Faneuil << FAN uhl or FAN yuhl >>, Peter (1700-1743), a Boston merchant, built Faneuil Hall for Boston as a public market and meeting place. It was completed in 1742. Fire gutted the hall in 1761, and repairs were completed in 1763. Faneuil Hall now has historical paintings and a military museum. A huge grasshopper weather vane on top of the building has become a Boston landmark. The hall became known as the Cradle of Liberty because of the historic meetings there in the years leading up to the American Revolution (1775-1783).
Faneuil was born on June 20, 1700, in New Rochelle, New York, and moved to Boston at the age of 12 to live with an uncle. He inherited his uncle’s fortune in 1738. Faneuil died on March 3, 1743. See also Boston (Downtown Boston).
