At the end of Pleasant Street, turn left on State Street and head down toward Market Square. Walk on the far side of the street. Look across at the brick Federal commercial buildings. On the roofs, there are fire stop walls between each building, showing a strong awareness of the importance of fireproofing after the fire of 1811. The fire destroyed several hundred buildings in the area, and the value of the property loss was estimated at 81 million. On June 14, 1811, the General Court (the State legislature) passed "An Act to secure the town of Newburyport from damage by fire," decreeing that henceforth all buildings in the Market Square district be made of brick or stone. This accounts for the remarkable architectural uniformity of the area.

Cross Essex Street and continue along State Street. In this block, look at the doorways and windows in the second and third store fronts. These retain the original cast iron pilasters, which allowed the store fronts to open up for the first time to take large plate glass windows for display areas. On the second store front, Corinthian pilasters are barely visible behind the large sign.

Now look across the street again at the row of brick buildings beginning with the one with the rounded corner. The focal point of this complex is the Phoenix Building in the middle. It is, therefore, more formal, with a large formal window in the center of rise third floor. The word "Phoenix," which refers to the Phoenix Insurance Company, is barely visible on the oval marble plaque inset.

As you walk, look up at the buildings next to you, at the granite piers and lintels and painted brick cornice. These predate the cast iron pilasters seen earlier.