Landmarks Commission holding a virtual Preservation Month
We are currently living in interesting times. The COVID-19 situation has forced all aspects of life to be rethought in ways that would have been unthinkable several months ago. Regardless, life moves on and new ideas and processes emerge to make the best of a bad situation. With that in mind, this year’s preservation month will be conducted in a new way.
We want to promote the historic resources of our city while keeping our constituents safe and out of harm's way. Click through for a list of some of our favorite online experiences that celebrate Boston’s built heritage.
Click the program titles below to learn more:
South End Virtual Tour (May 19, 6:30 p.m.)The South End Landmark District Commission Chair, John Amodeo, is offering a very popular tour of architecturally significant buildings of the past, present and future in Boston’s popular South End. This year the tour will be held online through Zoom.
Landmarks Commission
The Landmarks website is a great resource to explore the history and architecture of landmarked buildings and districts. Here you can dive into our study reports or view a map of all of the locally protected buildings. Did we miss something? Be sure to stop by the “how to designate a landmark” to see how you can nominate a building that you feel is important to Boston.
While nothing beats an in person experience to the museum, the virtual experience does get close. The Gardner Museum has teamed up with Google Arts and Culture to provide a magnificent virtual tour through this famed former home of Isabella Stewart Gardner. A perk of the online experience? The exhibit on the stolen art from the famed 1990’s art heist.
Museum of Fine ArtsIf you’ve been to the Museum of Fine Arts, you know you need more than one day to visit. Whether the city is on lockdown or not, the online tour will help you cover more grounds. Explore this virtual tour and then amaze your friends with your knowledge the next time you visit the museum in person.
Massachusetts Historical SocietyThis is the Commonwealth’s hidden gem and a must visit for any American History buffs. Browse collections that include letters from John Hancock, John Adams, actual tea from the Boston Tea Party, clothing worn by George Washington, and a life mask of Abraham Lincoln. This site will keep you busy (and fascinated) for hours!
Museum of African American HistoryHidden on a quiet street on Beacon Hill, the African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School were built in the early 1800's in what once was the heart of Boston's 19th-century African American neighborhood. Today, these buildings remain a showcase for community organizing and an enduring testimony to black craftsmanship. This museum offers a number of online exhibits and historic information on the African American experience.
Designed by renowned American architect Charles Bulfinch in the Federal Style, the Massachusetts State house has online, self guided, tours available 24 hours a day. Don’t forget to pay homage to the Sacred Cod before you leave.
Paul Revere HouseWhile nothing beats an in-person experience to Mr. Revere’s home, the online site lets you get a head start in learning about the legendary Bostonian. Don't forget to visit the Pierce-Hichborn House next door which is one of the oldest standing brick structures in the city.
Nichols House MuseumThe Nichols House Museum preserves and interprets the 1804 Federal townhouse that was home to landscape gardener, suffragist and pacifist Rose Standish Nichols and her family. Their home and its original art and furnishings provide a glimpse into life on historic Beacon Hill from the mid-19th to mid-20th century. The museum educates and inspires the public through innovative programs, and it continues the conversation on the social concerns the Nichols family embraced that are still relevant today. Explore their collections online to learn more about this legendary family.
Boston Public Library
A must see by any fan of architecture. This structure was designed by world renowned architects McKim, Mead and White and built in 1895, this stunning collection can be toured from the comfort of your couch.
This Back Bay home served as residence to three generations of Gibson family members and their household staff between 1859 and 1954. The Museum’s four floors of period rooms, including the original kitchen, are a time capsule of domestic life in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Visitors experience the house through guided tours that interpret class and culture through the stories and objects of the people who lived and worked there.
U.S.S. ConstitutionLocated in Boston’s historic Charlestown neighborhood, you can tour the legendary ship from home and learn why this ship is called “Old Ironsides.”
JFK Presidential LibraryIf you can’t make it to Dorchester, tour some of the documents and artifacts online from the library of the 35th President of the United States.
Boston CommonTake a virtual tour of America’s oldest public park through youvisit.com.
Beyond BostonThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is offering online tours of some of the most beautiful spaces around the country. From Doc Brown’s House in Back to the Future to H.H. Richardson’s Chicago Home, the National Trust has your interests covered.
