Massachusetts General Hospital, Bulfinch Building - Boston, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 21.798 W 071° 04.076
19T E 329712 N 4692185
The Bulfinch Building, the original building of the Massachusetts General Hospital, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The address of the Massachusetts General Hospital is at 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA.
Waymark Code: WM115G4
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/19/2019
Views: 1
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The Bulfinch Building of the Massachusetts General Hospital is a rare example of a large American early 19th-century city hospital. The hospital has grown to become one of the world's foremost medical institutions in the world.
The hospital was founded in 1799 when a $5,000 bequest was made to establish a city hospital in Boston. The original hospital building was designed by the noted architect Charles Bulfinch. The building was constructed of Chelmsford granite in the Greek Revival style and opened in 1821. The building is still used today, and houses specialized offices for the hospital.
The building is symmetrical with the Ether Dome in the center. Below the dome is the original entrance. A series of stair lead up to a portico which is surrounded by eight Ionic columns. To the left and right are the office wings of the building, each having three levels of windows. The building is located at the end of a landscaped courtyard surrounded by the newer towering buildings of the Massachusetts General Hospital.
The Ether Dome in the center of the building is of particular interest. It contains an operating room and gallery. More than 8,000 operations were performed in this theater from 1821 to 1868. It was here that ether was first successfully used as an anesthetic during surgery. This operating room became known as the Ether Dome. Today the Ether Dome is a medical museum which houses a variety of medical artifacts and curiosities.
Both the Bulfinch Building, for its architecture and engineering, and the Ether Dome, for its historic events, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.