The house (1796) was the creation of two men who permanently influenced Boston's urban landscape: architect Charles Bulfinch and Harrison Gray Otis, lawyer, speculator and politician. The first of three houses Bulfinch designed for Otis on Beacon Hill, this Federal-style dwelling reflects the refined taste of the upper classes during the early years of the Republic. A second-story Palladian window softens the facade. Exquisite period furniture, ornate moldings, hand-blocked borders and a freestanding staircase adorn the interior. The house serves both as a museum and as the headquarters of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Founded in 1910, the society administers 36 house museums in five states.