The Old State House at 206 Washington Street is Boston's oldest extant public building. The site was first used for a public market in 1634, and a first Town-House was built in 1658. It burned in 1711, and the present building was completed in 1713. The builder was William Payne, and the designer is unknown. The brick building is Georgian in style, 2.5 stories above a partly raised basement, and stands 65 feet (20 meters) tall.
On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read from its east balcony. Lion and unicorn decorations were installed between 1743 and 1751, and crowds tore down and burned the originals in 1776. The legislature moved to the new State House in 1798. In 1830 the building became a city hall.
A restoration by George Albert Clough, rededicated in 1882, followed threats of demolition. The building is a National Historic Landmark and a history museum run by the Bostonian Society.
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