Boston Flora

Tag: Beacon Street

  • From the Archives: The Trees of Beacon Street

    A letter went out to the residents of Beacon Street in 1910, from a citizens committee chaired by Mrs. F. T. Lord, from the Committee of the Metropolitan Improvement League (whose members included Frederick Law Olmsted,) and from the Secretary of the Massachusetts Forestry Association, Mr. Irving T. Guild. The letter is excerpted below:

    “A year ago a committee of residents of Beacon Street met with delegates of the Metropolitan Improvement League and the Massachusetts Forestry Association to consider the planting of a row of trees on either side of Beacon Street between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue. A strong sentiment in favor of tree-planting had previously been shown by a house-to-house canvass by ladies of this committee. As a result of this meeting, Mr. Arthur A. Shurtleff, the well-known landscape architect and tree expert, was requested to make a complete study of the situation and to present a full report…

    The undersigned committee recommend that Mr. Shurtleff’s plan be adopted and the details of the undertaking be placed in his hands as architect. To do this will cost approximately $12,000, or an average of $34 per house, there being 352 houses between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

    It is desirable that the work of preparing the pits be done during the summer months, when most of the residents will be away and when the work can be done more cheaply.  The planting should be done either in November or April, better in the latter month…

    Will you not contribute toward this well-considered, desirable, and permanent improvement of Beacon Street?  Cheques may be made payable and sent to R.G. Wadsworth, 323 Beacon Street.  If enough money is not raised, the cheques will be returned.  The committee wish to point out that as all the 352 houses between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue are not occupied by permanent residents, it is hoped that those who are especially interested in the plan will not limit their contributions to any arbitrary sum. On the other hand, small contributions from any one interested will be very welcome.  Should more money than is necessary for the actual planting be obtained, this excess will be used for the future care of the trees.”

    This project was a successful early example of crowdfunding.  Thomas High, in his invaluable site www.backbayhouses.org, notes that Dr. Wadsworth was a physician who lived and maintained his office at 323 Beacon Street. Noted artist Polly Thayer Starr also resided there, and the building is now a lodging house. Picture below is from 1870, of a treeless Beacon Street looking west from Arlington Street.

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  • From the Archives: A Letter to the Residents of Beacon Street

    The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s pruning of the historic linden trees continues.  Below is the text of a letter to the residents of Beacon Street from 1909 or 1910, the original of which is at the Boston Athenaeum.  In the following days we will share some follow-up correspondence on the matter of the Beacon Street trees.

    “To the Residents of Beacon Street:

    A year ago a committee of residents of Beacon Street met with delegates of the Metropolitan Improvement League and the Massachusetts Forestry Association to consider the planting of a row of trees on either side of Beacon Street between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue.  A strong sentiment in favor of tree-planting had previously been shown by a house-to-house canvass by ladies of this committee.  As a result of this meeting, Mr. Arthur A. Shurtleff, a well-known landscape architect and tree expert, was requested to make a complete study of the situation and to present a full report.

    The undersigned committee recommend that Mr. Shurleff’s plan be adopted and the details of the undertaking be placed in his hands as architect.  To do this will cost approximately $12,000, or an average of $34 per house, there being 352 houses between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

    It is desirable that the work of preparing the pits be done during the summer months, when most of the residents will be away and when the work can be done more cheaply. The planting should be done either in November or April, better in the latter month.  If the pits can be prepared this coming summer the planting can be done next November or April.  Otherwise a whole year will be lost.  It is therefore hoped that the necessary sum can be raised before June 1, 1910.

    Will you not contribute toward this well-considered, desirable, and permanent improvement of Beacon Street?

    Cheques may be made payable and sent to R.G. Wadsworth, 323 Beacon Street.  If enough money is not raised, the cheques will be returned.  The committee wish to point out that as all the 352 houses between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue are not occupied by permanent residents, it is hoped that those who are especially interested in the plan will not limit their contributions to any arbitrary sum.  On the other hand, small contributions from any one interested will be very welcome.  Should more money than is necessary for the actual planting be obtained, this excess will be used for the future care of the trees.

    Mrs. Frederick T. Lord, Chairman

    Mrs. Harold J. Coolidge, Mrss. Charles W. Amory, Mrs. Elbridge G. Cutler, Miss Eloise L. Derby, Mrs. Paul Revere Frothingham, Miss Anna H. Niles, Mrs. R.G. Wadsworth, Miss Katherine C. Pierce, Mrs. T.J. Bowker, Hon. Eben S. Draper, Mr. Frank L. Higginson, Mr. Henry P. King, Mr. Charles A. Stone, Mr. Ralph B. Williams, and Dr. Richard G. Wadsworth, Committee of Beacon Street Residents

    Mr. Sylvester Baxter, Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted, and Mr. W.W. Churchill, Committee of Metropolitan Improvement League

    Mr. Irving T. Guild, Secretary of Massachusetts Forestry Association”

    Of course, we’re still raising money for the trees.  For those who are interested in contributing to the pruning project, click “Donate” on our website today.  The image below is of Beacon Street near Carlton Street in Brookline, looking west.

    http://lalh.org//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Fig006.jpg_520.jpg

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  • Thursday, January 26, 2:00 pm – Beacon Street: Its Buildings & Residents

    Join historian Robert E. Guarino on a nostalgic journey down a highway of history when he discusses his new book Beacon Street: Its Buildings & Residents, at the Boston Public Library’s Rabb Lecture Hall, 700 Boylston Street, on Thursday, January 26 at 2 pm. The grand mansions and the elegant attached row houses of Beacon Street are the homes of Boston’s elite and a backdrop for the city’s long history. The iconic street is crowned with Charles Bulfinch’s magnificent 1798 Massachusetts Statehouse overlooking the legendary Boston Common, where the British occupiers trained and cows once roamed freely. Historian Robert E. Guarino deftly narrates the development of the street, from its expansion as land from the top of Mount Vernon extended its length to Horace Gray’s efforts in 1837 to found the Public Garden. Join Guarino as he takes a fascinating and nostalgic journey down the historic and storied highway of Beacon Street.  Mr. Guarino, currently a resident of Vermont, is a trustee of the Vermont Historical Society.

  • Thursday, February 24, 5:30 pm – A Virtual Walk Down Beacon Street

    Gibson House Museum Executive Director Charles Swift is the featured speaker at a program hosted by the Gibson House Museum on Thursday, February 24, 2011 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Although the weather outside might be frightful, it’s still possible to take a stroll down one of Boston’s most famous streets. Sit in the Gibson House Museum’s beautiful Music Room as Mr. Swift takes you on a virtual trip down Beacon Street in this illustrated lecture, covering over three hundred years of buildings, families, and history, starting at the corner of Beacon and Tremont streets and heading out into the Back Bay.

    The Gibson House Museum is the only museum in Back Bay, preserved as it was lived in by three generations of the Gibson family (1859-1954). Opened as a museum in 1957, the house tells the story of daily life in the Back Bay from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century. The Museum also displays its collection of Victorian and Edwardian decorative arts. The Gibson House Museum is located at 137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116.

    Free for Gibson House Museum members, $10 non-members. Reservations recommended. Please RSVP to 617-267-6338 or info@thegibsonhouse.org to reserve a space. Space is limited.  Photo below by Eric Hill.

  • Saturday, June 26, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Brookline’s Secret Stairways and Paths: A Walking Tour

    During the late 19th century, a network of pedestrian paths and walks was constructed in Brookline to facilitate the passage of citizens up and down Corey and Aspinwall Hills to the new Beacon Street Boulevard where there was a streetcar line.  Beacon Street, widened in 1887 according to plans drawn up by Frederick Law Olmsted, afforded such easy access to Boston that mansions were built for wealthy families abutting the stylish street.  On this walking tour of the paths, your guide from Brookline Adult and Community Education will cover all the stairs and terraces that comprise the great circuit of pedestrian walks, from Summit Path all the way to Beaconsfield Path ending at the MBTA Beaconsfield station. The history of the paths and the surrounding architecture, and the story of the lost paths will be recounted. This is a long, strenuous walk that covers several miles of primarily stairs, but participants may drop out at any point along the way and hop onto the Green Line to return home. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a bottle of water.  Call 617-730-2700 to register.  Fee is $25, plus a $6 registration fee if you have not registered for another course with Brookline Adult Ed this semester.  Meet at the intersection of Washington Street and Beacon Street in Brookline.  Register on-line if you wish at www.brooklineadulted.org.

  • Sunday, December 13, 1:00 – 3:00 pm – Gibson House Museum Holiday Open House

    The Gibson House Museum  invites you to its Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 13, from 1 – 3 pm.

    The Gibson House Museum is the only museum in Back Bay, preserved as it was lived in by three generations of the Gibson family (1859-1954).  Opened as a museum in 1957, the house tells the story of daily life in the Back Bay from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century.  The Museum also displays its collection of Victorian and Edwardian decorative arts. The Gibson House Museum is located at 137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116 (between Arlington and Berkeley Streets.)

    There will be tours on the hour of the house decorated for the holidays as it would have been decorated in the time of the Gibson Family’s residence. Light, seasonal refreshments will be served.  Free.  For more information call 617-267-6338, or email info@thegibsonhouse.org.

    http://www.angel-guide.com/images/victorian-christmas-card-victorian-angel-1.jpg

  • Blooming Irises on Beacon Street

    Our member Calla Jean Schaefer-Adams took this beautiful shot of irises blooming profusely in front of her home on Beacon Street – in December!  Did somebody call Al Gore?

  • Tuesday, November 10, noon – 1 pm – Walk to the Sea

    Join the Boston Harbor Association’s Vivien Li for a tour of the “Norman B. Leventhal Walk to the Sea” on Tuesday, November 10, from noon to one pm.  The mile long walking tour encompasses four centuries of Boston history, extending from Beacon Hill to Long Wharf.  Meet in front of the State House on Beacon Street.  The tour is free, but reservations are recommended.  You may call 617-482-1722. or email mail@tbha.org.

    The Boston Harbor Association  is a non-profit, public interest organization founded in 1973 by the League of Women Voters and the Boston Shipping Association to promote a clean, alive and accessible Boston Harbor. TBHA brings together diverse interests — harbor users, environmentalists, developers, waterfront businesses, and decision makers — to develop balanced solutions for maritime industrial activities, commercial development, environmental protection, and public access around Boston Harbor. For more information on their activities, log on to www.tbha.org.

    http://k41.pbase.com/u39/terraxplorer/upload/31960836.LongWharf.1.jpg

  • Sunday, November 15, 3:00 – 5:00 pm – Victorian Flower Arranging with Donna Morrissey


    Victorian Flower Arranging with Donna Morrissey

    Presented by The Gibson House

    Sunday, November 15

    3:00 – 5:00 pm

    The College Club, 44 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

    Assorted fine teas, iced tea, mint lemonade, petite tea sandwiches,

    fresh fruit, mini scones, tea breads and tea cookies will be served.

    Tickets are $65.00**

    Seating is limited.  Reservations are required.

    RSVP: 617-267-6338 or email info@thegibsonhouse.org.


    Donna Morrissey is a Master Flower Show Judge and former Chairman for Judges Council of National Garden Clubs.

    She is a Senior Associate of the Museum of Fine Arts and a Floral Designer and Design Instructor at the MFA.

    Donna is a member of the Garden Club of the Back Bay and the Wareham Garden Club. She is a popular presenter of Floral Design Programs and Workshops and has her own floral design business, Chestnut Hill Celebrations.

    The Gibson House Museum is the only museum in Back Bay, preserved as it was lived in by three generations of the Gibson family (1859-1954). The house opened as a museum in 1957, and tells the story of daily life in the Back Bay during the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries.  The Museum also displays its collection of Victorian and Edwardian decorative arts.
    The Gibson House Museum is located at 137 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02116. For more information, log on to www.thegibsonhouse.org.
    **The Gibson House is a Massachusetts not-for-profit corporation. All but $23.00 of the cost of your ticket is tax deductible.

    http://www.pattern-diva.com/victorian_flower_arrangement.jpg

  • Wednesday, October 21, 5:30 pm – The Creation of Boston’s Back Bay

    Gibson House Museum Executive Director Charles Swift will give an illustrated lecture on the history of the creation of Boston’s Back Bay, discussing the events which led to the decision to fill the Back Bay (see early photo of Back Bay fens below) and the history of the earliest buildings in the Back Bay.  Date:  October 21, 2009 at the Gibson House Museum, 137 Beacon Street, Back Bay.  Reception at 5:30 PM, Program at 6:00 PM. Free for museum members, $10 for non-members. Reserve by calling 617 267 6338 or email the Gibson House Museum.

    http://memory.loc.gov/award/mhsdalad/110000//110026r.jpg