Welcome to the audio tour of the Massachusetts State House. In each room you will find a QR code that will link you to each stop on the tour. If you have questions or want to know more, please visit us at the Tours and Information Desk located in Doric Hall in 1713, the seat of the colonial government of Massachusetts was the old statehouse at the corner of Washington Street and State Street.

After the American Revolution. State leaders wanted a larger and more elegant home to better reflect the prosperous New Republic, while also being spacious enough to accommodate an expanding government. They selected a superb site for the new statehouse close to the summit of the South side of Beacon Hill overlooking Boston Common and the Back Bay. The land had originally served as a cow pasture for the Revolutionary Patriot, and Governor John Hancock, a young native born architect, Charles Bolton was chosen to design the building.

Both Hench was a public minded citizen who had served Boston as a selectman. The many buildings he designed in Boston made a strong mark on the character of the city. He later contributed to the plans of the Capitol in Washington, DC The Bull Finch Statehouse was started in 1795 and was completed on January 11, 1798. It 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.