Otis House III, Boston

Charles Bulfinch (1763–1844), widely regarded as America's preeminent architect in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, forged a distinctive architectural style, straddling the line between Federal and Classical influences, that remains one of Boston's most iconic architectural signatures. Fusing his Neoclassical training with New England pragmatism, Bulfinch constructed residences known for their straight-edged brick exteriors and columned porticoes. Such examples abound in Beacon Hill, with notable instances at 87 Mount Vernon Street and 45 Beacon Street. The latter, completed in 1806, stands as the final and grandest of three edifices commissioned by Harrison Gray Otis, a lawyer who would go on to become Boston's mayor, and who resided here until his passing in 1848.

This four-story edifice is arranged into five bays, featuring a central entrance graced by a small, rectangular portico supported by delicate pairs of Ionic fluted columns. Originally, the unassuming ground floor displayed recessed brick arches characteristic of Bulfinch's house designs, though it now wears a stone facade. When initially constructed, the house stood independently, surrounded by the Boston Common and English Gardens. Since 1958, it has served as the headquarters of the American Meteorological Society.