Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844), American architect, who worked in the Federal style. Born in Boston and educated at Harvard University, he traveled (1785-87) in Europe, where he was influenced by the classical architecture in Italy and the neoclassical buildings of Sir Christopher Wren, Robert Adam, and others in England. From these elements he evolved the distinctive Federal style, with its classical domes, columns, and precise ornament, that dominated early 19th-century American architecture. In 1793 Bulfinch designed the Federal Street Theater in Boston; the Meeting House in Taunton; the Bulfinch Church in Pittsfield; and the State House in Boston (completed 1798). He also drew plans for the Old State House (1796) in Hartford, Connecticut, and the State House (1829-32) in Augusta, Maine. In 1813 he designed University Hall at Harvard, and in 1818 he planned the Bulfinch Building of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Bulfinch also designed houses, notably the Harrison Gray Otis House (1796) and the town houses facing Boston Common. On the Boston Board of Selectmen (1791-1818), Bulfinch was responsible for the design of the Common, the remodeling of Faneuil Hall, and the construction of India Wharf. In 1818 he succeeded Benjamin Henry Latrobe as architect of the U.S. Capitol, completing it in 1830. Bulfinch was the first American-born professional architect.