Winter, spring, summer, or fall the lagoon bridge in the Public Garden is a favorite spot to preserve the memory of a day with a photo.
Downtown View: Disruption or Consequences?
Disruption was 2014’s trendy cliché. A new idea comes along and, poof, out with the old. Business school types are enthralled. New technology and new ideas are part of the disruption. But some businesses and industries are vulnerable, sometimes because they haven’t taken certain developments into account. Take coal. It is hard to listen...
Area A-1 Sees Rise in Part One Crime Stats
Area A-1 had experienced an approximately 7–percent spike in violent and property crimes as 2014 drew to a close, compared to the previous year, according to police. Between Jan. 1 and Nov. 16, 2014 (the most-recent crime statistics available on the Boston Police Web site), 2,718 incidents of Part One crime were reported in...
Passing of the Gentle Giants
Beacon Hill has just suffered a major shock, with the deaths during the past year of six of our long-time, highly respected community leaders. Although of different stripes politically and socially, these six — five men and one woman — all were tied to a commitment to the “commonweal”; Republican or Democrat, maverick or...
Turning a Neglected Pit into a Garden
The pit’s filled, walls bricked, perimeter reinforced and bricks laid. On Friday two dim lanterns were installed to illuminate the 45 Beaver Place garden project, and outdoor work ceased for the holidays. In mid-January, though, construction workers will be back to ensure that by spring plantings will green and trees bloom in the 1500-square-foot...
DCR Announces Study of Parkway System for Bike Lanes
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Jack Murray recently announced that the agency will conduct a comprehensive study of its parkway system to identify locations where bike lanes and improvements could be installed. “Cycling has seen a significant expansion, both as a method of transportation and recreation,” Murray said. “As an agency that...
Looking Back at the People and Events that made 2014
Most readers probably think 2014 has been a year of bad news and more bad news. I won’t bore you with the details. You know what they are. But there have been a few bright spots for Bostonians that should help 2015 be more satisfying. Cleaner streets are the best news. This has been...
Top Ten Events of 2014
On Jan. 6, Marty Walsh was sworn in as the mayor of Boston and Josh Zakim as the District 8 city councilor. On Jan. 15, Kenneth Fong was named captain of the Boston Police Department Area A-1. On Feb. 1, the Beacon Hill Civic Association held its annual Winter Gala entitled ‘There’s No Place...
Ring Out The Old….
The New Year always provides us with a time of reflection, both upon the year that has passed and upon the one to come. The opening lines of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem, Ring Out, Wild Bells, sums up what we all feel at this time of year: Ring out, wild bells, to the wild...
Letter to the Editor
Goodwill among men and women of Beacon Hill Dear Citizens of and Visitors to Beacon Hill, This letter is addressed to the honest and kind person who found my wallet somewhere on Beacon Hill last Thursday evening. I had no idea where I had left it, despite my retracing my steps… my father’s tried...
BHCA Supports Rehab of Spaulding Hospital
The Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) board of directors wrote a letter to the city Wednesday in support of Massachusetts General Hospital’s plan to convert the former Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital into administrative offices, but expressed concern with MGH’s seemingly incremental approach to expansion of its Boston campus. According to an amendment to its...
Children’s Books About Careers
When our children were young, they asked what their father, a lawyer, did at work. I told them, “He gives advice to people.” But that was hardly an adequate explanation. They eventually learned what lawyers do through family discussions, visits to his office, and their expanding notions of the world as they grew older....
BHCA Traffic and Parking Recommends Unique Parking Plan
With several stipulations, the Beacon Hill Civic Association (BHCA) Traffic and Parking Committee voted last Tuesday to recommend to its board of directors a unique parking change proposed in conjunction with the residential redevelopment of the former Beacon Press/Unitarian Church offices. Daniel René Capital Partners, a Greater Boston real-estate investment, development and property-management company,...
Charles St. Holiday Stroll on Thursday
The Beacon Hill Business Association (BHBA) will hold its annual “Holiday Stroll” on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 9 p.m. At this time, participating neighborhood businesses will help rein in the holiday, and the event features the Apollo Club Singers, a brass ensemble, two horse-drawn carriages and Victorian carolers. Also, the neighborhood tree-lighting...
Thank You To All The Volunteers
Walking along the streets on Beacon Hill, on Monday morning, the lampposts are all decorated with garlands and bows. Every year this happens but not without effort. This effort is the work of countless local volunteers who climb ladders and carry the garlands up and down the streets of our neighborhood. For some residents,...
Letter to the Editor
Advent is upon us Dear Editor: As consumerism reaches the manic pitch of Black Friday and post-Thanksgiving sales, Christendom marks the beginning of Advent—a time designated for slowing down and preparing ourselves internally. I asked staff at King’s Chapel about their own experiences in Advent and about some of the clashes between liturgical teachings...
Don’t do Stupid Stuff
Hillary Clinton distanced herself from President Obama’s cautionary guide to international relations. But I thought his motto was good advice for most matters. Not that I’ve always avoided doing stupid stuff, and you can probably think of a few times you’ve not followed that advice either. When individuals do stupid stuff, it’s usually a...
DCR Announces Plans for Spray Deck on Esplanade
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) announced plans to build a spray deck on the Charles River Esplanade and sought public input on the project at a meeting at the Shriners Hospital for Children Auditorium on Thursday. Design team members said the new structure would replace the exiting wading pool located in the...
Zoning Changes Approved
The city’s Zoning Commission voted on Wednesday to approve a zoning amendment intended to limit the number of professional offices on Charles Street and the south side of Cambridge Street at the ground- and basement-levels. The amendment, sponsored by City Councilor Josh Zakim, designates professional offices, including banks and real-estate brokers, in those locations...
21st Amendment Launches its Winter Cocktail Series
To commemorate the 81st anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which mandated a nationwide prohibition on alcohol, the popular Beacon Hill tavern of the same name launches a 12-week cocktail series on Dec. 5. “We began as a speakeasy tavern during the Prohibition era and wanted to tap into history,” Darius...
Boston Common Tree Lighting Scheduled for this Thursday
An updated talent lineup for Boston’s 73rd Annual Official Tree Lighting has been announced. Mayor Martin J. Walsh and the Honourable Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia will host the festive event on Boston Common on Thursday, December 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The celebration is hosted by the Boston Parks and...
BHCA Zoning & Licensing will meet on December 3rd
On Wednesday, December 3rd, the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s Zoning & Licensing Committee will hold a meeting to continue the discussion of the proposed parking at 39-41 Mount Vernon and revised plans for the rear of 58 Beacon. Additionally, there will be a discussion of a business moving into space at 125 Charles Street. ...
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