First Harrison Gray Otis House

The First Harrison Gray Otis House is a Federal-style mansion at Cambridge Street in Boston's West End. The building features symmetrical facades with fanlight windows and Palladian windows, along with carefully detailed interior spaces.

Architect Charles Bulfinch designed this house in 1796 for Harrison Gray Otis, a Boston businessman and politician. Otis later played an important role in the city's development and served as mayor.

The house displays furnishings and objects that reflect how wealthy Boston families lived in the late 1700s. The rooms are arranged to give visitors a sense of daily life and the habits of the upper class during that era.

The house operates today as a museum and administrative center and is open to visitors. Guided tours are a good way to learn about the architecture and Boston's development history.

The entire building was moved 40 feet in 1925 to make room for Cambridge Street to be widened. This unusual relocation shows how Boston adapted its historic structures during its modernization and infrastructure development.

Location: Massachusetts

Architects: Charles Bulfinch

GPS coordinates: 42.36132,-71.06455

Latest update: December 12, 2025 07:59