Shortly after the house was built, its owner Thomas Amory met financial trouble and subsequently sold the property. The building was then "enlarged, and divided into 4 dwellings, whereof 2 had entrances on Beacon Street. The other 2 fronted on Park Street. When Lafayette visited Boston in 1824, he stayed at the Amory house. "Soon after his arrival General Lafayette appeared upon the balcony above the entrance of the Amory mansion, to receive the greetings of the populace. He was escorted on either side by Governor William Eustis and by the former Governor John Brooks, each wearing Continental uniforms.... On the evening of August 30, 1824, Lafayette held a reception in his apartments at the Amory house; and this function was attended by many prominent ladies of Boston. "In 1885 the entire structure was given over to trade, and to-day it is the abode of many firms in various lines of business."
Architecture
Around 1804, architect Charles Bulfinch designed the entirety of Park Street, including the Amory mansion. The building represents an example of Federal architecture. Its "enriched window caps" typify the style, with "a carved eagle in the center panel and a not-convincingly-well-done bracket of the inverted acanthus leaf type at either extremity of the cap, but with a beautiful thin cornice which, when repeated in a series of 5 windows... forms a very beautiful feature." The original structure has been altered over time. Around 1885 it was "remodeled... with 2-story Queen Anne-inspired oriel windows of black-painted pressed metal and fanciful dormers on the Park Street roofline" and "a set of black metal shop fronts that reach out and down to the falling sidewalk..." By 2008, "the once great mansion stands barely recognizable, although the basic brick volume and Adam entrance portico with fanlight and curving granite steps are more or less intact. Many ground-floor shop extensions have been added, along with Queen Anne-style oriel windows and dormers on the upper floors. Though out of character, the Victorian predations had a certain disheveled charm when they were filled with odd antiques, curiosity shops, and tearooms." Businesses that occupied the building's storefronts over the years have included Trefry & Partridge Jewelers, Ann's Breakfast & Sandwiches restaurant, Fill-A-Buster restaurant, Au Bon Pain, a Cheers merchandise store, Curious Liquids coffeehouse, and currently No. 9 Park Street restaurant and a WFXT TV studio. 2014 renovations of the building yielded original eastern white pine interior sheathing boards, which were re-milled by a nearby reclaimed lumber company.
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