From the Archives: Boston Public Library Courtyard Renovations
In 1982, the courtyard in the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library on Boyston Street was in need of maintenance and enhancement. The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s then-President, the late Patsy Boyce, designed the garden, worked with Robert Van Gelder of Capizzi & Co. to arrange for the installation. The quoted prices from the contractor will be of interest to those of you who have worked with landscapers recently:
Fertilize pachysandra beds (already existing) and provide three sprays of linseed oil – $320
Prepare all planting beds, weed and rake paths, level soil where needed and fertilize with aged bovine manure – $582
Mulch planting beds with pine bark mulch – $535
Pick up plants, deliver and install – $913
Plant material (2 Taxus cuspidata ‘Nana’ – 2 more were already in place, 1 Acer palmatum- 3 other already in place, 5 Azalea poukhanense for each parterre, 4 Cotoneaster apiculata, privet ligustrum obtusifolium, and pink, salmon and white impatiens) – $1,647
Total – $3,997
At that period, the Garden Club assets totaled approximately $4,700, so this was a major expenditure for us. Although subsequent Library renovations recreated the garden in a manner thought to be more historically accurate, the shady, flower filled garden provided much enjoyment to Library patrons for over 20 years.
