Last weekend, sitting on a chilly bench with some friends and dogs, we spotted this guitar man watching the squirrels at play in the Public Garden.
But knowing warmer days were on the way, we all looked forward to our first Public Garden Picnic of the year. Whether you pack a lunch from home or pick up something from a nearby spot, we highly recommend you pull up a bench and enjoy an al fresco meal in one of Boston's parks.
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Most of us have passed or viewed the former Riverbank Court Hotel without a second thought about its history.
Here it is as the Riverbank Court Hotel in the early 1900s. (This photo by Leslie Jones is courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Dated: 1934 – 1956 approximate)
Here it is today as Fariborz Maseeh Hall, an MIT residence located at 305 Memorial Drive.
This property found its way onto our "Then and Now" list because a photo of it from American Architect and Building News (January 1, 1901) keeps showing up on eBay labeled Charlesbank.
MIT has owned the building since 1937. In 1969, the building was included in the Historic American Building Survey. From that survey we know the history of ownership based on the Middlesex County Registry of deeds.
"1900 J. Whitman Bailey buys land at 305 Memorial Drive from Embankment Land Co. for the use of Samuel Carr, Francis Peabody, Jr., and Benjamin P. Hyde as trustees of the Riverbank Court Trust, established January 1, 1900. Deed Book £798, p. 220."
"1905 Albert S. Apsey and Hales W. Suter acquire land and buildings after foreclosure of Riverbank Court Trust's mortgage to Mercantile Trust Co. Deed Book 31*43, p. lUo."
"1905 Riverbank Court Hotel Co. acquires land and buildings and in 1906 registers property. Deed Book31^3,P-lW;Land Reg. Book6,p.593."
"1937 Massachusetts Institute of Technology purchases land and buildings. Land Reg. Book 28U, p. 197.:
It also listed the architect as H.B. Ball and set the date of construction at 1900.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Most of us have passed or viewed the former Riverbank Court Hotel without a second thought about its history.
Here it is as the Riverbank Court Hotel in the early 1900s. (This photo by Leslie Jones is courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Dated: 1934 – 1956 approximate)
Here it is today as Fariborz Maseeh Hall, an MIT residence located at 305 Memorial Drive.
This property found its way onto our "Then and Now" list because a photo of it from American Architect and Building News (January 1, 1901) keeps showing up on eBay labeled Charlesbank.
MIT has owned the building since 1937. In 1969, the building was included in the Historic American Building Survey. From that survey we know the history of ownership based on the Middlesex County Registry of deeds.
"1900 J. Whitman Bailey buys land at 305 Memorial Drive from Embankment Land Co. for the use of Samuel Carr, Francis Peabody, Jr., and Benjamin P. Hyde as trustees of the Riverbank Court Trust, established January 1, 1900. Deed Book £798, p. 220."
"1905 Albert S. Apsey and Hales W. Suter acquire land and buildings after foreclosure of Riverbank Court Trust's mortgage to Mercantile Trust Co. Deed Book 31*43, p. lUo."
"1905 Riverbank Court Hotel Co. acquires land and buildings and in 1906 registers property. Deed Book31^3,P-lW;Land Reg. Book6,p.593."
"1937 Massachusetts Institute of Technology purchases land and buildings. Land Reg. Book 28U, p. 197.:
It also listed the architect as H.B. Ball and set the date of construction at 1900.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Another day, another Twitter question to answer. This one came from Adam Gaffin over at Universal Hub. He asked if the proper name for the pond on the Boston Common was "Frog Pond" or "The Frog Pond." I went to the city's web page on the facility that uses "Boston Common Frog Pond," and to the group that manages it which refers to "The Boston Common Frog Pond."
Next I turned to books on the topic to see what those editors decided was the correct term. And it was here I began to find interesting bits of history and lore about the Frog Pond. Some are repeated in a few sources and others can't be verified.
In his 1903 "Boston A Guide Book," Edwin M. Bacon writes, “Near by lies the historic “Frog Pond,” so called, as the town wits have it, because it was never known to harbor a frog. The real frog pond was the Horse or Cow Pond, a shallow pool where the cows slaked their thirst or cooled their legs, which lay in the lowlands about the present band stand. The present pond is the survivor of three marshy bogs originally within the Common. It was the scene of the formal introduction of the public water system in 1848, for which celebration James Russell Lowell wrote his Ode on Water.”
We do know that in early days, the Boston Common was used to pasture animals and many sources describe three ponds and four hills on the site. Reports vary as to the source of the Frog Pond's water source. Some say it was spring fed, while others say it was just a muddy puddle at the bottom of Flagstaff Hill where the Soldiers & Sailors Monument now stands.
There are tales of women lighting fires under the great elm that once stood near the Frog Pond to do their laundry on the site. And forbidding smoking by the Frog Pond seems to have a long history. One book notes that in the mid-1800s people could smoke on the Common, only on weekdays and only near the Frog Pond. A later book cites that a law was passed forbidding smoking on the streets or on the Common. And, of course, today smoking is prohibited in all parks in Boston.
In an upcoming post, we'll tell you a bit more about the arrival of municipal water in Boston and the celebrations that took place at the Frog Pond.
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This time of year, holiday decorations add an additional dose of charm to Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.
But somehow, this bucket of butts does not seem to be the ideal centerpiece for a front yard garden table.
At least this smoker is not littering the patio or tossing those indestructible filters all over the sidewalks.
And, perhaps this collection of tar soaked filters is some sort of countdown to quitting for the new year with the bucket serving as a reminder of the money that went up in smoke.
For those who need help, here's the state's page on smoking cessation assistance.
This time of year, holiday decorations add an additional dose of charm to Boston's Back Bay neighborhood.
But somehow, this bucket of butts does not seem to be the ideal centerpiece for a front yard garden table.
At least this smoker is not littering the patio or tossing those indestructible filters all over the sidewalks.
And, perhaps this collection of tar soaked filters is some sort of countdown to quitting for the new year with the bucket serving as a reminder of the money that went up in smoke.
For those who need help, here's the state's page on smoking cessation assistance.
