On a Saturday in May, 1980, The Garden Club of the Back Bay invited the public to An Afternoon in Victorian Boston, a tour of houses covering living styles from 1880 to 1980. The first house on the itinerary was, of course, The Gibson House, a living Victorian Museum, with additional access to the garden of late Treasurer Irene Pitz. Then participants were to walk to a contemporary home, roof garden and famous “Bagel Garden” of the SWA Group, Landscape Architects, followed by a peek at the first floor and conservatory of the Webster-Ames Mansion and tea on the Mall. The proceeds were allocated to the restoration of the interior courtyard of the Boston Public Library. The extraordinary price of this afternoon was $5.
