Boston Flora

Tag: Revitalization

  • The Campaign to Save Moraine Farm: Revitalizing and Unifying an Olmsted Masterpiece

    Nestled on 175 acres along Wenham Lake in Beverly is Moraine Farm, a Frederick Law Olmsted masterpiece landscape designed in 1880. Moraine Farm is, “the finest existing example of Olmsted’s approach to planning a country estate,” according to pre-eminent Olmsted scholar Charles E. Beveridge.

    In the past 150 years, the estate has been fractured into parcels owned by different families, a private school, Project Adventure, and The Trustees. Remarkably, Olmsted’s design has remained largely unchanged over that time, making it a rare gem among the estates created by the father of American landscape architecture. According to Beveridge:

    “Moraine Farm was a forerunner for that greatest of Olmsted’s ventures in the designing of private estates and retains more of his spirit than any other residential design still in existence today.”

    The Trustees owns four small disparate parcels on the property, and today we have the opportunity to acquire the key central plot of land that includes scenic Wenham Lake access, the main estate house, tea garden, terrace, and areas most intensely designed by Olmsted.

    Acquiring this 66-acre parcel is the culmination of a decades-long effort by The Trustees to reunite and restore this historic property and open it to public access for the first time.

    Providing people with Moraine’s sweeping views, winding trails, and lush Olmsted landscape lies at the heart of our mission to create publicly accessible open space in iconic places.

    For the project details and purpose statement, and to learn how to contribute to this project (it’s Olmsted 200, remember!), visit www.thetrustees.org

  • Saturday, October 17, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm – 41st Annual South End House Tour

    The South End Historical Society (SEHS) presents its 41st Annual South End House Tour on Saturday, October 17, from 10 – 5.  This self-guided tour of private homes and public spaces begins at the Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, where you pick up your tickets and guidebook.  Tickets are $25 each, and may be purchased on line at www.southendhistoricalsociety.org.  For more information, call 617-536-4445, or email admin@southendhistoricalsociety.org.

    The South End Historical Society  is a group of interested citizens that recognizes the unique architectural and cultural history of the South End of Boston. Through the efforts of the society, the South End has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest Victorian brick rowhouse district in the United States.

    During its first thirty years, the SEHS has worked continuously to retain the Victorian integrity of the South End and reintroduce the greater Boston area to the South End with its annual House Tour as well as numerous historical programs and events. The SEHS also encourages research, conservation, and education to protect and promote interest in our local historic buildings, monuments, and sites.

    The South End Historical Society is one of the primary contributors to the preservation of the South End and a supporter of its ongoing revitalization.

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