Faneuil Hall

Faneuil Hall, market house and public hall in Boston, situated in Dock Square. The original building, begun in 1740 and completed in 1742, was constructed at the expense of the merchant Peter Faneuil and presented by him to the city. The two-story brick structure, 12 by 30 m (40 by 100 ft) contained a town meeting hall, rooms for public officials, and a market. It was almost completely destroyed by fire on January 13, 1761, and was rebuilt in 1763. During the revolutionary period it was so frequently used as a meeting place for American patriots that it became known as the Cradle of American Liberty. During the British occupation of Boston in 1775, the building was used as a theater. In 1805 the American architect Charles Bulfinch enlarged the building to its present size, 24 by 30 m (80 by 100 ft), and added a third story. The great hall, which holds 1000 people, contains some fine paintings, the most celebrated of which is Webster Replying to Hayne by the American painter George Healy. The hall is also famous as the place where speeches were made by the American statesmen Daniel Webster and Charles Sumner, the American abolitionist Wendell Phillips, and others. Faneuil Hall is still in use as a museum, meeting hall, and market.