Boston's architectural wealth
The capital of Massachusetts can boast a particularly dense architectural history. Bostonians are proud of their monuments, such as Faneuil Hall(1742), Old North Church ( 1733) and Old State House(1789), which are among the oldest buildings in the country. The Freedom Trail pedestrian trail offers a walk along the oldest buildings in the city. The sixteen sites along the four-kilometer red brick paved line are all related to the American Revolution. Theyinclude the Boston Common, the oldest garden in the city, but also in the United States, inaugurated in 1634! The Massachussets State House (1798), the Old Corner Bookstore, whose building dates from 1718, the home of the goldsmith Paul Revere, hero of the revolution, but also the wooden frigate USS Constitution, and the main historical monuments of the city: Park Street Church, King's Chapel (1688) and its cemetery, the oldest in Boston, etc.. You must not miss this urban route to discover the architectural richness of the city: from one building to another, the visitor will be able to admire the main styles that make up the essence of New England.New England Historical Styles: Georgian, Federal and Victorian
The first Europeans who landed on the east coast of the United States in the early 17th century built their homes using the materials at their disposal. The first colonial homes resembled the ones the settlers had left in England. We will see some reconstructed examples at the Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth. They were made of wood, rustic and humble at first, then they were equipped with fireplaces and porches, became more comfortable and became the famous "saltboxes", which can be found in Cape Cod and on Nantucket Island, among other places. Saltboxes, typical of New England, are distinguished from other colonial houses by their asymmetrical facade, longer roofs at the back and cedar siding. They had two storeys on the front façade and only one on the back. Their asymmetry is reminiscent of the wooden boxes in which salt was kept, which gave them their nickname.
The buildings, built between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, follow the main lines of the Georgian style, which was very fashionable in England at the time. Examples include the Old State House,
Starting in the 1780s, homes became larger and more sophisticated. They became rounder, moving away from the Georgian style, which was very popular in Great Britain. The federal style that emerged borrowed the forms of neoclassicism to become a pure product of America. One of its precursors was the Boston-born architect Charles Bulfinch (1763-1830). The architect divided his career between Boston - where he designed many buildings, including the Capitol (Massachusetts State House or New State House, 1797), recognizable by its golden dome - and Washington, where he took charge of the construction of the dome. Il adopte a neoclassical style and his work is known and admired for its simplicity and balance. In Boston he built, among others, Faneuil Hall(1805), le Harvard University Hall in Cambridge (1813-1814), Boston Hospital, le Massachusetts General Hospital (1818-1823), Quincy Market, theThird Harrison Gray Otis House (1806), which now houses the American Meteorological Society, and Charles Street Meeting House
.The mid-19th century saw the emergence of a new trend. Victorian architecture, divided into several styles, became more opulent and less symmetrical. The trend is eclectic and difficult to define, but here are some characteristic elements: a superimposition of gables, often patterned, asymmetrical doors and windows, arches that rub shoulders with hexagons give a building that is often surprising in its forms and proportions. In Massachusetts, the gingerbread cottages of Martha's Vineyard offer a rather extraordinary vision of Victorian architecture. Built by Methodists, these 318 houses have a unique style sometimes called Carpenter Gothic
. They are overly elaborate, earning them the nickname "Gingerbread", and display a palette of pastel tones. Their mantling, balustrades and other decorative motifs on the facades make them rival in originality.Another derivative in vogue during the Victorian era, the Stick style became popular from the second half of the 19th century. It is recognizable by the wood panelling that adorns the facades of its half-timbered buildings.
In Boston, the finest examples of Victorian architecture are Trinity Church, theBoston Public Library, Old Boston City Hall and New Old South Church. TheMark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut, is the pinnacle of Victorian Gothic style.Elsewhere in New England
In the rest of New England, Maine and Massachusetts, the coast has been preserved from mass urbanization. Middle-class homes blend harmoniously with luxurious hotels, such as the small Victorian houses on Cape Cod or the rectangular "saltbox
" houses. In Newport, the homes of billionaires lined Bellevue Avenue, splendid vestiges of the American Gilded Age (Golden Age, 1865-1901). Outside the coast, a few unattractive motels adorn the landscape, but remain in the minority. In New Hampshire, two towns stand out in particular. Portsmouth, on the coast, has a fairly old history (for the country) and carefully preserves its 19th century buildings. In the mountains, don't miss the Wolfeboro resort, located on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. It is the oldest in the country. It's a far cry from the clichés of Palm Beach and tall buildings. Residents are very proud of their "architectural history" and strongly preserve their old buildings, some of which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. In Vermont, for example, the Shelburne Museum brings together small old buildings in one space. Modest and more middle-class homes have been moved as they are from their original location to the museum site.Providence
The city most representative of the Gothic atmosphere that reigns in New England is without a doubt Providence, which saw the birth of the legendary H. P. Lovecraft. It is also for its characteristic Victorian Gothic architecture that the city attracted Resnais to Mon oncle d'Amérique, whose site plans were shot on location. Providence plunges us into 18th and 19th century America, so well preserved has it been. A trip to the campus is a must: the town is home to Brown University, a member of the very exclusive Ivy League club. Brown has the distinction of having expanded over time by acquiring Victorian homes in the vicinity of the original campus, where it established its various departments. Not to be missed is the John Hay Library, as well as the golden dome of the Old Stone Bank, whose building displays a Greek revival style, with a temple-like shape. Among the architectural jewels of the city, there is also the Fleur-de-Lis Studio, a residence designed by the painter R. Burleigh and architect Edmund R. Willson in 1885, which is a magnificent example of the American Arts & Crafts movement.
Modern and contemporary period
In the 1900s, skyscrapers began to grow thanks to the progress of the steel industry. In large cities, architecture became vertical. In Boston's Financial District, skyscrapers blend harmoniously with Quincy Market
and Faneuil Hall. One building nevertheless gives rise to the discontent of the inhabitants. It is the Boston City Hall. In 1969, the firm Kallmann McKinnell & Knowls designed the brutalist temple of Boston City Hall, a building that is still misunderstood today. Together with the plaza in front of it, they form the Government Center, witnessing the urban renewal that Boston experienced in the 1960s. Asfor the skyscrapers, the John Hancock Tower, at 241 meters, is the tallest tower in the city and in all of New England - all the more remarkable because it stands in a neighborhood of low-rise 19th-century buildings. The building has a bad reputation: its engineering flaws have cost a lot of money in reinforcements, for fear of seeing it fall in a gust of wind. There is no doubt that when it comes to contemporary architecture, Cambridge and its faculties are the place to look.
