Community input is being sought as a long anticipated public-private partnership gets underway to design what could be the first step in reclaiming a pedestrian and bicycle route between the Emerald Necklace and Charles River Esplanade displaced by highway construction a half century ago. The Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation, in partnership with the...
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Boston’s ‘Circle the City’ Selected as a Signature Urban
Project Circle The City, an open-streets project connecting people to parks, has been selected as a 2012 Signature Urban Project of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative (AGO). Circle The City’s (CTC) open streets project will connect people to parks and is intended to increase park use and equity of access for vulnerable populations....
City Wins Truck Ban; To Take Effect June 13
The city has won its fight with MassDot, the state’s transportation authority, which has ruled that trucks carrying hazardous materials will be banned from Boston’s streets between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. They will instead be forced to use Interstate 95 around the city, unless making a local pickup or delivery. Mayor Thomas Menino...
NSTAR, Again
In March, a fire at an electrical sub-station in Back Bay caused a costly and potentially dangerous electrical outage for much of Back and parts of Beacon Hill. About 21,000 NSTAR electric customers were without electricity for two days. An unrepentant NSTAR said then it would not reimburse businesses of residential consumers for their...
Measuring Success
Arborist Chuck Sherzi Jr. pours water into a device used to simulate rainfall. He was hired to conduct an assessment of the health of the soil one year after the Landscape Restoration Project on the Hereford Street block of the Mall. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee should have his report in about 6 weeks.
Attention to Detail
LAST WEEK’S ANSWER The oriel window in last week’s clue is on 131 Beacon Street which was built in 1861 as a single family home. It was converted to a lodging house in 1948 and then to a Fisher College dormitory in the 1960s. The college attempted to change the use to classrooms in...
Boston Harbor Hotel Presents ‘Summer in the City’ Series
Savor the beautiful New England summer with relaxing evenings of complimentary entertainment provided by the five-star Boston Harbor Hotel. Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening throughout the summer, the Boston Harbor Hotel invites guests to gather at the Rowes Wharf Sea Grille’s harbor side terrace to enjoy live music and take in the...
Swans Return to Public Garden
The return of the swans to the Public Garden is one of those rights of spring that makes life worth living, especially if you transit through the Public Garden for your morning walk to work. The return of the swans following a winter at the Franklin Park Zoo is just what the doctor ordered....
Police Briefs 05-08-2012
April 23 289 Marlborough St. – Towed Motor Vehicle 360 Newbury St – Larceny Shoplifting $200 & Over Larceny Shoplifting $200 & Over April 24 258 Marlborough St. – Towed Motor Vehicle 425 Boylston St. – Property – Missing 342 Newbury St. – Larceny, Shoplifting, $50 to $199 535 Boylston St. – Disturbing the...
Across the Decades
From the Public Garden you can look across decades of Back Bay architecture. From left to right: the old Hancock Tower (1947), the new Hancock Tower (1972-1975), 222 Berkeley Street (1991), Arlington Street Church (1859-1861), 399 Boylston Street (1982-1984).
Attention to Detail
LAST WEEK’S ANSWER The leader head in last week’s clue is on 213 Commonwealth Avenue, built in 1881 and designed by Peabody and Stearns. A leader, is a box designed to conduct stormwater runoff into downpipes. Some are plain and utiltarian and some are little design jewels adding personality to a structure. Do you...
Julia’s Opens New Office in Woburn; Free Appraisals Being Offered May 4-5
James D. Julia Auctioneers, based on annual sales, is one of the top 10 antique auction companies in North America. Having been in business for approximately 45 years, it has developed a reputation, which is recognized across North America and throughout the world. In recent years the business has grown dramatically and a decision...
Back Bay and Beacon Hill Leaders Elected as Officers of Boston Ward 5 Dem. Committee
The Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee on April 10 reorganized according to state law and elected officers. Joshua Dawson of the Back Bay was re-elected chairman of the group. Frances Burke, James Livingstone, Ross Levanto and Greg Timilty, all of Beacon Hill, were elected first vice chairperson, second vice chairperson, secretary and treasurer, respectively....
Everything is Sprouting
Despite the recent chill in the air, everything green and colorful coming out of the ground all over the hill, is sprouting brilliantly. Everywhere you look, whether a flowerbox, a spit of grass, a row of trees and budding bushes like those lining Commonwealth Ave. are something to behold. There are a few brilliant...
The Brilliance of Budding Beauty Versus the Deadly Nightly Cold
There is a great battle being fought by everything gentle, colorful and gorgeous that has been coming out of the ground and blooming or coming near to it. That battle is about life and death between what is blooming or trying to bloom and the recent spate of nightly cold which causes death to...
Boston Landmark
Saturday’s sunshine brought out playmates for the splash fountain at the Christian Science Center. This water feature received Boston Landmark status in 2011.
Attention to Detail
LAST WEEK’S ANSWER The doorway in last week’s clue is on 4 Marlborough Street, built about 1864. By the early 1900s this, like many area properties, had become a lodging house. In 1959, Boston politician Louise Day Hicks, became part owner of this building. She was best known for her opposition to busing students...
Ward 5 Republicans Elect Officers, Add New Members
The Boston Ward 5 Republican Committee elected five members to its executive board and added nine new regular members. Joining Brad Marston, chairman; Stephen Jeffries, treasurer; and Catherine-Mary Donovan, secretary, are Connie Irwin and John Herbert Sullivan as vice chairs. The addition of the nine new members brings the committee up to its full...
Spring Rain, Finally
In an odd way, the heavy rain that lashed much of the East Coast late Sunday evening and Monday felt good. The rain soaked nearly everything outside and in such a way that some of us believed we could feel a collective sigh of relief coming from plants and everything living and trying to...
Police Briefs 04-24-2012
From Boston Police Area D-4 Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon – Other 04/11/12 – At about 1:39 p.m., officers made an on-site arrest of an individual for assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon to wit shod foot at Newbury and Dartmouth streets. Officers were on patrol in an unmarked...
In For The Marathon
Having a good Fairfield Street perch to watch the runners on Boylston Street was this winged friend. The wild turkey made quite a few residents do a double take on Monday morning.
Attention To Detail
LAST WEEK’S ANSWER The doorway in last week’s clue is on 254 Commonwealth Avenue. This Ruskin Gothic style home was designed by George Avery and built in 1879. In 1943, it was converted to a “residence with 10 guests.” In 1977, it was legalized as eight apartments and two years later reduced to four....
David Bond: Neighbor and Jazzman
For some Back Bay residents, the upcoming Jazz Week is a once-a-year opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of jazz. For Marlborough Street resident David Bond, jazz is a full-time profession. Performing, composing, or teaching– jazz is part of his days and nights. Inspired by Coltrane Bond was a political science major when...
Preparation for the Marathon
The Marathon Sports store at the Boston Marathon finish line is a prime example of “location, location, location.” While the placement of the store is a natural advantage for reaching serious runners, the business is also part of a walking neighborhood and serves residents who walk many miles a day and want to protect...