Following an 11th-hour meeting with the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Traffic and Parking Committee Thursday, Boston bike czar Nicole Freedman said she is confident that New Balance Hubway will include stations in and around the neighborhood when the city’s bike share program gets underway today. “Everyone wants to see the system come to...
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Public Gets First Look at Government Center Garage Redevelopment Plans
The public got its first look at the redevelopment plans for the Government Center Garage during an Impact Advisory Group working session meeting at City Hall last week. HYM Investment Group LLC – a firm headed by former Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Director Thomas O’Brien – has proposed building a seven-building complex of retail,...
BHCA Requests Removal of Synthetic Material from Mt. Vernon St. Tree-pits in Fall
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is asking the city to remove a synthetic, porous material from tree-pits on Mt. Vernon Street this fall. “We request the removal of the new material from the two tree pits at 91 Mt. Vernon, on the corner of Louisburg Square, as soon as it is deemed safe by...
First Golden Brooms Awarded
Jack and Mary Fitzgerald of Irving Street and Anna’s Taqueria of Cambridge Street were presented with the first Golden Broom Awards by the Beacon Hill Civic Association at a ceremony held last week on Charles Street. “We are all here because we care about our neighborhood,” said Mayor Thomas Menino, who presented the awards....
Blackstone’s Presents ‘the Last Shepard and Tales of the Tenth Ornament’
“The Last Shepard and Tales of the Tenth Ornament” is a timely Christmas tale about faith and hope. On Christmas Eve a young and cynical Boston reporter is sent to cover the demolition of Blackstone’s, a small store in Boston’s Beacon Hill, and to investigate the unexpected death of its owner, Jack Shepard. Though at...
Celebrating Boston with John Winthrop Sears
John Winthrop Sears name exudes Boston. It exudes the history of Boston. It is a name synonymous with the Founding Fathers of this city and state and with the first families of this nation from the time of our founding. Meeting with Mr. Sears is always to be informed about the great history he...
Police Briefs 07-19-2011
Larceny/Shoplifting 07/05/11 – At about 6:21 p.m., a male suspect stole a skirt and top from a Charles Street boutique. Motor Vehicle Accident – Leaving Scene/ Property Damage 07/06/11 – A victim reported his 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee was parked on Irving Street between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. when it was struck on...
Cast Your Ballot for Hill Child’s Tie Design
Beacon Hill resident Daniel Bittner was selected by Vineyard Vines as one of the top 10 finalists for the “Design a Tie for Dad” contest. The 7-year-old’s “Doctor Dad” tie was selected from hundreds of other applicants. The winning tie design will be made into a tie and sold at Vineyard Vine stores and...
BLO Launches ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ Initiative to Welcome People with Disabilities to Summer Concerts
The board of trustees and overseers of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra recently announces a new initiative for its 2011 season entitled “Breaking Down Barriers” designed to remove barriers for people with visual, hearing and mobility disabilities to attend its concerts. “Boston Landmarks Orchestra is serious about making great music accessible to everyone,” said Charles...
The Dead of Summer
It is the dead of summer, that moment in our lives and in the life of the summer when there is as much summer in front of us as behind us. For those of us who love the heat, who love the summer, who wait for it all winter and who yearn for it...
Police Briefs 07-12-2011
Unarmed Robbery 06/27/11 – A male victim reported he was sitting outside of his Chestnut Street residence at around 10:33 p.m. when he was approached by three male suspects, one of whom struck him in the face and stole his wallet, containing two debit cards, and license and an iPhone. The suspects fled the...
BHCA Zoning and Licensing Committee Votes not to Oppose Two Modified Proposals
The Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Zoning and Licensing Committee voted Wednesday not to oppose modified versions of two proposals it had previously vetted last month. The owners of a single-family townhouse at 3 Spruce St. and 5-7 Spruce Court – two adjacent single-family townhouses being converted into one single-family residence – have jointly...
Cooling off at Beacon Hill Nursery School
The hot summer days have finally arrived in Boston, but the campers at Beacon Hill Nursery School (BHNS) are enjoying some cool wet fun in the school’s newly renovated back playground. This new outdoor natural playscape is a perfect opportunity for your child to watch a piece of nature change through the season –...
Lions Keep Mass. Eye and Ear Pediatrics ‘hopping’
Things were hopping last week at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary when the Boston Host Lions stopped in to donate $1,250 and lots of cute stuffed animals to the hospital’s pediatric department. The Lions raised the money from sales at their annual “Bunnies for Babies” fundraiser, where they sold chocolate bunnies earlier...
Area A-1 Sees 16-percent Reduction in Violent and Property Crimes in ‘11
Area A-1, which includes Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown and downtown, has experienced a 16-percent reduction in violent and property crimes to date in 2011, compared with last year, Boston police said. Between Jan. 1 and June 26, 1,277 incidents of Part One crime were reported as opposed to 1,528 in the same timeframe in...
The Fourth of July 2011
July 4 marked the 235th year of American Independence. It is a worthy occasion noting the anniversary of one of the great days in world history. If you are the type who appreciates history, the 235th anniversary of anything is a major occasion. If you are a European, there are celebrations that go back...
‘Fighter’ Micky Ward helps Combat Blindness at Mass. Eye and Ear Golf Tournament
Boxer Micky Ward, inspiration for the hit 2010 movie “The Fighter,” helped raise funds to fight blindness and hearing loss at Massachusetts Eye and Ear’s Third Annual Golf Classic at the Weston Golf Club on June 20. This tournament was the hospital’s most successful tournament to date, raising $264,150 to support the hospital’s mission....
Esplanade 20/20 & Beyond Design Team Outlines Recommendations for the Future of Park
The Esplanade 20/20 & Beyond Design Team presented its latest recommendations for the future of the state park Wednesday at a public meeting sponsored by the nonprofit WalkBoston. “I want you think of this as a part of a participatory project because it’s a work in progress…that hasn’t been approved by The Esplanade Association...
Developer Files New Plans for the Government Center Garage
A Boston developer filed new plans with the city last week to redevelop the Government Center Garage into a sprawling 2.4 million square-foot, mixed-use complex. In a June 21 letter of intent submitted to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Boston-based HYM Investment Group LLC outlined its proposal to build “a multi-phased and multi-story development...
Esplanade Steps to the Front
The City Parks Alliance (CPA) – a Washington, D.C.-based national urban-park advocacy group – has named the Charles River Esplanade a “Frontline Park.” “We selected The Charles River Esplanade for recognition because it exemplifies the power of public-private partnerships to create and maintain urban parks that build community and make our cities sustainable and...
Nike Way Off Base with Drug use Sloganeering
The “Get High” advertising printed prominently on t-shirts in the window of the Nike store for everyone passing by to see last week caused Mayor Menino to write to the Nike Company and to ask them to remove the display. After a few days of inertia and ambiguity, the sporting wear company most popular...
The Return of Whitey Bulger
The capture of Whitey Bulger, the alleged commander and chief of the Irish mob in Boston, is being treated like a visit by the Pope. The hoopla surrounding Bulger’s arrest and return to Boston had the close-up effect of an M-80 going off. It made the recent Stanley Cup celebration, by comparison, look like...
Esplanade Playspace Moves One Step Closer to Reality
-By Dan Murphy A dream that began two years ago came one step closer to reality Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Esplanade Playspace. “You guys are the reason we did this, so you can play on one of the greatest playgrounds that’s ever been built,” said Tani Marinovich, president of the nonprofit...
Esplanade Association Moves into New Office Space
-By Times staff The Esplanade Association (TEA) moved to a new fifth-floor office at Boylston and Berkley streets in the Back Bay earlier this month, leaving the Myrtle Street space that the nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and protection of the Charles River Esplanade previously occupied. TEA Organization and Communications Coordinator Christopher Timmel said...