Tag: Then and Now

  • Kilachand Hall, Shelton Hall … 91 Bay State Road, Then and Now

    Today 91 Bay State Road (map) is a Boston University dormitory for Kilachand Honors College students. Since September 2012 it has gone by the name Kilachand Hall. Over the years it has had other names and an interesting history.

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    Postcard from the Boston Public Library's collection.

    It was opened in 1923 as the Sheraton Apartment Hotel. It was one of the popular "apartment hotels." 

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    In his book, Built in Boston, architectural historian Douglass Shand-Tucci explained how these differed from commercial hotels, "… apartment hotels did not seek transient guests." He added, "… they were popularly described as the habitats of the 'newly wed and the nearly dead.'"

    Bu today

    BU Today published a story, "One Address, Many Stories: Shelton Hall’s stately, swinging past" on the history of the building in 2012. 

    If you click over and read this article, you'll learn:

    • The Sheraton Hotel chain was named after this building when new owners acquired it in 1939 and unified their holdings under the Sheraton moniker.
    • The rooftop was famous as a place for society entertaining.
    • In 1950 new owners created the name Shelton possibly as a money saving measure.
    • Some say the building is haunted by the spirit of Eugene O'Neill who died on the 4th floor. 
    • BU bought the building in 1954 and renamed it Shelton Hall and used it as a female dormitory.

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    When you approach the building from Bay State Road, it's easy to forget that it stands on the banks of the Charles as shown in this postcard.

    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!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Then and Now: Thomas F. Galvin’s Flower Shop

    Once, the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Streets was home to a lovely building housing Thomas F. Galvin's Flower Shop.

    Thomas F. Galvin's flower shop

    Click on this image to see a larger version pop up.

    The panoramic photo above is from the Library of Congress Collection. (photo credit E. Chickering & Co.; October 29, 1903)

    Thomas Galvin

    This is Thomas F. Galvin from an article in the 1900 edition of The Successful American. The editors talked about his accomplishments, "…he has created at the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Street one of the most exquisite and charming conservatories to be found in the world." 

    I have to wonder what he would think about what is left of his treasure today.

    CHE_2459 - Version 22013-03-03-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    When renovations began for a bank to take over his space, I had hopes for something tasteful. Remember when banks were elegant places? I was so hopeful that I tucked away the top photo from a post by And This Is Good Old Boston. (You'll find a lot more about this building at this link.)

    IMG_7298 - Version 42014-03-04-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Instead, it became a "bank cafe" with a sign that has become a topic of conversation as a neighborhood eyesore.

    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!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: © 2013, 2014 Penny Cherubino  

  • Then and Now: Thomas F. Galvin’s Flower Shop

    Once, the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Streets was home to a lovely building housing Thomas F. Galvin's Flower Shop.

    Thomas F. Galvin's flower shop

    Click on this image to see a larger version pop up.

    The panoramic photo above is from the Library of Congress Collection. (photo credit E. Chickering & Co.; October 29, 1903)

    Thomas Galvin

    This is Thomas F. Galvin from an article in the 1900 edition of The Successful American. The editors talked about his accomplishments, "…he has created at the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Street one of the most exquisite and charming conservatories to be found in the world." 

    I have to wonder what he would think about what is left of his treasure today.

    CHE_2459 - Version 22013-03-03-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    When renovations began for a bank to take over his space, I had hopes for something tasteful. Remember when banks were elegant places? I was so hopeful that I tucked away the top photo from a post by And This Is Good Old Boston. (You'll find a lot more about this building at this link.)

    IMG_7298 - Version 42014-03-04-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Instead, it became a "bank cafe" with a sign that has become a topic of conversation as a neighborhood eyesore.

    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!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: © 2013, 2014 Penny Cherubino  

  • Then and Now: Thomas F. Galvin’s Flower Shop

    Once, the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Streets was home to a lovely building housing Thomas F. Galvin's Flower Shop.

    Thomas F. Galvin's flower shop

    Click on this image to see a larger version pop up.

    The panoramic photo above is from the Library of Congress Collection. (photo credit E. Chickering & Co.; October 29, 1903)

    Thomas Galvin

    This is Thomas F. Galvin from an article in the 1900 edition of The Successful American. The editors talked about his accomplishments, "…he has created at the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Street one of the most exquisite and charming conservatories to be found in the world." 

    I have to wonder what he would think about what is left of his treasure today.

    CHE_2459 - Version 22013-03-03-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    When renovations began for a bank to take over his space, I had hopes for something tasteful. Remember when banks were elegant places? I was so hopeful that I tucked away the top photo from a post by And This Is Good Old Boston. (You'll find a lot more about this building at this link.)

    IMG_7298 - Version 42014-03-04-boylston-fairfield-building© 2011 Penny Cherubino

    Instead, it became a "bank cafe" with a sign that has become a topic of conversation as a neighborhood eyesore.

    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!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: © 2013, 2014 Penny Cherubino