Boston Flora

Tag: Boston Public Library

  • From the Archives – An Afternoon in Victorian Boston

    From the Archives – An Afternoon in Victorian Boston

    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.

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  • Through July 31 – Trees and Reflections: Paintings by Erica S. Nazarro

    Erica S. Nazzaro has been expressing herself creatively through the arts all her life. She expresses the feeling a place conveys rather than the realistic image of what she sees. Erica is spontaneous and curious, using accidents as opportunities. Her painting is a meditative exercise where she becomes the vessel of connection between the environment, her feelings, and the materials she uses. Erica’s paintings are moments in nature captured and provides a serene and calming effect. She graduated from The School of the Museum Of Fine Arts in 1984 and went on to get her Masters in Social Work in 2003. She now combines her art and therapeutic work in a healing process with transitional age youth, families, and children. She is a member of Uforge Member Collective, Newton Watercolor Society, Jamaica Plain Artists Association and Hyde Park Artists Association. The July exhibit will take place at the Connolly Branch of the Boston Public Library, 433 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain.

  • Tuesday, June 23, 6:00 pm – The Culinary Lives of John & Abigail Adams

    Throughout their fifty-four-year marriage, John and Abigail Adams enjoyed diverse cuisine in both Massachusetts and Europe. Raised with traditional New England palates, they feasted on cod, mince pie, and plum pudding. These recipes, as well as dishes from published cookbooks settlers brought from the Old World such as roast duck and Strawberry Fool, are included in Rosanna Wan’s new book The Culinary Lives of John & Abigail Adams: A Cookbook. Together or separate, at home or abroad, this extraordinary couple humbly experienced an international style of cookery that inspired modern American culinary culture. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the United States, Rosana Wan is a park ranger at the Adams National Historical Park, a sergeant in the Army National Guard, and the first recipient of the John C. Cavanagh Prize in History at Suffolk University. She will give a talk on Tuesday, June 23 at 6 pm in the Commonwealth Salon of the Boston Public Library at 700 Boylston Street.

  • Sunday, April 12, 6:00 pm – Literary Lights

    The Associates of the Boston Public Library invite you to the 27th Annual Literary Lights Dinner on Sunday, April 12 beginning at 6 pm at The Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  This year the honorees are Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Author of Infidel, presented by Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, Katherine Boo, author of Behind the Beautiful Forevers, presented by Jill Ker Conway, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Plato at the Googleplex, presented by Alan Lightman, Wendell and Florence Minor, husband and wife collaborators on children’s books (pictured below,) presented by Mary Higgins Clark, Amor Towles, author of Rules of Civility, presented by Claire Messud, and Niall Ferguson, Keynote Speaker and author of The War of the World, presented by David Gergen.  Tickets ($475 and up) are available on line at www.literarylights.org. Proceeds will support the David McCullough Conservation Fund, William O. Taylor Art Preservation Fund, Associates Endowment Fund, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s operations.

  • Wednesday, January 28, 3:00 pm – Garden Club of the Back Bay Winter Tea

    Each January we thank our members for their support with a Winter Tea, this year to be held Wednesday, January 28 beginning at 3 pm at The Courtyard Restaurant at The Boston Public Library. Overlooking the beautiful Italianate courtyard in the BPL’s historic McKim building, the Courtyard Restaurant is steeped in history and loaded with delightful tea selections. Following our greeting with prosecco and cheese straws, we will enjoy a selection of tea sandwiches which may include (subject to the whims of the market) cucumber with lemon mayonnaise, smoked salmon with chive crème fraiche, deviled chicken and espelette salad, wild mushroom butter and red wine on pain de mie, lobster with chive in pate a choux, cream cheese with cured onion and fine herbs on rye, and egg salad in brioche, plain and currant scones, fruit marmalade, Devonshire double cream, and lemon curd, plus fresh fruit tartlets, assorted French macarons, raspberry thumbprints, chocolate sinclairs, glazed lemon poppy seed cake, and your choice of premium loose leaf teas. Members are invited to ask friends to join them, although we must charge a separate increased fee for guests. The Club underwrites a portion of the expense of this meeting on behalf of our valued members. $40 for Garden Club members, $50 for guests. If you are a Garden Club of the Back Bay member you will receive written notice of the tea. If you are not a member but are interested in attending, please email info@bostonflora.com. Seating is limited and priority is given to our members.

  • Tuesday, December 2, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm – Copley Square Tree Lighting and Holiday Festivities

    Mayor Martin J. Walsh, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, and The Friends of Copley Square will celebrate the holidays with the annual Copley Square Tree Lighting on Tuesday, December 2, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm.

    The free event will feature appearances by Mayor Walsh, WHDH-TV’s Janet Wu, Santa Claus, and Rudolph along with live entertainment including members of the Boston Pops Brass Ensemble, the Trinity Church Choristers, vocalist Sheree Dunwell, and a holiday sing-along.

    The Old South Church bell will toll when the tree is illuminated. Light refreshments will be provided by local businesses and the Fairmont Copley Plaza will host a family reception immediately following for all in attendance.

    The reception will include cookie decorating, photos with Santa and treats from Georgetown Cupcake, Pain d’Avignon, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

    In addition, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Copley Square will become a spot for family revelry with jugglers, stilt walkers, and festive music provided by Magic 106.7, Boston’s holiday music station.

    Even more festivities will take place in and around Copley Square on December 2. The Boston Public Library and The Catered Affair will host a Storytime and Candy Cane Tea at The Fairmont Copley Plaza from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The tea is free but reservations are required by calling (617) 859-2282.

    For additional information please call the Boston Parks and Recreation Department at (617) 635-4505. To learn more about The Friends of Copley Square, please visit www.friendsofcopleysquare.org.

  • Saturday, June 21, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – South End Garden Tour

    Join your friends and neighbors for the 20th Annual South End Garden Tour on Saturday, June 21, 2014. This year’s rain-or-shine, self-guided Tour will kick off at the South End Branch of the Boston Public Library at 685 Tremont Street from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

    The Tour features many beautiful, private and public gardens in the South End – from pocket-sized patio spaces to rooftop terraces to neighborhood parks and community gardens. All of the gardens show the creativity of the owners and gardeners, and the joy they receive from developing and caring for a city garden. The Tour, a major neighborhood event, attracts garden lovers from all over the city as well as the suburbs, who are often surprised and amazed to find such creative use of outdoor urban space.

    One of the biggest attractions of the South End Garden Tour is its variety of gardens. Because the South End encompasses such a large area, the Tour visits a different area of the neighborhood every year. It’s never the same Tour twice.

    South End artists will be creating paintings in the Tour gardens and other designated locations within the Tour area. The painting will be available for purchase at the reception immediately following the Tour. A reception/art sale will be held at City Year headquarters, 287 Columbus Avenue, Boston MA 02116 (corner of Clarendon Street).  Proceeds of the Tour exclusively benefit the South End & Lower Roxbury Gardens, through Boston Natural Areas Network, a non-profit organization supporting community gardens and urban green spaces. South End & Lower Roxbury Gardens was established to protect community gardens and pocket parks in this historic Boston neighborhood.

    The 2014 South End Garden Tour starts at the South End Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 685 Tremont Street, where Tour attendees can purchase tickets and will receive a Tour booklet. The booklet contains a detailed map and descriptions of each garden.  The 2014 Tour takes place within the following streets: from the Southwest Corridor to Tremont St. to Northampton St. to West Newton St. Tickets are available on the day of the Tour at the Tour’s starting point for $25.00. For discounted tickets in advance, visit www.southendgardentour.org/ticket/.

  • Monday, May 12, 6:30 pm – 7:45 pm – South Boston: Streetcar Suburb?

    Please join the Boston Public Library for the 34th Annual Marjorie M. Gibbons Lecture on Monday, May 12, beginning at 6:30 pm, entitled South Boston: Streetcar Suburb? with speaker Patrick E. Francis. Mr. Francis will present an illustrated talk on the use of public transportation by South Bostonians from the days of the horse-drawn trolley to today’s hybrid bus. This free special event is open to all adults. Refreshments will accompany the program. The program will take place at the South Boston Branch of the BPL, 646 East Broadway.

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  • Sunday, March 30, 2:00 pm – True Lies & False Facts: A Questionable Tour of Boston

    Join Boston By Foot on Sunday, March 30 at 2 pm for a unique walking tour of Boston that will keep participants on their toes. Called True Lies & False Facts, this questionable tour starts outside the Boston Public Library at the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets (near Copley T stop) and winds its way around the Back Bay and Bay Village. Lasting an hour and a half, the tour will tell some wild and amazing stories about local characters, unlikely events and unwanted pests – some of which are true and others are not. Developed as a fun way to celebrate April Fools Day, the tour is meant to test the participants’ knowledge of history and ability to separate the truth from fiction. The tour also operates as a fun competition. Every tour participant will get a score card to keep track of the stories and their choices of whether the stories are true or false. After the tour, participants are invited to come to Jacob Wirth’s to grab a drink at a cash bar, enjoy some snacks, and get the real skinny on if what they heard was fact or fiction. There are some nice prizes for those who guess best. Reservations are highly recommended as tickets will be limited. The cost to join this annual tour is $20 for the general public (or $10 for members of Boston By Foot). Please make a reservation by calling 617-367-2345 or buying tickets on-line at www.bostonbyfoot.org. Walk-ups are also welcome if there are tickets left but only cash will be accepted on the day of the tour. The tour will proceed rain or shine.

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  • Thursday, December 5, 7:00 pm – The Wonderful World of Wild North American Orchids

    Bill Brumback (New England Wild Flower Society) and Dr. Dennis Whigham (Smithsonian Institution) will present a lively talk on how a strong research and educational partnership between the Wild Flower Society and the Smithsonian Institution is spurring new research and contributing to the founding of the North American Orchid Conservation Center. The talk will also feature interesting information on the ecology and interactions of orchids in the wild, and show common and rare orchids of our region.  The lecture will take place in the Orientation Room of the Central Library in Copley Square, 700 Boylston Street in Boston, on Thursday, December 5 at 7 pm.

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