Revere House (1847–1912) was an upscale hotel in 19th-century

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, located on Bowdoin Square in the West End. Fire destroyed the building in 1912.

Brief history

William Washburn designed the hotel building, constructed in 1847 on the former site of the house of Boston merchant Kirk Boott. The hotel was a project of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association. The association named their new hotel after

Paul Revere Paul Revere (; December 21, 1734 O.S. (January 1, 1735 N.S.)May 10, 1818) was an American silversmith, military officer and industrialist who played a major role during the opening months of the American Revolutionary War in Massachusetts, ...

, one of the founders of the group.

Notable guests

Some considered Revere House "Boston's most prestigious hotel. It hosted the likes of writer

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, singer

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

("The Swedish Nightingale"). ... Famed orator

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the 14th and 19th United States Secretary of State, U.S. secretary o ...

often used the portico to address crowds at political rallies." Other notable guests:

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853. He was the last president to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House, and the last to be neither a De ...

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, Emperor

Pedro II of Brazil ''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...

Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-i ...

, the

Iwakura Mission The Iwakura Mission or Iwakura Embassy (, ''Iwakura Shisetsudan'') was a Japanese diplomatic voyage to Europe and the United States conducted between 1871 and 1873 by leading statesmen and scholars of the Meiji period. It was not the only such m ...

of Japan, and singers

Christina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish operatic dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice (B3-F6), first three then two and a ha ...

and

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was a Spanish-Italian opera singer. At the height of her career, she was earning huge fees performing in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, a ...

. Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia stayed at the Revere House in December 1871 when he visited Boston as part of his grand tour of the United States.

Ownership and management

Through the years, owners included Otis Norcross, Frederick W. Lincoln, Uriel Crocker, Nathaniel J. Bradlee. Paran Stevens served as manager for many years. Management companies overseeing hotel operations included Chapin, Gurney & Co.; C.B. Ferrin; and beginning in 1885, J.F. Morrow & Co.

Images

File:KirkBoott house BowdoinSq Boston2 19thc.png, The residence of Kirk Boott, built in 1804 and rebuilt in 1846-47 as the Revere House Image:Revere House, Boston, Mass, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views.jpg, 19th-century stereoview Image:RevereHouse1 Boston.jpg, Revere House, Bowdoin Square, 19th century Image:DanielWebster byAlbertGallatinHoit.jpeg, Portrait of

by Albert Gallatin Hoit, "which hung for years in the Revere House, Boston."This image may represent a version slightly different from that actually on display at the hotel. Cf. Image:Boston 1871 map RevereHouse detail.jpg, Detail of 1871 map of Boston, showing Revere House in Bowdoin Square Image:1848 dinner congress RevereHouse CityCouncil Boston.png, Detail of menu from dinner given by

Boston City Council The Boston City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is made up of 13 members: 9 district representatives and 4 at-large members. Councillors are elected to two-year ...

, 1848

References

External links

* * New York Historical Society
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"Henry A. Choate/ Druggist/ Under Revere House, Boston," circa 1880–1930 {{coord, 42, 21, 40.23, N, 71, 3, 46.43, W, type:landmark_region:US-MA, display=title Former buildings and structures in Boston Hotel buildings completed in 1847 Demolished hotels in the United States West End, Boston 19th century in Boston Hotels in Boston 1847 establishments in Massachusetts