USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > History of Boston, the metropolis of Massachusetts, from its origin to the present period; with some account of the environs > Part 35
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The BOSTON EXCHANGE COFFEE-HOUSE, whose name desig- nates the purposes to which it was appropriated, was the most capacious building and most extensive establishment of its kind in the U. S. The early history of this structure is that of an unsuccessful speculation, which involved individuals in ruin, and seriously injured a large portion of the community. It cost the projector, and through him the publick, upwards of $500,000, and was unfinished when he failed. In other hands it was completed so far as to be tenantable, and went into operation in 1808, two years and a half from the time it was commenced .*
* ' This grand edifice was destroyed by fire, on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 1818. It was first discov- ered near the southwest corner of the attick story, about seven in the evening, and before ten o'clock the whole building was reduced to a melancholy leap of ruins. The most spir,
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' The E. C. H. was an immense pile of building, 7 stories in height, with a cellar under the whole, and covering 12,753 square feet of ground. Its shape was an irregular square, or that of an irregular triangle cut off at the acute angle, meas- uring 132 feet in its broadest front, and only 94 feet on its narrowest, from which the line of the sides diverged nearly equally. 'The base of the building was of hammered granite and the basement of white marble.
. ' The front in Congress-street was highly ornamented. Six marble pilasters, of the lonic order, upon a rustic basement supported an architrave and cornice of the same ; and the whole front, which had an arched door way, was crowned with a Corinthian pediment.' On this side there were 48 superb Venetian windows. There was another entrance to- wards State-street, through an lonick porch or vestibule. and this front was ornamented with ten lonick pilasters, and light- ed by 58 windows. There was also an entrance, for the lodgers in the hotel, on Salter's court, having a passage for the ingress and egress of carriages. From this door there was a circular stair-case, elegantly decorated, which led without interruption to the attick story. There was also a communication from Devonshire-street, through an adjoining house.
' Upon entering the house, you stood on an interior area 70 feet in length and 40 ft. wide, in the form of a parallelogram, which was lighted from the top by means of a magnificent dome, 100 ft. 10 inches in diameter. Around this area was extended a portico, or rather several porticos, each consisting of 20 columns, which reached from the ground floor to the roof, and supported five galleries leading to the different apart- ments. The height of the top of the dome from the floor was 83 feet. Here was an assemblage of the different orders of architecture, from the ornamental Doric to the Corinthian, which produced a very agreeable impression upon the eyes of the spectator, as he passed from the dome which surmount-
ited and judicious efforts could only give a temporary check to the flames, which were has- tily working their way behind the partition walls and round the cornices, in places beyond reach. In a very short time, the greater part of the 210 halls, rooms, chambers, &c. exhib- · ited a mass of intense fire seldom witnessed, About 9 o'clock the noble dome came down with a frightful crash, and, soon after, nearly all the north and part of the south walls, each more than 80 feet in height, fell, and damaged many of the neighbouring buildings. Several houses were much damaged, but none wholly burnt out, except the one on Devonshire-street, ad- joining the Exchange. On Wednesday morning, the whole isolated front wall of the ruin, 90 feet high by 80 ft. wide, with its marble columns and chimnies, appeared to stand tottering over the people's heads, and threatened in its fall to overwhelm the buildings opposite, which stood at the distance of 28 feet only from the wall. But in the course of that and the suc- ceeding day they were levelled, without the least damage to the neighbourhood or to the thousands of spectators, who were witnesses to this sublime wreck of matter '
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EXCHANGE COFFEE-HOUSE .- BUILT, 1808, BURNT, 1818.
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ed the whole, to the floor upon which he stood. The interior space was as nearly as possible equi-distant from the sides of the structure ; and the apartments, which surrounded it upon the various stories, amounted to about 210.
' The house was divided into two species of rooms ; those which belonged to the hotel, and those which were rented for offices and shops to individuals. The basement story con- sisted chiefly of 'an extensive kitchen, private lodging rooms, · larder, and the cellars, with some offices that were entered from the street. The principal floor was originally intended . for a public Exchange, which design never was executed, as the merchants from long habit, prefer to stand in the street, even during the inclement winter months. A publick read- ing room, with a very large list of subscribers, was also upon this floor, where the lodgers in the hotel had the privilege ot resorting, and in which was regularly kept a journal of the most interesting occurrences of the times, whether of a politi- cal or commercial nature. A convenient Coffee room, a Bar and withdrawing-room for boarders, were also on this floor ; besides various apartments occupied by publick incorporations and private individuals. On the second floor chiefly devoted to the hotel, upon the southern side, there was a dining room sufficiently spacious to admit tables for three hundred per- sons ; about fourteen other apartments comprised the whole of the second story.
' The third and fourth floors belonged to the tavern. An arched ball-room, finished with great taste in the Corinthian order of architecture, extended through both stories, and was placed immediately over the large dining hall. The other apartments on these floors were either connected with the ball room, or were lodging chambers.
'Upon the northern side of the fifth and sixth floors, a large Masonick Hall was formed from a large number of lodg- ing rooms, which were included in the apartments which we have just enumerated. The other rooms were appropri- ated for lodging chambers, with the exception of an obser- vatory on the sixth floor, connected with the news room be- low .*
THE STONE COURT-HOUSE in Court-square, to which for distinction's sake we have given the name of Johnson Hall on our plate, (with reference to the memory of Isaac Johnson esq. whom we have mentioned as a chief patron of the first settlers of Boston, see p. 37,) was built in 1810. It is de- scribed as consisting of an octagon centre, 55 ft. wide, with two wings, 26 by 40 feet, connected by the entrance and pas- sages to the centre. The length of the whole building is 140
* For a more particular account of the E.C.II. see Omnium Gatherum, Nov. 1809.
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ft. The lower story of the centre is improved by the Regis- ter of Deeds, and Clerk of the C. C. P .- the second story by the County Courts, and the upper by the Common Council of the city. The Mayor and Aldermen's room is in the upper story of the western wing ; under that are the offices of the Auditor and City Marshal, and on the lower floor the Probate Office. In the eastern wing are the offices of the Clerk of the S. J. Court, rooms for the judges and for the juries, and one occupied by the Law Library.
BOYLSTON HALL, situated at the corner of Washington and Boylston st. was so named in honour of Ward Nicholas Boylston esq. It was opened in 1810. It is in length 120 ft. and in width 50 feet, of three stories, with a deep cellar. On the first floor are twelve stalls for the sale of provisions. The second is separated by an avenue running lerigthwise, on the sides of which are four spacious rooms. The third story con- sists of a hall 100 feet in length with the entire width of the building. The central height of the ceiling is 24 feet. It contains an orchestra, and two convenient withdrawing-rooms adjoining .*
PARKMAN'S MARKET, SO called, is a large brick building at the corner of Grove and Cambridge-streets, distinguished by a cupola. It was erected by the late Samuel Parkman, esq. for the purpose of a market to accommodate the population in that neighbourhood. It was built in the fall of 1810.
THE CITY MARKET, SO called, at the end of Brattle-street next to Dock-square, is also an extensive brick building, three stories high. The lower story and cellars were appropriated to the sale of provisions. The Gallery of Fine Arts was kept in the rooms above. This building was erected by private cit- izens in the year 1819: the town had opposed their wish to be incorporated and their application to the General Court was in consequence unsuccessful. The city has since refused to accept the building as a donation, and a furniture ware- house is now kept in the part formerly occupied as a market.
We have thus endeavoured to give a general view of the principal local changes, which took place under the town gov- ernment. It will be our aim to render that view more definite, as we proceed to the edifices which have been devoted to fash- ionable amusements, or to the more sober purposes of relig- ious worship, education, and charity.
* ' The proprietors were incorporated Feb. 27, 1809, and the foundation of the building was commenced in the April following. The land belonging to the corporation was for- merly owned by Sam'l Welles esq. of whose heirs it was purchased by Mr. Jos. C. Dyer, and by him conveyed to the present proprietors for $20,560. The cost of the building was about $39,000, beside the cupola, which was built by subscription. The clock was a doma tion of Mr. Boylston.
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1
CHAPTER LVII.
This is the place as well as I may guess Whence even now the tumult of loud mirth Was rife, and perfect in my listening ear : a thousand fantasies Begin to throng into my memory, Of calling shapes and beckoning shadows dire. Comus, A Mask.
THE puritan spirit of our ancestors was transfused into the first and second generations which succeeded them : nothing like the fashionable amusements of our day found any coun- tenance with them. A third and fourth generation became by degrees a little more lax in manners and sentiments, and the fifth had so far thrown off restraint as to look upon balls and assemblies without much abhorrence. Probably, the inter- course, which under the royal government was constantly ta -- king place between our people and officers of the army and navy from England, may have tended to introduce this change. 'In the year 1756, Concert Hall, a handsome build- ing at the head of Hanover-street, was erected by Mr. Ste- phen Deblois, a musician, for the purposes of concerts, danc- ing, and other entertainments. A few years ago the build- ing was enlarged, and improved at a great expense. The front hall is about 60 feet by 30, in the second story, and is justly admired for its correct proportions and the richness of its architecture. It is highly finished in the Corinthian style, with an orchestra, and the walls are ornamented with superb mirrors. In the rear is another hall on the same story, finish- ed in a plainer style, and well calculated for publick enter- tainments, and large parties.'
FEDERAL-STREET THEATRE was erected about the same time with the Tontine buildings. Strenuous opposition had been made to the introduction of theatrical exhibitions into Boston. The first attempt of the kind, in 1750 (see Minot, Hist. of Mass. i. 142) was followed by a law of the Province prohibiting them under penalties. During the siege the British officers enter- tained themselves with amusements of a theatrical sort. From that time we discover no traces of a theatre in Boston till 1789, when the newspapers contain intimations of a design to establish one. While the prohibitory laws remained in force, it was unsafe to proceed openly : an effort was made to repeal them in the winter session of 1792, which failed, and the ex- pedient of exhibiting plays under the title of Moral Lectures,
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was therefore adopted in the fall of that year. The place of performance was ' the New Exhibition Room in Board-alley,' (now Hawley-street.) A majority of the town had favoured the petition for a repeal of the prohibitory laws, ' as unconsti- tutional, inexpedient, and absurd,' and the patronage of the Exhibition Room was so liberal, that the plan of erecting a commodious brick building, purposely for a theatre, was easi- ly carried into execution. A lofty and spacious . edifice was built on Federal and Franklin streets, 140 feet long, 61 wide, and 40 feet in height .* It was opened on the 3d of February, 1794, with the tragedy of Gustavus Vasa Erickson, the deliv- erer of Sweden. Mr. Charles Stuart Powell was manager. ' In consequence of a misunderstanding between Mr. P. and
* This summer (1825) an addition has been made to the west end of the building, of about 12 feet, and corresponding Improvements in the interior.
The following memoranda may be gratifying to the lovers of the Drama.
1797 .- Mr. Williamson having failed as Manager of the Federal street Theatre, it was taken by Messrs. Barrett and Harper. During the season this Theatre was destroyed by fire, on the afternoon of Feb. 2, 1798. Messrs B. and H. applied for the use of the Ilaymarket Theatre and were refused.
Oct. 29th, 1798 .- The Theatre, having been rebuilt, was opened under the management of Mr. Hodgkinson. The pieces performed were a Prelude, called ' The First Night's Apology, or All in a Bustle,' ' Wives as they Were,' and the ' Purse.'
April 29th, 1799 .- Mr. Hodgkinson, having failed in the Federal street concern, removed the Company to the Haymarket Theatre, which he opened with the 'Stranger,' and ' Ply- mouth Rock.' This was the last season Mr. Hodgkinson performed in Boston.
Oct. 1799 .- Theatre opened under the management of Mr. G. L. Barrett, with the Comedy of 'Laugh when you Can.' Mr. B. failed before the season expired.
Oct. 27th, 1800 .- Theatre opened under the management of Mr. Whitlock, who, after ex- periencing a loss of about $4000, relinquished the concern. This season introduced to a Boston audience the celebrated Mrs. Jones.
Nov. 30th, 1801 .- The Theatre was opened under the joint management of Messrs. Powell and Harper. 'The School for Scandal,' and 'Poor Soldier,' were the entertainments.
Oct. 27th, 1802 .- The Theatre opened under the management of Mr. Snelling Powell, with the ' Poor Gentleman,' and ' Purse.'
The Theatre continued under the sole management of Mr. Snelling Powell, until Oct. 1806, when it was opened under the joint management of Messrs. Powell, Bernard, and Dickson, who continued it till 1811, when Mr. Bernard relinquished his part, and Messrs. Powell and Dick- son retained the management of it for 11 years. In 1816-17, Mr. D. retired from the stage, and has performed only twice since ; in April, 1819, he appeared in the character of Hardy, in the ' Belle's Stratagem,' and Oglow, in 'Timour the Tartar,' for Mrs. Powell's benefit : and in May, 1821, he performed Sir Robert Bramble, in the ' Poor Gentleman,' Will Steady, in the ' Purse,' and Tag, in the ' Spoil'd Child :' this was likewise for the benefit of Mrs. Powell, who was prevented from appearing before her friends on that occasion, in conse- quence of the decease of Mr. Powell, which occurred the previous month.
Mr. Dickson, although he retired from the stage, continued in the management. The sea- son of 1817 commenced under the joint direction of Messrs. Powell, Dickson, and Duff : this connexion continued for three years, when Mr. Duff relinquished his share In the concern.
After the lamented decease of Mr. Powell, (April 8, 1821,) the management de- volved upon Mr. D. (for Mrs. Powell, who was principally interested, and himself,) aided by
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BOSTON THEATRE,
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the proprietors, Col. J. S. Tyler was appointed to the manage- ment, but not succeeding, he relinquished and was succeeded by John Brown Williamson.
In the mean time, the friends of Mr. Powell raised by sub- scription a sum sufficient to build of wood the Haymarket The- atre, which was one of the most spacious and convenient ever erected in America.' It was located near the foot of the Mall, on the spot now occupied by the three-story buildings, next south of Colonnade-row. The house was opened, Dec. 26, 1796, with an Occasional Address, written and delivered by Mr. C. S. Powell, which was followed by the Comedy of. the Belle's Stratagem, in which Mr. Dickinson, (since J. A. Dickson, the late Manager,) appeared upon the stage for the first time. The afterpiece was a grand pantomime called Mirza and Lindor, performed by a French Corps du Ballet. It was at this time that Mrs. Darley made her debut as Nar- cissa in ' Inkle and Yarico.'
Haymarket Theatre was discontinued in the course of a few years, and no other was established until the year 1819, when the entertainments at Washington Gardens were com- menced. At first the managers of the Federal-street house were interested in the performances at the Amphitheatre, but in a short time the control over it passed into the hands of of several amateurs, and the two institutions became in some sort rivals to each other. The Amphitheatre was so con- structed as to answer the purposes of a Circus,t and was on that account better adapted to the performance of such plays as required the introduction of troops and caravans, a happy invention for supplying the defects to which the best select- ed companies may sometimes be liable, not unknown in Ad- dison's day, but not demanded till recently to please a Boston audience.
THE MUSEUM was commenced in Boston by the exhibition of a few specimens of wax-work, at the American Coffee-house, opposite the Bunch-of-Grapes in State-street. The proprie-
Mr. Kilner, as Acting Manager ; this continued until the expiration of their lease from the proprietors, in May, 1824.
The next season, in Sept. 1824, Messrs. Kilner and Finn undertook the management, for themselves and Mrs. Powell, on a lease of three years.
It is a fact, worthy of record, and highly creditable to the Managers, that, from the time of Mr. Powell's undertaking the management, until the present date, there never has been an instance known of a performer's salary, a tradesman's bill, or any other demand against the Theatre being refused payment. This punctuality has given a respectability and credit to the establishment, that is not surpassed by any other in this country or in England.
t Messrs. Pepin and Breschard had established a regular Circus in Charlestown in 1809 : and the Circus at the Washington Gardens has been occasionally used for that specifick ob- ject. There was also a Circus by Lailson in 1796, and ten years before that, the Selectmen had granted a licence for the exhibition of feats of horsemanship.
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tor was Mr. Daniel Bowen, whose collection received very handsome notice in the papers of June, 1791. It was soon removed to ' the hall over the New School-house near the Rev. Mr. West's meeting :' additions of natural and artificial curiosities, paintings, &c. were constantly made to the collec- tion till 1795, when it assumed the name of Columbian Museum, and was established ' at the head of the Mall [on the corner of Bromfield's lane], in the longest and perhaps the most ele- gant hall in the United States.' This establishment rose in value and in publick estimation, and became a fashionable re- sort, till Jan. 15, 1803, when it was destroyed by fire.
The liberality of the publick and the aid of private friends enabled Mr. Bowen to commence another museum, at the corner of Milk and Oliver streets, in the succeeding May. In 1806, Mr. B. in connexion with Mr. Wm. M. S. Doyle erect- ed a costly brick edifice, five stories high, on the lot north of the Chapel burial ground, and removed the collection, which had now become splendid, to that place, which was opened for company, on Thanksgiving evening, Nov. 27th. Here they were doomed again to suffer disappointment. On the morning of Jan. 16, 1807, a fire was discovered in the hall over the Museum, and in a very short time all its valuable contents were consumed .* The proprietors, however, were not wholly disheartened. With some encouragement from the publick they rebuilt the house to the height of two stories, and opened it on the 2d of June, 1807. Mr. B. some time af- ter removed from Boston, and Mr. Doyle continued the sole manager, until the collection was sold to the proprietors of the New England Museum, (Jan. 1, 1825.)
The Boston Museum was advertised as ' just opened,' by Ph. Woods, at the large five-story building over No. 6, north side of the market, Feb. 28, 1804. A considerable number of interesting curiosities were collected in this Museum, but it never became so fashionable a place of resort as the Colum- bian. It was removed for a short time to a building on the west side of Dock-square, but was returned to its original stand, where it was sold at auction in the summer of 1822. Chief of the articles were transferred to the New England Museum.
A collection called the Washington Museum was for a short time exhibited here in 1804.
The New York Museum, was opened in Boylston Hall, in 1812. This latter was the commencement of the New England, which is now the only establishment of the kind in Boston.
* This building was 108 feet long, and 34 ft. wide. The height was 82 feet from the basement floor to the top of the observatory, which was surmounted by a figure of Minerva.
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It is situated on Court street, occupying the chambers over several stores, extending from Market to Brattle street. The collection is the most extensive ever brought together here, both in point of excellence and variety. Mr. E. A. Greenwood has had the superintendance of it, since it assumed its present appellation, under which it was opened, July 4, 1818. Mr. Mix's New Haven Museum was added to it, in 1821.
It is not foreign from our purpose to state, that this museum contains, besides its curiosities of a general character, a plan of Boston, engraved by Price in 1743; likenesses of the following persons , whose names occur in this book : viz. Gov. Winthrop, Endicot, Leverett, Bradstreet (from the paintings in the State house), Hancock, S. Adams, Bowdoin, Gen. War- ren, Franklin, Gen. Ward, R. T. Paine, John Adams, J. Q. Adams,-and of the following distinguished citizens ; Rev.Drs. Cooper, Stillman, Lathrop, Baldwin, Holley, and Griffin,- Messrs. Ballou, Buckminster, Huntington, Frothingham, Win- chell, and Dean ; Dr. Jeffries, Benjamin Austin, Isaiah Thom- as ; William Cooper, Mr. John Tileston, Miss Hannah Adams, together with prints of many other eminent persons.
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CHAPTER LVIII.
How all religions should enjoy their liberty, justice its due regularity, civil cohabitation moral honesty, in one and the same jurisdiction, is beyond the artique of my comprehen- sion .- Simple Cobler, A. D. 1647.
THE churches of Boston had been thrown into great confu- sion by the events of the war. Five of their houses of wor- ship had been transformed into barracks or hospitals, or in some way* appropriated to the use of the British troops. All their pastors who were friendly to the American cause (except Dr. Samuel Mather and Dr. Andrew Eliot) had deemed it prudent to leave the town during the siege. . The clergymen of the three Episcopal churches fled with Gen. Howe on the memorable 17th of March, 1776, and Dr. Byles of Hollis- street was dismissed, in 1777, by his people, on account of his supposed predilection for the royal cause. Mr. Moorhead's church was vacant, and Mr. Croswell's meeting-house was
* The desecration of the Old South excited universal indignation. To fit it for the pur- poses of a circus for the dragoons, 'every moveable part within the walls (except the sound- Ing board over the pulpit, and the east gallery, which was left to accommodate spectators) was taken down, pillars, pews, galleries, and pulpit. About 1 and a half or 2 feet of eartt was spread upon the floor, for the horses to exercise upon.'
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untenantable during the winter season. The Old North, we know, had been entirely destroyed, and Dr. Ebenezer Pem- berton, the pastor of the New Brick, had deceased, Sept. 15, 1777.
The first change consequent on this state of things was the union of the Old North and New Brick churches, under the name of the Second Church. This event took place June 27, 1779 ; Rev. John Lathrop then became pastor of both socie- ties.
The Old South church were accommodated in King's chapel, until they were ready to remove to their own house .* At length the remaining proprietors of the Chapel determined to re- store their former mode of worship, and invited Rev. James Freeman to perform divine services in their desk. Mr. F. accepted their invitation, and commenced Reader, Oct. 20, 1782. The society adopted the Unitarian liturgy, altered from the common prayer book of the Church of England, after the plan of Dr. Samuel Clarke. On Lord's-day, Nov. 18, 1787, after evening service, Mr. Freeman was ordained as Rector, Priest, &c. by the wardens, vestry, proprietors, and congregation of the Chapel, ' by virtue of the third arti- cle in the declaration of rights,' which provides that religious societies shall at all times have the exclusive right of electing their publick teachers. A minority protested against this meas- ure, because the new proprietors had 'introduced a liturgy dif- ferent from any now used in the Episcopal churches in the Uni- ted States, and articles of faith which,' say they, ' in our opin- ion, are unscriptural and heretical.' Another ' protest or ex- communication' was also issued on the same subject, by the rectors of Episcopal churches in Boston, Salem, Marblehead, Newburyport, and Portsmouth, who pronounced the mode of ordination ' diametrically opposite to every principle adopted in any Episcopal church.'t The society, however, has pur- sued the course of its own choosing, and though discounte- nanced by the Episcopal churches, its rectors hold ministerial intercourse with the members of the Boston Association.
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