Visiting Faneuil Hall

Faneuil Hall: Since 1742

Located in downtown Boston, steps away from the waterfront, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, comprised of Faneuil Hall, North Market, Quincy Market, and South Market,  is currently home to more than 100 of the finest shops and specialty pushcarts in Boston.The cobblestone streets and walkways are filled with the music and jaw-dropping routines of world-renowned street performers and musicians. Faneuil Hall is as alive today as it was in 1742 when our nation's fathers proclaimed it "The Cradle of Liberty."    

Location: 1 Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, Massachusetts
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 10am - 9pm, Sunday 10am - 6 pm
Free National Park Service Rangers present historical talks every 1/2 hour from 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Nearby Attractions:
Boston Children's Museum
Boston Common
Boston Massacre Site
Boston Tea Party Site/ Ships/ Museum
Copp's Hill Burial Ground
Boston's Chinatown
Red Sox Home: Fenway Park
Harvard University
New England Aquarium
Paul Revere House




Reviews: 
"What a place, everything you ever want is found here, from pearls to pears, it's all here!"
"You do not have to settle for one dish...or one style. As soon as you enter this long rectangular building you see a center side/walkway and on both sides food vendors galore! Looks like it runs for miles!"
"I've been to Faneuil Hall several times and it's always interesting"

Directions from Seaport Boston Hotel: 

History:

Over 270 years old, Faneuil Hall located near the waterfront and today's Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. During the year 1740, merchant Peter Faneuil proposed to build a public market house.  Funded in part by his profits from slave trading, the building was begun in Dock Square in September 1740. Upon completion, he gifted the building to Boston. Built by artist John Smibert,  in the style of an English country market;  an open ground floor serving as a market house, and the upper floor as an assembly room, the hall was completed in 1742. In 1805 Faneuil Hall was redesigned in a Greek Revival design by the famous architect Charles Bulfinch. This is the elaborate design that remains today. Designated as a National Historic Landmark on October 9, 1960 the building was added to the prestigious National Registry of Historic Places. Faneuil Hall is now part of a larger Faneuil Hall Marketplace which includes three spacious granite buildings called North Market, Quincy Market, and South  Market, comprising a popular indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery, designed by  Benjamin Thompson and Associates. 

Fun Facts:

•  Faneuil Hall, the site of speeches by historic Samual Adams, James Otis, and others who encouraged independence from Great Britain.

•  Faneuil Hall earned the name, “the Cradle of Liberty” following a persuasive speech delivered in 1890 supporting the rights of blacks to vote.

•  Knowledge of  the infamous grasshopper weathervane, a well-known Boston fixture for 2 centuries, was used to distinguish spies from patriots during the Revolution.

•  “Whodunnit?” In1974 the weathervane was stolen, and then returned.

•  Boston area locals will often use the term "Faneuil Hall" or "Fanueil" to refer to the entire surrounding neighborhood, particularly as a landmark for its vibrant nightlife.

•  In 2008, Faneuil Hall was rated number 4 in America’s 25 Most visited tourist Sites by Forbes Traveler

•  The size of Faneuil Hall doubled in 1805 when redesigned by Bulfinch,  Today, Faneuil Hall Marketplace occupies 6.5 acres.