The Massachusetts State House was built between 1795 and 1797 on Beacon Hill and overlooks the Boston Common. The site, a pasture owned by John Hancock was lowered 50 ft for the construction of the State House. The self-taught architect Charles Bulfinch based his design for the state house on the Somerset House in London. The building's front features an elevated portico with a series of Corinthian columns. The red brick facade was painted white in 1825 and remained painted until 1928 when the bricks were exposed again.
