Historic New England: Otis House

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A black, white, and dark blue striped header image reading Historic New England Otis House

In August 2023, I took a trip to Boston, MA to visit Otis House, a late 18th century Federal style brick home owned by Historic New England (HNE). Located on Beacon Hill, the house stands back from the road several feet further from its original location, as the building was moved during the widening of the street in 1925. Once called Bowdoin Square, the area is now a bustling road near Boston Common. The house itself has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1971.

Otis House; a three-story federal style red brick mansion with an iron gate protecting the small front yard about six feet above the matching red brick sidewalk Front door of Otis House as seen through the iron gate National Register of Historic Places Plaque for First Harrison Gray Otis House; a black metal plaque on a red brick wall.

Architect Charles Bulfinch designed the mansion for the wealthy Otis family. Bulfinch was a prolific early American designer whose massive government buildings and public works include the United States Capitol Rotunda, the old Connecticut State House, the Massachusetts State House, a renovation of Faneuil Hall, and Boston Common. This Otis House was the first of three houses he built for the family. As for the owners, Harrison Gray Otis already had a successful career as a lawyer, husband, and father of four at age thirty when he hired thirty-three year old Bulfinch, while Sally Foster Otis was twenty-five years old. Both men went on to have successful careers, as Otis became a U.S. Representative, then a Senator, and then the Mayor of Boston.

The dining room at Otis House; a yellow painted dining room with a set table Fireplace in the Dining Room at Otis House; a blue fireplace with white Neoclassical carvings Mantel Clock at Otis House; a round white clock face with a bronze metal frame

Although they loved their house, the Otis family stayed for only five years, moving in after construction in 1796 and moving out to their next Bulfinch build in 1801. This began a chain of owners who ranged from architectural enthusiasts to quack doctors to renters. The Osborn family bought the house from the Otis family, sold it in 1807 to buy the second home of the Otis family — the Otises themselves were already on their third home at that point — and then sold the second home to buy back the first home in 1814. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, the Osborn family kept up with the Otises. In any case, the family patriarch and successful paint merchant John Osborn died in 1819. While his daughter, Catherine Osborn, kept the house for a few years, she sold it apparently in pieces in 1822. For the next twelve years, information on the house was spotty.

Portraits of Harrison Gray Otis and Sally Foster Otis hung above the red couch at Otis House Decorative Blue Fireplace at Otis House Wooden Table with a Harp-Shaped Leg and a Custom Made Otis Family Punch Bowl on Top

The quack doctors arrived in 1834 as husband-and-wife team Dr. Richard Dixon Mott and Mrs. Elizabeth Mott, who sold “champoo” baths to ladies. While Mrs. Mott was described as “celebrated Female Physician”, and wrote her own book, Ladies’ Medical Oracle: or Mrs. Mott’s Advice to Young Females, Wives and Mothers, which featured an illustration of Otis House, she somehow did not receive the same title as her husband. The doctor duo inspired a young schoolteacher Dr. Harriot Kezia Hunt, who I first learned about because of her friendship with my favorite 19th century human rights activist, Abby Kelley Foster. Dr. Hunt took a more scientific approach to medicine and also spoke at the first National Women’s Rights Convention, held in 1850 in Worcester, MA. As an added bonus, Dr. Hunt wins today’s best name, as her middle name means cinnamon in Hebrew. Back to the main subject of this post, Dr. Mott died in 1835, and Mrs. Mott moved to New York City, ending the business at Otis House.

Banjo Clock with a Harp-Shaped Body at Otis House Second Story Window Looking onto the Street; a yellow curtain drapes the top of the window Replica of a Portrait of Young Sally Foster Otis; a young White woman with brown hair wearing a white dress Needlepoint Picture Hung over a Blue Painted Fireplace; the picture depicts a pastoral scene
Yellow Upholstered Chair with an Oval-Shaped Portrait of Sally Foster Otis Four-Poster Bed at Otis House; the bed ruffle, quilt, and canopy are yellow Round Decorative Mirror Hung above an Ornately Carved and Painted Fireplace; the mirror features a metal eagle on top Uncovered Red Brick Oven; a portion of wall left unrestored with signage indicating the oven

For the rest of its time as a regular residence, Otis House was home to renters. Income levels of the residents declined with each decade. In the 1850s, the building was known as a “genteel boarding house”, but by the 1900s, it was a tenement. William Sumner Appleton, Jr., founder of Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), the precursor to HNE, arrived on the scene in 1916. He seemed particularly unhappy that the property was called Benoth Israel Sheltering Home and helped Jewish Bostonians. Anti-Semitism was widespread at the time, and Appleton’s dislike of non-Anglo-Saxons spread to Italian immigrants as well, evidenced by a similar effort he made to evict renters from Boardman House in Saugus, MA. Appleton bought Otis House, evicted its residents, and spent four years fundraising during World War I to have the house renovated. During the 1920s, Appleton purchased and subsequently demolitioned newer houses around the building, along with moving Otis House to accommodate the widening of the main road. To this day, HNE continues to preserve, restore, and modify the house. Since 2022, HNE has planned to work with local architectural firm NADAAA to improve visitor experiences on the property.

Grand Staircase at Otis House; a whitewashed staircase with varnished wood banister. The steps are overlaid with a sea green carpet. Sitting Room Table and Chairs Set; lacquered table and chairs with yellow cushions Harp in the Music Room at Otis House

Otis House is open on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the regular season from June through October. Tours leave on the hour between 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and last about sixty minutes. Tickets are standard HNE home pricing at $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and students, $7 for children, and $0 for HNE members (like me!). Parking in Boston can be crazy, but convenient metered parking is available on nearby residential side streets. Like most historic houses, Otis House is not accessible to those using a wheelchair, and the stairs may be tricky for those with limited mobility, but future renovations hope to remediate this issue. Meanwhile, Otis House has an excellent self-guided virtual tour, allowing visitors to explore rooms and study furniture in high resolution. This house tour is a great option for people who love history but have “done everything else” in Boston.


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 7/10



Location: 141 Cambridge St, Boston, MA 02114, USA