Another very significant building in Boston's history was the Massachusetts State House. This building was designed by Charles Bulfinch in the Federal Style. This building is an example of Boston's desire to be a "City on a Hill" because by 1796, the year it was finished, it was the very first State House to have been built in the Union, and it served as a model for the other states. Ellen Bulfinch, Charles' granddaughter, recalls fondly in a 1896 that "the rise of the fair and classic structure on this commanding height, above the Hancock House and the other dwellings and gardens of Beacon Street, with the beautiful pasture of the Common below and the encircling waters of the river in full view, was a site that filled with pride the Bostonians of that day, and visitors from all parts of the young Commonwealth." (10)
image courtesy of http://www.brynmawr.edu/Acads/Cities/imgb/digcapt.html
The building's design consisted of a very distinct central block, which is topped by, in order, a cornice, a balustrade, a set-back pediment, and a dome. The outing of the first floor contains a portico off brick arches, which are topped by Corinthian columns on the second floor. Despite the primary usage of brick in the facade, the building didn't neglect the Boston tradition of wood architecture. The balustrade, entablature, dome, and columns are all constructed of wood.
Bulfinch's State House was meant to be a semi-copy of the Somerset House, England's most prominent civic structure. Bulfinch felt that the State House should also be a building that people could admire and one that would be able to declare the eminence of the new nation. There were, however, key differences in the structures. Bulfinch decided that he wanted to make his building much smaller scale than the vast Somerset House. He also made his columns much narrower and the moldings thinner and finer. The window and door openings were sharply cut and unadorned. He ensured that the building lacked ornamentation to satisfy Puritan ideals. This proved that although created centuries before, the Puritan rules were still in effect. Bulfinch made sure that his building was simple, strict, symmetrical, and down to earth, while ensuring that it was respectable and powerful at the same time. This is demonstrated in Bulfinch's diagram below, which shows that the outside of the building is very elaborately decorated, while the overall plan is very basic.
New York's City Hall, completed in 1812, was another very important structure. This U-shaped building is designed mostly in the Federal Style. The architect, John McComb Jr., felt that this style would be appropriate for a building of such order and discipline. This, however, did not stop him from making the building extravagant. The front entrance is dominated by a one-story Ionic portico, which stands above a flight of marble steps. Beautiful Corinthian pilasters evenly divide the large arched windows. The heads of the upper rectangular windows are decorated with ornate designs that are cast in stone. The most important piece is the clock tower, which sits on top of the building. It is decorated with Corinthian columns, a balustrade, an arched gateway, and is topped by a copper figure of Justice.
(12) Bulfinch, ES. The Life and Letters of Charles Bulfinch, (Published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1896.) page 112