The tavern where Washington met Lafayette

If you want to stand exactly where the most important arguments of the 18th century happened, you have to look past the fact that this building is a 1970s replica. The current structure opened in 1976 for the Bicentennial.

Back in 1772, Samuel Powel handed the land to seven wealthy citizens who built the original tavern on a subscription model. It was pricey - over £3,000 - but it worked. John Adams called it the most genteel tavern in America. It served as a favorite meeting place for members of the First Continental Congress and the Founding Fathers.

In 1774, more than 200 men gathered in the gallery of the building to respond to a request for assistance from Bostonians. In 1777, the first Fourth of July celebration was held at the building. That same year, General George Washington first met the Marquis de Lafayette at City Tavern. Eventually, a fire on March 22, 1834, partially destroyed the building, and the original remains were completely demolished by 1854.

The replica functioned as a restaurant for decades, operated by chef Walter Staib from 1994 until the pandemic forced a shutdown in late 2020. The National Park Service put the property up for a new lease in 2022.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons