This summer is the last opportunity to experience the interiors of Otis House before Historic New England embarks on an exciting multi-year restoration and visitor enhancement project.
When complete, the project will transform the way visitors experience Otis House as a place of year-round discovery, and as an anchor for community programming and youth education. Comprehensive accessibility upgrades and restoration will expand opportunities for storytelling and dynamic exhibition space across four floors, according to a press release .
As the last surviving mansion on Bowdoin Square in Boston’s West End, Otis House offers a rare glimpse into the city’s early history. Designed by Charles Bulfinch for Harrison Gray Otis and Sally Foster Otis, the house is considered one of the finest examples of Federal-style architecture in the United States.
On a guided tour, visitors discover the lives of the Otis family, explore the home’s fascinating evolution from elegant residence to clinic and boarding house, and experience beautifully restored interiors featuring vibrant wallpapers, period furnishings, and decorative finishes—all recreated through meticulous historical and scientific research.
The Last tour day is Sunday, Aug. 30, and tours will be held until then on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is $15 for adults; $13 for seniors and students; $7 children; and free for Historic New England member Otis House tours include stairs, limited seating, and no air conditioning
Tickets and details can be found at: HistoricNewEngland.org/Property/Otis-House
Meanwhile, Otis House is also offering a ‘Health and Medicine on Beacon Hill’ walking tour on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Otis House.
Explore histories of health and healing in 19th-century Boston on this new walking tour. Starting at Otis House and winding through the streets of Beacon Hill, you’ll discover how residents navigated medical care and how that care evolved over time. Meet intriguing figures like Elizabeth Mott, whose alternative treatments drew patients to the area, and trailblazing physicians such as Harriot Kezia Hunt and Rebecca Lee Crumpler, who challenged barriers in education and care. This tour offers a glimpse into the people and practices that shaped Boston’s medical past.
Admission is $20 each for Historic New England members and $25 each for nonmembers.
Visit https://www.historicnewengland.org/visit/events/?start_date=2026-08-22&event_location=otis-house for more information.