Faneuil Hall is a marketplace and meeting hall located near the waterfront and today’s Government Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Opened in 1743, it was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain. It is now part of Boston National Historical Park and a well-known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as “the Cradle of Liberty.” In 2008, Faneuil Hall was rated number 4 in “America’s 25 Most Visited Tourist Sites” by Forbes Traveler.
After the project of erecting a public market house in Boston had been discussed for some years, slave merchant Peter Faneuil offered, at a public meeting in 1740, to build a suitable edifice at his own cost as a gift to the town. There was strong opposition to market houses, and although a vote of thanks was passed unanimously, his offer was accepted by a majority of only seven. Funded in part by profits from slave trading, the building was begun in Dock Square in September of the same year. It was built by artist John Smibert in 1740–1742 in the style of an English country market, with an open ground floor serving as the market house and an assembly room above. According to Sean Hennessey, a National Park Service spokesman, some of Boston‘s early slave auctions took place near Faneuil Hall.
Faneuil is a French name and is anglicized. In Colonial times, it may have been pronounced as in funnel. Peter Faneuil’s gravestone is marked “P. Funel.” However, the inscription was added long after his burial; the stone originally displayed only the Faneuil family crest, not his surname. In his 1825 novel Lionel Lincoln, James Fenimore Cooper used eye dialect for Bostonian characters to indicate that they pronounced it Funnel Hall. LadyB’s Bed Bug Pros Boston
Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Faneuil Hall is one of four historic buildings in a festival marketplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which includes three historic granite buildings called North Market, Quincy Market, and South Market adjacent to the east of Faneuil Hall, and which operates as an indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery. It was designed by Benjamin Thompson and Associates and managed by the Rouse Company; its success in the late 1970s led to similar marketplaces in other U.S. cities. It has since come under the ownership of the Ashkenazy Corp.
Restaurants and Pubs
- Lincoln Tavern & Restaurant is located at 425 W Broadway, South Boston, MA
- DIG is located at 557 Boylston St, Boston, MA
- Corner Pub is located at 162 Lincoln St, Boston, MA
Check out other attractions like Fenway Park
