Charles Bulfinch (1763-1844) is regarded by many as the first native-born American to practice architecture as a profession. That distinction is also claimed for Robert Mills. His works include the original rotunda and dome of the U.S. Capitol while serving as the Commissioner of Public Building in Washington, D.C. from 1817 to 1830. Most of his career was spent in his native Boston and nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bulfinch's education included graduation from Harvard University in 1781, and with a Masters in 1784, and a grand tour of Europe from 1785-1787. Thomas Jefferson became something of a mentor in Europe, as he would later be to Robert Mills. His works include the Tontine Crescent (demolished), fashioned after John Wood's Royal Crescent; various houses built for Harrison Grey Otis which so impressed U.S. President James Monroe that he invited Bulfinch to Washington; the state capitols of both Connecticut and Massachusetts; and University Hall at Harvard.