Old South Meeting House Study Report

The Boston Landmarks Commission has posted a study report on the proposed designation of the Old South Meeting House in Downtown Boston as a Landmark under Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, as amended.

The Old South Meeting House is nationally significant for its association with events in Boston that led to the American colonies’ revolt in 1775. Most notably, the building was the site of large public meetings following the altercation on March 5, 1770, that became known as the Boston Massacre, and as the staging ground for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. Additionally, the Old South Meeting House is nationally significant for its association with the history of historic preservation.

Old South Meeting House, originally constructed in 1729-1730, is also nationally significant as a rare example of a colonial church that combines an early Georgian exterior influenced by Christopher Wren's work with the traditional interior proportions and seating plan of the seventeenth-century four-square meeting house. Old South Meeting House was constructed by Joshua Blanchard (1692-1748), a master mason who later erected Faneuil Hall in 1740-1742. 

If designated, the Standards and Criteria in this study report will serve as guidelines for the Commission’s review of proposed changes to the property, with the goal of protecting the historic integrity of the landmark and its setting.

Read the Old South Meeting House study report

There are two ways to provide feedback on this potential Landmark designation:

1. Written feedback can be provided by visiting this link: feedback form.
2. The study report will be discussed at a public hearing on June 10, 2025. Members of the public are invited to attend this hearing and provide comments there as well. Please look for the hearing notice in the public notices section of our website. Hearing notices are posted no later than ten days in advance of the hearing.