Date Night at Otis House Tonight
Take a romantic trip back into Boston’s past
The Otis House, dating to 1796, is the last surviving mansion to be found in Boston’s West End neighborhood. The house, now a museum, offers Date Night tours every Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Historic New England
Looking to take a romantic trip back in time? Stop by Otis House, the last surviving mansion dating to the Federal era in Boston’s West End, for date night tonight. Every Wednesday from April through November, the historic house museum stays open until 7:30 pm. The elegant mansion was designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, best known for his work on the United States Capitol and Massachusetts State House. It was the first of three houses he designed for Harrison Gray Otis, the third mayor of Boston, who also served in Congress. The house was constructed in 1796 near what is now Massachusetts General Hospital.
A marvel of early American design, the building bears the classical proportions and symmetry that are hallmarks of the Federal period. Visitors are treated to a fascinating glimpse of Boston history as docents describe the home’s various uses over the centuries. The home, now listed as a National Historic Landmark, bears brilliantly colored walls and fabrics—not surprising as it was later owned by a prosperous local paint merchant, John Osborn. A bedchamber is outfitted with curtains of brilliant translucent yellow, and the dining room is adorned in vibrant reds. The house is filled with elegant period furnishings.
In the 1830s, ownership of the house passed to perhaps its most unusual occupants—a British medical practitioner, Elizabeth Mott, who with her husband, operated a homeopathic medical clinic for women. The house offered “champoo baths” designed to address a number of ailments, including chronic diseases, rheumatism, and other complaints. Later, it became a middle-class boarding house, as Bowdoin Square became more of a working-class neighborhood.
In 1916, the house was purchased by the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (now Historic New England) for its headquarters, and since that time has operated as a museum.
Home to both notable and ordinary citizenry, the house today offers a fascinating glimpse of life in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Otis House, located at 141 Cambridge St., Boston, is open Thursday through Sunday, from April through November, 11 am to 4:30 pm, and on Wednesdays from 11 am to 7:30 pm. Date Night tours, which last approximately 30 minutes, take place each Wednesday. The cost of admission is free for Boston residents and members of Historic New England. For nonresidents, admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for students. Via public transportation, take an MBTA Red Line train to the Charles Street/MGH stop or an MBTA Green Line trolley to Government Center or North Station.
Carina Imbornone can be reached at carinami@bu.edu.
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