Historic Houses in Boston

Founded in 1630 by Puritan Colonists from England, Boston is one of America’s oldest cities. This is reflected in the number of historical buildings in the city, including some wonderful historic homes. Some of these historic homes have been preserved by turning them into museums. Visiting a museum in a historic home will give you interesting insight into what day-to-day life was like during the time period that the house was built. Here are some historic homes that you might like to visit during your free time on our bus tour of Boston.

Otis House – 141 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114

Otis House is the last surviving original mansion house in Bowdoin Square in Boston’s West End. Architect Charles Bulfinch designed the house for Boston lawyer Harrison Gray Otis who at one point was the Mayor of Boston and a representative to Congress.

Otis House is an example of the Federal Style with classical proportions and delicate detail. On your visit to the house, you will learn about the Otis family’s life during the Federal era and the later history of Otis House when it became a clinic and middle-class boarding-house.

Gibson House – 137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116

The historic Gibson House in the suburb of Back Bay in Boston offers visitors a glimpse of how a well-to-do Boston family and their domestic staff lived in the late 19th century. Gibson House was designed by noted Boston architect Edward Cabot and declared a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in 2001.

The house is unique in that it retains its original fittings and furnishings, including kitchen, scullery and butler’s pantry, as well as its formal rooms and private family quarters. Thanks to the last member of the Gibson family to live in the house, Charles Gibson Junior, it retains the original furniture and private possessions of the family.

The Loring-Greenough House – 12 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

The Loring-Greenough House was constructed in 1760 by Commodore Loring and owned by the Greenough family from 1783 until 1924. It is considered an outstanding example of Georgian Colonial Architecture and was once the hub of a large farm. An outstanding example of Georgian Colonial architecture, the House was the hub of a large and actively developed farm that was Loring’s chief interest following his retirement from military service.

The house was faced with demolition in the 1920s, but was saved by the Jamaica Plain Tuesday Club, a ladies’ club which followed the example of earlier ladies’ associations, which had been saved and restored with historic sites such as Mount Vernon and Monticello.

The house is open to tours on Sunday afternoons. If you have some time to spare on your Boston tour, consider a jaunt out to Jamaica Plain to visit this outstanding property.