Massachusetts State House
Designed by Charles Bulfinch, the ‘new’ and current State House has served as the seat of Massachusetts government since its opening in 1798. Holding the legislative and executive branches, it sits adjacent to the former site of the historic Hancock mansion.
Visiting Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St.
Boston MA 02108
Managed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office, State House Tours Division
Secretary of the CommonwealthAccess Information
- Wheelchair Accessible
Bowdoin Street,
Boston, MA 02108- Restrooms
- Large Print
- Assistive Listening Device
- Braille
Featured Photo of Tour Site
Sketch of the Bulfinch Front with Hancock Mansion (left).
"[The] Boston State-House is the hub of the solar system”
Oliver Wendall Holmes
Massachusetts State House Photos
Bulfinch Front
Doric Hall
Hall of Flags
Memorial Hall
John F. Kennedy Statue
House of Representatives
Senate Chamber
Three Branches of Government
House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives has 160 representatives elected for 2-year terms. It is also home to the Sacred Cod, the good luck mascot of the House of Representatives.
Senate
The Massachusetts State Senate has 40 senators elected for 2-year terms. Their current chamber resides under the Golden Dome.
Executive Branch
Since Massachusetts’s first freely elected governor, John Hancock, 71 governors have served as the head of the executive branch. Currently, Massachusetts’s governors hold 4-year terms and work in the West Wing of the State House.