Boston Art Commission

Faneuil Hall is among the nation’s oldest and most important buildings. The building is often referred to as the Cradle of Liberty as it was the meeting place for the Sons of Liberty.  Since 1742, the Georgian-style Great Hall has been used for public meetings and celebrations, and it continues to play a prominent role in Boston’s civic life today through debates on community issues, mayoral inaugurations and naturalization ceremonies for new Americans.

When the building needed to be rebuilt in 1762 after a fire, John Hancock organized the construction campaign. It was here, in 1772, that Samuel Adams incorporated the first Committee of Correspondence, thus establishing the first steps toward the American Revolution. A year later in 1773, the first meeting to protest the British tea tax occurred in the hall. Over many generations, Faneuil Hall has provided a platform for dialogue on critical social issues which have molded the nation, such as the abolishment of slavery, and the women’s suffrage, labor and civil rights movements. Famous orators who have spoken in the hall include Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Lucy Stone, and John F. Kennedy. 

The collection of art within the building commemorates some of the most important people, places and events that have shaped United States history. The largest painting, Webster Replying to Hayne, depicts Massachusetts Senator Webster debating with Senator Hayne on preserving the Union when the country was on the brink of the Civil War.  Paintings and sculptures commemorate historical figures including John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. President; Charles Sumner, the abolitionist and U.S. Senator; and Lucy Stone, the suffragist and abolitionist.  A portrait of the first U.S. Secretary of War, General Henry Knox, hangs at the front of the Great Hall, while a portrait of Wendell Phillips, orator and abolitionist, hangs at the back of the hall. The buildings itself, and its architectural features, are also a monument to colonial American culture, structural design and construction.

A Master Preservation Plan for the artwork in the Faneuil Hall collection was prepared in 2008.  In accordance with this plan, the Boston Art Commission is currently undergoing a comprehensive effort to catalogue, restore, clean, repair and preserve all of the artwork located in Faneuil Hall, including twenty-three paintings and frames, seven sculptures, one clock, two engravings, two charcoal drawings, several pieces of historical furniture and historical architectural features.   Funders of the project include Save America's Treasures and American Express.  

Faneuil Hall is open daily, with free historical presentations every half hour. Faneuil Hall has served as an open-forum meeting hall and marketplace for more than 250 years and continues to provide a forum for debate on the most consequential issues of the day.