State House Hall

Nurse's Hall II

Here is another view of Nurse's Hall.

Nurse's Hall

Built largely of Pavonazzo marble, this room in the State House is called Nurses' Hall because of the statue of an Army war nurse. Sculpted in 1914 by Bela Pratt, it was the first statue erected in honor of the women of the North after the Civil War.

House of Representatives

Chamber of the Massachusetts State House. It is in this room that the larger of the two legislative bodies conducts its business. The Speaker of the House is elected by the representatives and presides from the elevated chair behind the podium. Representatives can vote electronically by pushing a green "yea" or a red "nay" button on their desks. The results of the vote appear next to each representative's name on the boards in the front of the room.

The room is paneled in Honduras mahogany. Behind the Speaker's podium are the Albert Herter murals, "Milestones on the Road to Freedom." The names on the ceiling cornice commemorate men who made important contributions to the commonwealth and the nation prior to 1895.

Massachusetts State House

The Bulfinch State House was completed on January 11, 1798 and was widely acclaimed as one of the more magnificent and well-situated buildings in the country. Its dome dominated the Boston skyline until the advent of the skyscraper.

In 1713 the seat of the Massachusetts government was the old State House at the corner of King (now Washington) and State streets.

The site chosen for the new State House, close to the summit of the south side of Beacon Hill overlooking Boston Common and the Back Bay, originally served as a cow pasture for the Revolutionary patriot and governor John Hancock. Charles Bulfinch was chosen to design the building. He later contributed to the plans of the Capitol in Washington.
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More information on this week's posts about the Massachusetts State House can be found here.

House of the Seven Gables

This is the famous 1668 mansion made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel the House of the Seven Gables.

Salem Custom House

Built in 1818, the Custom House is typical of the Federal style of building. However, the building is more noted for one of its employees, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of the Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables.

If it's Friday ... it must be a door

In homage to Isadora's Wednesday series, here is the doorway of the Stephen Daniels Guest House in Salem, Massachusetts.

Old West Church

Old West Church on Cambridge Street, at the foot of Beacon Hill. It was in this church that the phrase, "No taxation without representation" was first coined. You can read a history of the church from its own website here.

Abigail Adams Park View

Yacht Club

South Shore Yacht Club at Abigail Adams Park in Weymouth.

Acorn Street: President's Day

Classic shot of a cobblestoned Beacon Hill street.

Quincy Market

This is a shot of Quincy Market from December '07.

Foggy Towers

Street Vendor

One of the street vendors outside Park Street subway station.

Street reflections

Brewer Fountain

The first piece of public art on the Common was the Brewer Fountain, donated by Gardner Brewer in 1868. The fountain is a bronze replica of a French original that won a gold medal at the 1855 Paris World’s Fair. The figures represent mythological figures associated with water: Neptune, Amphitrite, Asis, and Galatea.

Duck's eye view

This is an over the shoulder duck's eye view of the Public Garden's Make way for ducklings. Here is a different view of the ducklings.

Misty days

Downer

I saw a tree being removed from the Public Garden this week. I don't know whether it was diseased, or damaged in a recent storm, but it was a little shocking to see one of those magnificent trees chopped down.

Walking in the park

Dog walking

300

Here is another view of the George Washington statue.

Passing through

Boston Common Gates

Gates at the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets.

Public Garden Bridge

Arlington Street Church

This is a view of the Arlington Street Church on Arlington Street, just across the street from the Public Garden.

The present Arlington Street Church-building was constructed between 1859-1861 on newly filled land in Boston's Back Bay by members of the historic Federal Street Church. The church is noted for its Tiffany windows.

Street Workers

NStar workers at the corner of Charles and Boylston Streets.

Zakim Bridge