door. Benjamin Franklin's statue, erected in that spot in the mid-1860's, was the first statue in Boston of a person wearing clothes he might have worn while Josiah Quincy's statue, erected later in the 1870, is shown wearing a suit partially hidden by a classic/academic toga.
Probably more eyecatching than the statues, however, was the bronze donkey just at the entrance to the courtyard with shoe prints in front of it. A bronze plaque explained how the donkey became the symbol of the Democratic Political Party and how the elephant - an image on the shoe prints with the slogan, "We stand in opposition" - became the symbol of the Republican Political Party.
Another feature of this property was its association with Boston's first public school. This building no longer stands on the property, but its presence, at this location, was memorialized quite uniquely with a decorative children's hopscotch mosaic in the sidewalk in front of the building.
We stopped at this property for a photo stop on our Freedom Trail walking tour. The Old South Meeting House which is adjacent to the Old City Hall was really the important stop on this walking tour and probably the reason for walking past the Old City Hall. It was a nice break from all of the red bricked buildings where pre-Revolutionary events occurred.
The second feature at this location were the two statues of notable Bostonians in the courtyard out front. One was of Ben Franklin whose accomplishments were shown in 4 reliefs around the pedestal of his statue. The other was of Josiah Quincy whose accomplishments as an early Boston mayor, Senator, and Harvard University president were prominently inscribed on his pedestal. Each statue had a different sculptural style, but each appeared to be evenly matched in height when seen in the courtyard on either side of the entry door. Benjamin Franklin's statue, erected in that spot in the mid-1860's, was the first statue in Boston of a person wearing clothes he might have worn while Josiah Quincy's statue, erected later in the 1870, is shown wearing a suit partially hidden by a classic/academic toga.
Probably more eyecatching than the statues, however, was the bronze donkey just at the entrance to the courtyard with shoe prints in front of it. A bronze plaque explained how the donkey became the symbol of the Democratic Political Party and how the elephant - an image on the shoe prints with the slogan, "We stand in opposition" - became the symbol of the Republican Political Party.
Another feature of this property was its association with Boston's first public school. This building no longer stands on the property, but its presence, at this location, was memorialized quite uniquely with a decorative children's hopscotch mosaic in the sidewalk in front of the building.
We stopped at this property for a photo stop on our Freedom Trail walking tour. The Old South Meeting House which is adjacent to the Old City Hall was really the important stop on this walking tour and probably the reason for walking past the Old City Hall. It was a nice break from all of the red bricked buildings where pre-Revolutionary events occurred.
Written October 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark42139
New York City, NY1,646 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
This historical city hall while no longer in use is the site of the city hall for many years, and is where the first public school was located. It is also across the street from Parker House where many politicians stayed, the Boston Cream Pie was invented, and JFK proposed to Jackie.
Written August 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stephen T
Preston, UK20,059 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
An iconic building to be found in the heart of the city of Boston and as luck would have it wholly accessible via the Freedom trail.
This is an edifice that ouzes history out of every pore of it's build. Classically and so impressively styled with several interesting elements within it's grounds - so do make sure that you have a wander around in the garden area near the front door and do read everything on offer some of which I found to be profoundly interesting.
This is an edifice that ouzes history out of every pore of it's build. Classically and so impressively styled with several interesting elements within it's grounds - so do make sure that you have a wander around in the garden area near the front door and do read everything on offer some of which I found to be profoundly interesting.
Written July 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kristen F
Santa Clarita, CA28 contributions
Oct 2016
Great architecture and a beatiful place to stop and visit while exploring Boston.
We actually stopped and grabbed breakfast to-go one morning and brought it over to City Hall and ate our food at one of the tables that are there while listening to all the different tour guides come and go - a great way to learn more without paying for it!
We actually stopped and grabbed breakfast to-go one morning and brought it over to City Hall and ate our food at one of the tables that are there while listening to all the different tour guides come and go - a great way to learn more without paying for it!
Written October 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jackmoore93
Bath, UK841 contributions
Sep 2016 • Couples
Couldn't go inside the building when I visited which is a shame but the history behind this building was awesome. It used to be a Latin school for boys (girls from 1972) and got converted not so long ago. You will come across this attraction if you participate in the Freedom Trail. The famous statue of Benjamin Franklin is in front of the building, you can't miss it !
Written September 29, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AshleyMEvans
Hartly, Delaware, United States129 contributions
Oct 2015 • Friends
There really wasn't much to see here. It had a few statues to look at and the building itself is pretty but not a place to go in a tour.
Written January 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Do they do guided tours, or can you roam freely?
Written July 26, 2017
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