The Pierce-Hichborn House (circa 1711) is an early Georgian house

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 located at 19 North Square

North Square (Boston, Massachusetts)

North Square in the North End, Boston of Boston, Massachusetts sits at the intersection of Moon, Prince, North, Garden Court, and Sun Court Streets. Paul Revere lived here, as did other notables in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prior to July 4, 1788, the area was known as Clark's Square.-History:In...

, Boston, Massachusetts. It is immediately adjacent to the Paul Revere House

Paul Revere House

The Paul Revere House is the colonial home of American patriot Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution. It is located at 19 North Square, Boston, Massachusetts, in the city's North End, and is now operated as a nonprofit museum by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. A small...

 and is now operated as a nonprofit museum by the Paul Revere Memorial Association. An admission fee is charged.

Design

The Pierce-Hichborn House is three stories tall, faced in common-bond brickwork with decorative belt courses and large sash windows. Its narrow side elevation faces the street, with its main facade opening onto a compact private passageway. Inside it is laid out on each floor as a narrow central hallway and stairway with a single heated room to either side. Framing

Framing (construction)

Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...

 is oak and the trim

Molding (decorative)

Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...

 is pine, including fireplace mantels. Originally each room had two front-facing windows and two side windows although later extensions to the side of the house farthest from the street eliminated those side windows. The house is not rectangular and its street-side corner is very sharp to take full advantage of the small urban lot.

History

The house is an excellent example of early Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

 and one of the earliest surviving brick structures in Boston. It was built by Moses Pierce, a glazier, and was later owned by Nathaniel Hichborn, a boatbuilder and cousin of Paul Revere

Paul Revere

Paul Revere was an American silversmith and a patriot in the American Revolution. He is most famous for alerting Colonial militia of approaching British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, Paul Revere's Ride...

. Even then the neighborhood was urban, and the house stood three doors down the square from the close-by Revere House.

Further reading

• Ross, Marjorie Drake. Book of Boston: the colonial period, 1630-1775. NY: Hastings House, 1960.
• Eldredge, Joseph. Architecture Boston. Barre, MA: Barre Publishing, 1976.
• "Pierce/Hichborn house: a new look at an old landmark," Alliance Letter, May 1983, p. 5, 10-11.
• "Paul Revere and Moses Pierce-Hichborn houses in Boston," Antiques, Feb. 1984.
• Vila, Bob. Bob Vila's guide to historic homes of New England. NY: Lintel Press, 1993.
• "Three days in Boston," Interiors, April 2000, p. 75-76.