The Shaw House

Write about a huge building in your world. Who built it and why?
The Shaw house is a large townhouse, purchased with new money. The Shaw family are first-generation aristocrats, with large parts of their money being made in Sugar and Tobacco. Mr. Shaw (TJ) is a business partner with Mr. Bowman (BS). Although the Shaw's are well-to-do and have a large newer home and many modern conveniences, his goal is to establish the family as part of the backbone of the city (1).
The Shaw townhouse was commissioned and built specifically for Crawford Shaw. It was specifically intended to be the largest of its kind. Given the size of his family, and the probability that it will not grow beyond its current size, he doesn't need a larger house, but intends to acquire a large estate which is part of his plan around the land acquisition. 
Mr. Bowman largely manages their holdings in New Orleans while Crawford manages the import-export portion of the business from Boston. Crawford also doesn't have a daughter who would otherwise marry one of Mr. Bowman's sons to merge the two families and strengthen their respective families' bonds. 
At five stories, Shaw house is the largest in the state and the first one of its kind. Many others were built after as a competition of status symbols. Despite the fall of the designer and commissioner of the house, it remained at the forefront of society in Boston and often sported lavish parties. The extravagance and notoriety of the proprietress were nearly enough to overshadow the scandal that swallowed the place.
The basement, the sixth floor isn't often counted as it housed the kitchens, servents, and additional storage. The attic provided additional storage and housing for the female servants. Sabina shaw kept a room on the second floor, Crawford on the third, Franklin on the second, and Christopher and Phillip kept their rooms on the fourth floor. 
Most of the additional guest rooms were closed up even while the Shaw family was in residence, however, the house bosted several libraries, which were a particular pet of the patriarch Crawford, whether or not he read the books, he collected them as a status symbol. He intended to have each library filled in what would have taken previous generations centuries to collect. 
Although unusual, the house does not have a garden but does possess a conservatory, on the back of the house on the fourth floor, a kind of hothouse and the first of its kind. 

Notes:  TJ - Twisted Jane BS - Black-eyed Susan
Given the nature of the work of fiction, I have taken some liberties with the size of the house, location, design, and time period of construction. 
1. Crawford Shaw intends to become embedded in real estate, manufacturing and would like to break into steel. He also sees his sons marrying into well-to-do families. This is where his plan conflicts with his own actions and relationships. He is aware of Christopher and Phillip's lifestyles but doesn't so much care aside from the way it impacts his plans.

Type

House, Large