Boston Flora

Tag: William Young

  • Tuesdays, May 5 – May 26, 12:00 noon – Preservation is U

    A special midday tour series will take place every Tuesday, May 5 – May 26 at noon, as part of the City of Boston’s 2015 Preservation Month.  Long celebrated as the Athens of America, Boston is home to more than 2 dozen colleges, universities, and professional schools.  Not surprisingly, these institutions number among their campuses many architecturally significant properties.  Often converted for academic use rather than originally planned for that purpose, these buildings run the aesthetic gamut from Gothic to Art Deco, and include distinguished works by architects both famous and obscure.

    But what makes these properties so attractive to institutions?  With vacant city land always at a premium and new construction hardly a bargain, colleges recognize that the superior design, materials and workmanship of historic structures make them ideal candidates for adaptive reuse.  Smart university administrators understand that whether converted to classrooms or offices, residence halls or performance spaces, old buildings have many decades of useful life ahead of them.  And they have learned that they can ask for no more enthusiastic partners in this effort than our historic commissions and the resourceful professionals who staff them.

    Concentrated in central Boston, the historic buildings now owned by Boston University, Emerson College, Northeastern University and Suffolk University reflect a common appreciation for the city’s built heritage: both as the vessel of a storied past, and as a vehicle to an exciting future.  We’ll be exploring many of the best examples in a month-long series of lunch hour walks we’re calling Preservation is U. Please join the Boston Landmarks Commission each Tuesday in May for an informal graduate course in this familiar but seldom-considered aspect of Boston’s architectural record.

    May 5 – Downtown Boston.  Elizabeth Stifel, Boston Landmarks Commission Staff Architect. Contact elizabeth.stifel@boston.gov today to reserve a place.

    May 12 – Beacon Hill.  Erin Doherty, Beacon Hill Architectural Commission Staff, and Joe Bagley, City Archaeologist. Contact erin.doherty@boston.gov before May 8 to reserve a place.

    May 19 – South End. Meghan Hanrahan Richard, South End Landmark District Commission Staff.  Contact meghan.hanrahan@boston.gov before May 15 to reserve a place.

    May 26 – Bay State Road. William Young, Director of Design Review. Contact william.young@boston.gov before May 22 to reserve a space.

  • Thursday, May 29, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm – A Green Colonnade: The Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    Conceived as the centerpiece of a grand boulevard meant to rival those of Second Empire Paris, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall was an integral feature of the original Back Bay plan of 1858.  Extending ten blocks, from Arlington Street to Kenmore Square, this linear park is today both the verdant heart of the neighborhood and a vital link in the Emerald Necklace, connecting the Public Garden and Common to the east with the Fens and Franklin Park to the west.  One hundred feet wide and studded with distinguished memorial statuary beneath a canopy of ornamental trees, the Mall we know and cherish may, in fact, owe as much to the twentieth and twenty-first centuries as to the nineteenth.  Continuously evolving to reflect the changing city around it, the Mall has been prudently husbanded to absorb the addition of new monuments, the introduction of accessibility and the incorporation of lighting, to say nothing of the vigilant management of its plant materials.  As a result of such tireless efforts, this much-loved place seems only to grow in beauty and meaning from year to year.  Explore the many ways in which the Mall has become not a facsimile of itself but the ongoing fulfillment of a farsighted vision.

    The May 29 tour, beginning at 5 pm, will be led by William Young, Assistant Director for Historic Districts, who has staffed the Back Bay Architectural Commission since 1991, and Margaret Pokorny, Chair of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall Committee of The Friends of the Public Garden, and past President of The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc.

    Meeting place will be confirmed at time of reservation.  Free and open to the public, but as no more than 30 participants may be accommodated, pre-registration is required.  Co-sponsored by the Back Bay Architectural Commission, The Friends of the Public Garden, The Garden Club of the Back Bay, Inc., and The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.  Contact info@nabbonline.org to reserve a place before May 22.

    http://fopg.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/commonwealth_avenue_malll_hamilton_cleaning1_web3.jpg

  • Wednesday, May 23, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – What’s So Special About Newbury Street?

    Of course you know that BostonÂ’’s beloved boutique district has long had a devoted local and regional following. YouÂ’’re aware that its many restaurants and sidewalk cafés add to the appeal. And you’Â’ve probably noticed that it has acquired a distinctly international accent in recent years, as numerous European retailers have opened branches here. But do you know what made Newbury Street such an attractive spot for shopping, dining and people-watching in the first place? On this Wednesday, May 23rd tour, beginning at 4 pm,  we’Â’ll explore the historic origins and visual qualities that have led to its present vitality, and which will continue to shape its vibrant future. Tour will be led by William Young, Senior Preservation Planner, Back Bay Architectural Commission (1991-present). Reception to follow at CafeTeria, 279A Newbury Street.

    Free and open to the public. As no more than 30 participants may be accommodated, pre-registration is required. Contact megmc@bostonbackbay.com before May 16 to reserve a spot. Meeting place confirmed at time of reservation. Contact William.Young@cityofboston.gov for more information.

    Presented by:

    Back Bay Association

    Newbury Street League

    Back Bay Architectural Commission

  • Tuesday, January 17, 6:30 pm – Peculiar Dignity: Arthur Little Interiors in the Back Bay

    The Jonathan L. Fairbanks Lecture Series at The Ayer Mansion, 395 Commonwealth Avenue, continues Tuesday, January 17 at 6:30 with a talk by William S. Young, Historic Color Designer and Back Bay Architectural Commission staff person, who will speak on Peculiar Dignity: Arthur Little Interiors in the Back Bay.  Wine and cheese will be served at 6:30, with the program beginning at 7 pm.  Tickets ($25) may be purchased by mail (make checks payable to The Campaign for the Ayer Mansion and mail to The Campaign for the Ayer Mansion, Inc., 395 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215) or on line at www.AyerMansion.org.

  • Tuesday, June 16, 5:30 pm – Alley Tour with William Young

    William Young, senior preservation planner for the City of Boston Environmental Department, will lead a tour of Back Bay alleys beginning at The Gibson House Museum, 137 Beacon Street, on Tuesday, June 16, beginning at 5:30 pm.  The event is free for Gibson House Museum members and $10 for non-members.  Space is limited.  RSVP to 617-267-6338, or email info@thegibsonhouse.org.