Youth's Companion Building

Boston, United States

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

The Youth's Companion Building at 209 Columbus Avenue in Boston is a five-story Romanesque Revival structure completed in 1892 by architects Henry W. Hartwell and William Cummings Richardson. Built by Daniel Ford for his magazine of the same name, the building is historically significant as the birthplace and publishing home of the Pledge of Allegiance. Constructed of brown sandstone and matching brick, the imposing structure features characteristically round arches, squat columns, and heavily recessed arched doorways across its street facade. A monumental entry arch leads to a two-story vestibule lined with heavily carved oak furnishings. The building's interior employed oak woodwork throughout and incorporated natural light via expansive windows and skylights. When occupied by The Youth's Companion until 1915, the building housed the editorial offices, art department, subscription and advertising departments, premium and mailing facilities, and a comprehensive reference library drawing from over 200 magazines worldwide. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.