Faneuil Hall Marketplace

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One of the premier attractions in downtown Boston remains Faneuil Hall Marketplace, an urban area mixing the old with the new. Vibrant, it is a bazaar of indoor and outdoor shopping and eating in the midst of an open-air highlighted festival. Located across from the waterfront in the heart of the city, it is sprawled atop more than six acres and encompasses Faneuil Hall, a brick hall used for gatherings, and Quincy Market, three restored 19th century granite buildings.  

Surrounded by Boston's famous cityscape, just beneath the Custom House clock tower, Faneuil Hall Marketplace contains more than 70 shops, 14 restaurants, the city's most popular comedy club and 40 food stalls. Open-air cafes and clubs give way to a superb shopping experience covering the gamut from mall-type stores to small specialty boutiques. Architecturally, it is a beautiful representation of old Boston, tastefully enhanced by contemporary additions. Mammoth Doric columns grace the entrance to the Colonnade food court. In this center building, an aromatic central hallway lined with food vendors beneath a picturesque rotunda, every ethnic food imaginable can be found.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace, also referred to as Quincy Market, is steeped in history and appeals to all ages. Created by wealthy Boston merchant Peter Faneuil in 1742, a solitary building was established as a central food market catering to international shipping and trade. Boston's voters agreed with Faneuil's controversial proposal by a slim majority and a meeting space
suitable for town gatherings was constructed. Lower levels were divided and leased for market purposes. But tragedy struck the area just 19 years later when Faneuil Hall burned.

Two years passed before the marketplace was rebuilt, this time financed by a public lottery. It was in this rebuilt structure that the first rumblings of the American Revolution were felt. Though gatherers in the meeting space should only have concerned themselves with local issues, the discussion turned to taxation policies and Faneuil Hall became the focus of revolutionary activity. Protests spilled into incidents of violence and fierce debates led opposition to various political maneuvers. Though the rhetoric expressed here concerned only the community of Boston, reports were carried throughout the colonies and led them together towards unity and independence. Activities here, where Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty urged colonial Bostonians to assert their independence, earned Faneuil Hall the name as America's "Cradle of Liberty." 

Renowned architect Charles Bulfinch expanded Faneuil Hall in 1805 after its size became inadequate. The new masterful design remained a forum for the debate of national issues and its reputation continues today. In the early 19th Century the three granite structures of the Quincy Market were built to the east of the Hall, which in the 1970s underwent a major renewal. Another retail addition, Bull Market, was built in the 1980s and provides the vintage district with space for a fleet of artisans' pushcarts. Today, areas Faneuil envisioned purvey food and merchandise to thousands of daily visitors. America is on parade at the marketplace, along with millions of guests from abroad, each stepping into the ongoing stream of history. The secret to the charm of Faneuil Hall Marketplace is its celebration of city living, surrounded by the nearby North End Italian neighborhood, the docks and famed Boston Harbor. It is a fun place to eat, pilgrimage through shops, people-watch or simply chase the pigeons across the cobblestone.

 The colorful and airy Faneuil Hall Marketplace offers an array of elements including tempting fare, unique gifts and entertaining roaming street performers. From the break of dawn to the wee hours, through every season and any weather it is a bubbling, traditional Mecca for residents and tourists alike. A maze of trees are adorned with miniature white lights shining brightly to excite the bustle of visitors who will truly feel a sense of village square nestled in the middle of a modern city. The area is so popular that the idea has been copied in other cities hoping to come close to Boston's success. It is widely imitated but never duplicated. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is one of seven historic sites along Boston's walkable Freedom Trail. Owned by the City of Boston, it is preserved and staffed by Park Rangers of the National Park Service, who deliver affable and free lectures on the half hour describing shops and eating establishments, second floor meeting rooms, and the third floor museum and armory of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. Founded in 1638 for the defense of the colony, the company has called Faneuil Hall home since its initial construction and is open year-round.

Note for visitors: When walking through Faneuil Hall, look up. For two centuries the symbol of the marketplace has been the grasshopper weathervane, a common logo throughout the area. Fashioned in 1742 by Deacon Shem Drowne, it may have been inspired by similarly designed weathervanes on the Royal
Exchange building in London. Today the weathervane is the only part of Faneuil Hall which remains totally unmodified from the original 1742 structure, and is a fine example of colonial artistry.


Faneuil Hall Marketplace Bbusiness and National Park Service Information
(617) 338-2323 or Events Line (617) 523-1300.

Hours
Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday, Noon to 6 p.m
The Colonnade opens early every day and restaurants and pubs are open late
every evening.

Parking
75 State Street Garage
(617) 742-7275
Discounted/Validated parking available, call for rates.