Merchants Exchange (Boston)
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." 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."
Architecture
Built in 1841-1842 by architect Isaiah Rogers, Merchants Exchange was considered "among the best specimens of architecture in Boston" and "a dignified building in its day." Re-modelling occurred after the building "went down" in the fire of 1872.
After 1890, the "Exchange Building" occupied the site of the former Merchants Exchange building.
Function
The building housed business activities, such as:
- Board of Trade (est. 1854)
- Boston Board of Marine Underwriters (est. 1850)
- Boston Marine Society
- Boston Stock Exchange (1844-1853)
- Commercial Exchange (est. 1871)
- Post-Office (ca.1860-1872)
- Soldiers' Messenger Corps
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.
- ^ Bacon, Edwin M. (1922). Boston: A Guide Book to the City and Vicinity.
- ^ The Nation. Nov. 14, 1872.
- ^ 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
