Massachusetts State House

[JohnAKeith]

So, yeah, should this have its own thread as an "existing development"?

I happened upon a great newsletter published in the early 1900's called the "Gillette Blade", put out by the razor company.

In one issue was this photo of a parade/march outside the State House, circa 1918, before war's end.

I can't tell what that is in the distance to the right. It looks like a building that hasn't totally been torn down?

Looking at the Google Map from current day, this is some sort of greened area (that I've highlighted in yellow)?

What was this?

On a related note, has anyone ever thought it odd that the stairs leading up to the State House give honor to the dead sailors and servicemen of the war and that it was dedicated in 1917 even though we didn't enter the war until the end of that year?

 

[JonFrum]

Before the wings were added to the State House, there was a street called Hancock ave that ran between Beacon street to Mount Vernon. Hancock ave had row houses on it that faced the State House. When the added the wings, they took the part of Hancock that was in the way, including the houses. That left three houses from Beacon st. in, and what had been Hancock became the walkway up to the new wing entrance. That photo shows one of the three final houses being taken down.

It was Hancock ave. because that's where John Hancock's house once stood. The loss of John Hancock's house was probably the origin of the preservation movement in Boston. The Perkins family bought the front stairs and moved them to their home on Jamaica Pond, where you can still climb them.