1797-1907
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The Revere House (Boston, Mass.) records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of the records and account books of the Revere Association and its successors, the Proprietors of the Revere House, a hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. Administrative records include general records, such as president's and treasurer's annual reports, meeting minutes, deeds, mortgages, and lease agreements; and financial records, including bills, receipts, stock certificate receipts, and other stockholder records. Volumes are mostly financial and include account books indicating rental and insurance payments, expenses, dividends, and interest on accounts, as well as an 1879 inventory of the furniture and fixtures of the Revere House.
Historical Sketch
The Revere House Hotel was located in Bowdoin Square in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, from 1847-1912. Built on the site of industrialist Kirk Boott's home as a project of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA), it was named for Paul Revere, a founding member of the group. Two fires at the Revere House Hotel did extensive damage to the premises: one on 16 January 1911, which resulted in the death of three employees of the hotel, and the other on 24 September 1912. The hotel closed as a result of the later fire in 1912.
In April 1844, the MCMA purchased the estate of industrialist Kirk Boott for a meeting hall and trade school. The endeavor proved too expensive, and the organization decided to turn the property into a hotel. Architect William Washburn used part of the former Boott estate in the design of the hotel, which included 250 rooms. The hotel was leased in 1847 to Paran Stevens (1802-1872), who would later become a successful hotelier with hotels in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. In 1854, Frederick W. Lincoln, Jr., Pelham Bonney, John H. Thorndike, and others created a corporation called the Proprietors of the Revere House in order to maintain a hotel in the city of Boston.
Sources
"The Revere House: The West End's Grand Hotel," by the West End Museum. Undated. Accessed February 3, 2025. https://thewestendmuseum.org/history/era/west-boston/the-revere-house-the-west-ends-grand-hotel/
Collection Description
This collection is divided into two series: Administrative records and Volumes. Administrative records include general records pertaining to deeds, contracts, meeting minutes, mortgages and lease agreements, acts of incorporation, scant correspondence, lists of stockholders and proprietors, and annual reports. Earlier records relate to the Revere Association until the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association (MCMA) decided to turn the Boott property into a hotel. Records are then associated with the Proprietors of Revere House. Also included in general records are documents pertaining to the deeding of the Boott estate to the Revere Association/MCMA. Contracts and documentation related to Paran Stevens's leasing of the hotel are also included. Financial records include receipts, stockholder certificates and information, and bills, with a small amount of correspondence.
Series II, Volumes, is primarily comprised of financial ledgers, including account and cash books, waste books, and records of stocks and dividends, largely belonging to the Proprietors of Revere House, but some also belonging to the predecessor group, Revere Association. One volume, an 1879 inventory of furniture and fixtures belonging to the Revere House, is also included.
Processing Information
This collection has been iteratively processed, and this guide supersedes the online inventory created by Michael Rush in July 2003. Further processing may take place at a later date.
Acquisition Information
Gift of U. Haskell Crocker, Milton, Mass., Dec. 1948.
Restrictions on Access
The Revere House (Boston, Mass.) records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
Expand allI. Administrative records, 1797-1907
Arranged chronologically.
This series contains administrative materials related to the Revere House, including general records and financial records.
A. General records, 1797-1905
Arranged chronologically.
Earliest records include a letter from the Suffolk County Registrar of Deeds, dated 5 January 1797, regarding land owned by the Valentine family which was eventually purchased by Kirk Boott for his federal-style mansion. Other records include deeds, work orders for renovations, contracts, annual reports, small amounts of correspondence, meeting minutes, and documentation related to Paran Stevens.
B. Financial records, 1848-1907
Arranged chronologically.
Financial records include receipts, stockholder certificates and information, and bills, with a small amount of correspondence.
1848-1867
1868-1907
II. Volumes, 1835-1902
Arranged chronologically.
This series includes volumes pertaining to the finances of the Proprietors of the Revere House, including stocks and dividends, as well as ledgers of accounts pertaining to the Revere Association. An inventory of furniture in the Revere House from March 1879 depicts the furnishings and contents of each guest room, as well as the pantry, laundry room, kitchen, and bar room.
Stock ledger, 1835-1879
Cash book, 1848-1855
Revere Association cash ledger, 1849-1855
Revere Association dividends ledger, 1850-1855
Revere Association stock ledger, 1850-1855
Proprietors dividend ledger, 1855-1878
Proprietors cash book, 1855-1879
Proprietors waste book, 1855-1879
Receipt book of shares received, 1855-1879
Proprietors dividend ledger, 1856-1879
Inventory of furniture in Revere House, March 1879
Proprietors certificates, 1879-1902
Preferred Citation
Revere House (Boston, Mass.) records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.