Biographical Note
Born into an affluent Boston family in 1763, Charles Bulfinch was educated at Harvard College. Following his graduation, he traveled in Europe. Financial reversals required Bulfinch to earn a living, which he did primarily as a politician and civil servant and secondarily as an architect. Bulfinch spent most of his life in Boston, where he had a significant influence on the architecture. His projects there include Hollis Street Church, Tontine Crescent, Massachusetts State House, and New North (now St. Stephen's) Church. In 1818 Bulfinch moved to Washington, D.C. to assume the position of Architect of the Capitol. During the 12 years that Bulfinch lived in Washington, D.C., he worked on finishing the Capitol, building the First Unitarian Church and a federal penitentiary for the city, as well as designing the Maine State House, his final commission.