Federal houses in Boston
Federal architecture is a restrained classical manner with flat wall surfaces, fanlights over the door and delicate ornament around openings and mantels. It was current in the United States roughly from 1780 to 1830.
The stops that carry a construction date run from 1795 to 1816. 13 stops, 1.7 miles end to end. Of the stops, 9 are National Historic Landmarks.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Oct 16, 2026.
Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed October 17, 2026.
Walking order
- 1Ozias Goodwin House7 Jackson Ave.Building · built 1795 · listed 1988start
- 2St. Stephen's ChurchHanover St. between Clark and Harris Sts.Building · built 1804 · listed 19750.2 mi from stop 1
- 3Sears' Crescent and Sears' Block38--68 and 70--72 CornhillBuilding · listed 19860.6 mi from stop 2
- 4Chester Harding HouseNHL16 Beacon St.Building · built 1808 · listed 19660.2 mi from stop 3
- 5Massachusetts StatehouseNHLBeacon HillBuilding · built 1798 · listed 1966266 ft from stop 4
- 6William C. Nell HouseNHL3 Smith Ct.Building · listed 1976313 ft from stop 5
- 7David Sears HouseNHL42 Beacon St.Building · built 1816 · listed 19700.1 mi from stop 6
- 8Headquarters HouseNHL55 Beacon St.Building · built 1808 · listed 1966435 ft from stop 7
- 9Otis, (Second) Harrison Gray, House85 Mt. Vernon St.Building · built 1802 · listed 19730.1 mi from stop 8
- 10Charles Sumner HouseNHL20 Hancock St.Building · listed 19730.2 mi from stop 9
- 11African MeetinghouseNHL8 Smith St.Building · listed 1971same block from stop 10
- 12Otis, (First) Harrison Gray, HouseNHL141 Cambridge St.Building · built 1795 · listed 19700.1 mi from stop 11
- 13Old West ChurchNHL131 Cambridge St.Building · built 1806 · listed 1970102 ft from stop 12
1.7 straight-line miles over 12 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 13 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Boston
- Houses and mansions in Boston15 stops · 1.7 milesThe route links houses built between 1713 and 1909. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
- Churches and temples in Boston10 stops · 2.0 milesThe route links churches built between 1749 and 1877. Congregations still use many of them and access depends on the hours they keep.
Local history books for Boston
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Massachusetts
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.