Thank you to the residents of Boston Dear Editor: I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for their very generous outpouring of support for my family and me. We always knew Tommy was a special person and did a lot to make people’s lives better, but I was overwhelmed at the tremendous...
Happy Thanksgiving
Another Thanksgiving is upon us, a day for schoolboy football, family gatherings, and not much else to do other than enjoy a great dinner that reminds us how fortunate we truly are. Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, tracing its roots back almost 400 years to the Pilgrims, long before there was even a...
Extreme Books
You have heard people say books are going away, that we’ll all be reading on Kindles, etc. for the foreseeable future. The more extreme prognosticators declare that whole libraries are in demise, and with the cloud, their books are destined for landfill. (They obviously haven’t read the statistics on the increased use of libraries,...
Residents Help Raise Funds for Autism
On Tuesday, November 4, the Lurie Center for Autism at Massachusetts General Hospital and MassGeneral Hospital for Children hosted a special benefit evening called A Seat at the Table at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, and raised over $1.2 million for the Lurie Center’s programs Shown from left are Ronald E. Kleinman, MD, Martha Kleinman, Ina...
Making the Switch
As a leader of the growing Mothers Out Front organization that works to switch society from fossil fuels to clean energy, Beacon Hiller Muriel Finegold keeps her eye on stories about climate change. So, she was quite struck by a comment attributed to Secretary John Kerry that was referred to in a September 21...
Downtown View Shade or Shadow?
When I was 19 years old, I went to Wall Street. It was narrow, dark, secretive—worthy of the cash that I imagined rested behind those vault-like façades. It was my first encounter with shadows bestowing a sense of place, in this case a sense of importance. Shadows affect people in other ways. They hint...
Downtown School Night Reveals Numerous Options
The volunteer parent organization Downtown Schools for Boston sponsored its second annual “Downtown Schools Night” at 74 Joy St. on Thursday, allowing parents of prospective students to learn more about nearby public elementary-, middle- and high-school options. The evening began as a panel of parents of students attending the Eliot School in Jamaica...
BRA Okays Zoning to Limit Offices
The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) board of directors voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve a proposed zoning amendment that aims to limit the number of professional offices on Charles Street and the south side of Cambridge Street at the ground- and basement-levels. The proposed amendment, sponsored by City Councilor Josh Zakim, would designate...
Gael Mahony: A Beacon Hill Legendary Advocate
Gael Mahony, a gentleman whose vision and leadership shaped Beacon Hill for more than 50 years, died at home on November 4. He passed away “as elegantly and peacefully as he had lived his life,” said Connaught Mahony, his wife of 62 years. “There is nobody quite like him,” said the late Tad Stahl...
Always Active in State and Local GOP Politics
John Winthrop Sears was a legendary figure in state politics and public service. He held positions in Boston, Suffolk County and state government, carrying on a family tradition of leadership that dated all the way back to John Winthrop, one of the earliest governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and for whom the Town...
Garlands and Greens on Nov. 19
Join the magic as Tom Kershaw graciously hosts Garlands and Green: A Holiday Gathering at The Hampshire House on Wednesday, November 19 from 6-9pm. This popular holiday party helps raise the funds needed to support the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s project to decorate Beacon Hill’s 1,100 lamp posts with laurel garlands and red bows....
Public Schools Making Strides
Boston Public Schools are an excellent choice for Boston families. Steady improvement in academic achievement by BPS students, combined with the increase in families wishing to stay in the city, has led many families living Downtown to choose Boston Public schools for their children’s education. Schools in the downtown area have test scores comparable...
From Skating Skirts to Chic Couture
Beacon Hiller Chynna Pope, the sequin-clad young figure skater cheered by neighbors for years as she jumped and twirled on the frozen Frog Pond, has leaped into the fashion world. And she’s doing it with the same energy, style and edginess. Now, at age 27 and a student at Boston’s School of Fashion Design,...
Police Briefs 11-11-2014
BEACON HILL BEAT From Boston Police Area A-1 Robbery – Knife 10/28/14 – A male victim reported that six male suspects approached him on the Boston Common on the Beacon Street side and attempted to rob him of U.S. currency. At that time, the victim and suspects began to fight and the victim sustained...
BHAC Agenda
The Beacon Hill Architectural Commission will hold a public hearing on Thursday, November 20 at 4:00 P.M. in Room 801, Boston City Hall Subject of the hearing will be applications for Certificates of Appropriateness on the agenda below, review of architectural violations, and such business as may come before the commission, in accordance with...
Letter to the Editor
Neighbors remember John W. Sears Mr. Sears died early this morning, Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, in his 84th year. He probably would have considered that bad timing, since he never ever missed casting his ballot on Election Day. He was our neighbor for over 30 years, generously sharing his legendary knowledge of...
Downtown View Engineering Happiness
I recently met a happy man. Why shouldn’t he be happy? He has what most men want: loving parents, a wife, Jana, who was his high school sweetheart, two cute little boys, a house, good friends, family members who live nearby, good training and a good job. He also possesses a fine sense...
Hill Voters Back Coakley for Gov.
While GOP Charlie Baker narrowly edged out Martha Coakley in last Tuesday’s state election, Beacon Hill voters backed his Democratic rival in the gubernatorial race. According to the city’s unofficial election results, approximately 49 percent of voters in 3, Precinct 6 and Ward 5, Precincts 3, 4, 5 and 11 supported Coakley, the...
Downtown View Nothing Ventured
The controversy over bringing the Summer Olympics to Boston in 2024 is soooooo Boston. It’s got all the usual characters, all the usual conflicts. It’s the grumps vs. the dreamers. Cautionists (seen as wise) vs. gung-hoists (seen as foolhardy.) Pessimists vs. optimists. Naysayers vs. soothsayers. It is a rich narrative to follow, and it...
Community Leaders Remember Menino
Beacon Hill community leaders are fondly remembering Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino as an outstanding person and a great friend to the neighborhood during his two-decade tenure as the city’s chief executive. Mr. Menino, the longest-serving mayor in the city’s history, died on Oct. 30, 2014. He was 71. MaryLee Halpern, executive director of...
BHCA Zoning to Meet on Nov. 5
On Wednesday, November 5, the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s Zoning & Licensing Committee will hold a meeting to discuss the proposed change of occupancy from University to residential and parking garage at 28-32 Derne Street, the proposed construction of a roof deck at the rear of 58 Beacon Street, and the proposed conversion to...
Time to Start Thinking of Christmas
1,100 lamp posts with 2,860 yards of laurel garlands and 2,400 red bows can only mean one thing: it’s time to kick-off the Holiday Season on Beacon Hill. Join the magic as Tom Kershaw graciously hosts Garlands and Green: A Holiday Gathering at The Hampshire House on Wednesday, November 19 from 6-9 pm. This...
What Constitutes an Historic Building in Beacon Hill?
‘Shocked’ is how some Beacon Hill residents recently described their reaction when the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission, which for nearly 60 years has protected and preserved the neighborhood’s historic fabric, gave the green light to a resident’s proposal to tear down his property’s façade. Neighbors are questioning the severity of the structural damage to...
Mayor Tom Menino
The passing this week of former, long-time Boston Mayor Thomas Menino truly removes from our lives a man whose devotion to his city and its people was second to none. The incredible outpouring of genuine sadness and respect expressed by persons from all walks of life and from stations high and low bore witness...
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