The Merchants Exchange building (1842-1890) in Boston, Massachusetts was built in 1841 from a design by architect Isaiah Rogers. Centrally located on State Street, it functioned as a hub for business activities in the city.
History
The Merchants Exchange served as one of Boston's "great gathering-points of the traders -- the marble-paved and frescoed hall ... with its newspaper files, bulletins, wind vane, and ship registry." [1] It was "elegant ... with a fine reading-room, ... and besides accommodations for the post office, and for several insurance and brokers' offices, affords many conveniences for the mercantile community." [2]
Architecture
Built in 1841-1842 by architect Isaiah Rogers, Merchants Exchange was considered "among the best specimens of architecture in Boston" [3] and "a dignified building in its day." [4] Re-modelling occurred after the building "went down" in the fire of 1872. [5] [6]
After 1890, the "Exchange Building" occupied the site of the former Merchants Exchange building. [4]
Function
The building housed business activities, such as:
- Board of Trade (est. 1854) [6]
- Boston Board of Marine Underwriters (est. 1850) [6]
- Boston Marine Society [6]
- Boston Stock Exchange (1844-1853) [6]
- Commercial Exchange (est. 1871) [6]
- Post-Office (ca.1860-1872) [7]
- Soldiers' Messenger Corps [6]
References
- ^ Edwin Hodder. Cities of the world. Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., 1882; p.278.
- ^ Charles Augustus Goodrich. The family tourist: A visit to the principal cities of the western continent: embracing an account of their situation, origin, plan, extent, their inhabitants, manners, customs, and amusements ... together with sketches of historical events. Case, Tiffany and company, 1848; p.57.
- ^ John Hayward. A gazetteer of Massachusetts. J. Hayward, 1847.
- ^ a b Bacon, Edwin M. (1922). Boston: A Guide Book to the City and Vicinity.
- ^ The Nation. Nov. 14, 1872.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bacon, Edwin M. (1886). Bacon's Dictionary of Boston. Retrieved 2023-10-06.
- ^ Justin Winsor. The memorial history of Boston, including Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 1630-1880. J. R. Osgood and co., 1881.
Images
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State Street -
State Street -
Detail of 1860s map of Boston, showing Merchants Exchange building -
The Exchange, ca.1885 -
Reading room, ca.1885
