Color Boston Sampler

24 Places to Visit and Color

Jake Rose

Illustrations by

Various Artists

Photo by Beyond My Ken

1.

Faneuil Hall Built by Peter Faneuil in 1742, Faneuil Hall was both a home for merchants and a platform for the country’s most famous orators. It is where colonists protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of no taxation without representation. Samuel Adams rallied Bostonians to the cause of independence from Great Britain in the Hall, and George Washington toasted the nation there on its first birthday. Over the years, Faneuil Hall has played host to speakers like Oliver Wendall Holmes, Susan B. Anthony, Bill Clinton, and Ted Kennedy, living up to its nickname, “The Cradle of Liberty.” To better accommodate the merchants and shoppers, Faneuil Hall was expanded in 1826 to include the Greek Revival style Quincy Market. Falling into disrepair by the mid-1900’s, the marketplace was revitalized in the early 1970’s through the efforts of Jim Rouse, Benjamin Thompson, and Mayor Kevin White. Today, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is still Boston’s central meeting place, offering an unparalleled urban marketplace for over 18 million visitors annually.

2. Charles River Considered to be one of Boston’s premier public spaces, the Charles River Basin began its makeover in 1894 with Charles Eliot's plan for it to become the centerpiece of Boston’s regional park system. Eliot’s plan was realized through the riverfront becoming public domain in the 1890s, the Charles River Dam’s completion in 1910, and the Esplanade’s creation in 1926. After the Storrow Drive’s completion in 1949, a new island was developed along the Esplanade that created two lagoons. In 2002, a Master Plan for the Charles River Basin was developed, creating a vision of the Charles’ parks, parkways, riverbanks, and watershed. Utilizing funds from Boston’s Big Dig, the New Charles River Basin includes the North Point, Nashua Street, and Paul Revere Parks. Today, the basin’s parks include natural areas, recreation fields, playgrounds, wildlife habitats, and paths for cycling, walking, and rollerblading.

3.

Trinity Church Trinity Church Boston has long been considered a masterpiece of American architecture. A hundred years ago, and again in the late 20th century, the American Association of Architects named Trinity Church Boston one of the most significant buildings in the country. At its inception in the 1870s, it was a bold experiment in construction on marshland in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Heralded for its new face and feeling for ecclesiastical architecture in America, the building is a celebrated example of "Richardsonian Romanesque" design, named after H. H. Richardson. Everything about the historic building–from its elaborately carved exterior to its stained-glass windows, colorful mosaics, La Farge wall murals, and needle-worked kneelers–proclaims the Gospel. Despite its renowned artistry and architecture, Trinity Church is not a museum. Rather, it is a sacred place of worship and service where a vibrant community of faithful Christians and visitors gather on a daily basis.

4.

Massachusetts State House Designed by Charles Bulfinch in 1798 as one of the nation’s most magnificent and wellsituated buildings, the Massachusetts State House has become an outstanding museum reflecting the state’s history since colonial times. Its spacious marble-floored corridors are lined with the portraits of Massachusetts governors and murals depicting the state's unique heritage. Adamses, Hancocks, Reveres, and Winthrops live on in statues and paintings recreating the glory of their times. The State House is also a vital place of work for the leadership that guides the state today. You can observe the Senate and House of Representatives as they convene in their chambers. Past and present are partners in the Massachusetts State House. Walk through the grand old building with a guided tour or on your own, and have a visit that will be enjoyable, informative, and memorable.

5. Newbury Street With eight blocks filled with salons, boutiques, and fabulous dining, Boston’s Newbury Street has something for everyone. As one of Boston’s legendary shopping and dining districts, Newbury Street is a destination in and of itself and provides a variety of unique experiences while you’re on vacation. Here, you’ll find beautiful storefronts, architectural gems and a multitude of choices for a little retail therapy.

Photo by Lëa-Kim Châteauneuf

6.

Boston Public Library Established in 1848 by M. Nicholas Marie Alexandre Vattemare, Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy, Jr., Edward Everett, and George Ticknor, the Boston Public Library was the United States’ first large free municipal library. Opening in a former schoolhouse located on Mason Street in 1854, the BPL eventually moved to 55 Boylston Street in 1858. As the library outgrew that space, the BPL moved again to the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets in 1880. Designed by Charles Follen McKim in 1887 as a "palace for the people", the present Central Library in Copley Square has served as the BPL’s headquarters since its completion in 1895. Cited as America’s first outstanding example of Renaissance Beaux-Arts Classicism by the National Park Service, the landmark McKim building houses beautiful murals, a lovely inner courtyard, and magnificent sculptures and painting. Located on the McKim building’s second floor, the iconic Bates Hall reading room is named in honor of the BPL’s first major benefactor Joshua Bates.

8.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Founded in 1870, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, stands on the historic homelands of the Massachusett people, a site which has long served as a place of meeting and exchange among different nations. Opened in 1876 on Copley Square, the MFA was then home to 5,600 works of art. Over the next several years, the collection and number of visitors grew exponentially, and in 1909 the Museum moved to its current home on Huntington Avenue. Today, the MFA is one of the world’s most comprehensive art museums with a collection of nearly 500,000 works of art. They welcome over one million visitors each year to experience art from ancient Egyptian to contemporary, special exhibits, and educational programs. The Museum has undergone major expansion and change in recent years; 2010 marked the opening of the Art of the Americas Wing, with four levels of American art from ancient to modern. In 2011, the Museum’s west wing was transformed into the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art, with new galleries for contemporary art and social and learning spaces. Improved and new galleries for the MFA collections are always opening.

Photo by R Boed

11.

Acorn Street/ Beacon Hill One of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods, Beacon Hill is known for its charming, narrow cobblestone streets, federal style row houses, and gaslit streetlamps. It’s also considered to be one of Boston’s most desirable and expensive residential areas. A visit to Boston isn’t complete without a stop here. Whether to shop, dine or wander about admiring the architecture and numerous historic sites, there are so many things to do in Beacon Hill.

When visiting Beacon Hill, make sure to visit Acorn Street, one of the most photographed streets in the city. Acorn Street offers visitors a reminiscent ride back to colonial Boston. Lived in by artisans and trades people in the 19th century, today the row houses within this lovely street are considered to be a most prestigious address.

Photo by TanRo

12.

Old North Church The enduring fame of the Old North began on the evening of April 18, 1775, when church sexton Robert Newman and Vestryman Capt. John Pulling, Jr. climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea across the Charles River and not by land. This fateful event ignited the American Revolution. Built in 1723, Christ Church in the City of Boston, known to all as the Old North Church, is Boston’s oldest surviving church building. In 1775, on the eve of Revolution, the majority of the congregation were loyal to the British King and many held official positions in the royal government, including the Royal Governor of Massachusetts, making Robert Newman’s loyalty to the Patriot cause even more extraordinary. The King gave the Old North its silver that was used at services and a bible. Each year they welcome over 150,000 visitors to the site to experience this unique and stirring monument to liberty.

14.

Uss Constitution As the USS Constitution’s memory and educational voice, the USS Constitution Museum preserves, displays, and interprets artifacts and archival material related to “Old Ironsides” and her crew through interactive exhibits, compelling programs, and engaging outreach initiatives. The Museum was incorporated in 1972 as a complement to the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s Ship of State. This allowed the Navy to clear Constitution’s decks of display cases so that visitors could see the Ship as a sailing vessel and for artifacts to be cared for in proper environmental conditions. In 1976, Samuel Morison opened the Museum in its present facility in Charlestown Navy Yard’s Building 22, across the pier from “Old Ironsides.” Working with the National Park Service, the Museum expanded into two adjacent buildings and built a connecting corridor in the 1990s. In 2001, the Museum completed renovations on a collections storage facility and research library. Today, over 350,000 people visit the Museum each year to learn and explore, making it one of Boston’s most visited museums.

Photo by Rhododentries

16.

Old State House Built in 1713, the Old State House is Boston’s oldest surviving public building and one of America’s most historically important buildings. Serving as a merchants' exchange on the first floor and the seat of government on the second floor throughout the 1700s, the Old State Building was a major keystone in America’s quest for independence. James Otis’ arguments that the Writs of Assistance violated Englishmen’s constitutional liberties in 1761 in the State House’s Court planted the seeds for independence. Outside the State House is a circle that marks the spot of the Boston Massacre, where in 1770 British soldiers shot and killed five colonists. This bloody event was a key turning point that would eventually lead to the American Revolution. In 1776, Bostonians gathered under the Old State’s balcony to hear Colonel Thomas Crafts read the Declaration of Independence for the first time. After the war, the edifice served as the Massachusetts State House until 1798, then served as Boston’s City Hall from 1830 to 1841. In 1881, it was taken over by The Bostonian Society, who has operated it as a museum of Boston history ever since.

18.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Built by Isabella Stewart Gardner and Willard Sears from 1899 to 1902 in the Back Bay Fens, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a beautiful mix of Roman, Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance reliefs, balustrades, capitals, and statues. With both one of the finest private art collections in America and the longest running museum music program in America, there is something for anyone to enjoy at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Photo by Rhododentries

19.

Institute of Contemporary Art Founded in 1936 as a sister institution to New York’s MoMA, the Boston Museum of Modern Art was conceived as a laboratory where innovative approaches to art could be championed. Establishing a reputation for identifying important new artists, the museum parted ways with MoMA and changed its name to the Institute of Contemporary Art in 1948. For over 75 years, the ICA has presented contemporary art in all media and created programs that encourage appreciation for contemporary culture. At the end of the 1990s, several projects strengthened the ICA’s public role, including the teen filmmaking program Fast Forward and the critically acclaimed ICA/Vita Brevis temporary installations. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the ICA opened its new building in 2006 on the Boston waterfront. In its new facility, the ICA has expanded the scope and size of its exhibits and programs–increasing its audiences and serving as a catalyst for contemporary art in Boston. Through its history the ICA has been at the forefront in identifying and supporting the most important artists of its time and bringing them to public attention.

20.

Boston Children's Museum Boston Children’s Museum was founded in 1913 by the Science Teachers' Bureau, a group of visionary educators dedicated to providing new resources for both teachers and students, as a center for the exchange of materials and ideas to advance the teaching of science. It is the second oldest and one of the most influential children’s museums in the world. For over 100 years it has been engaging children in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of the world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning. The Museum’s exhibits and programs emphasize hands-on engagement and learning through child-centered experiences and employing play as a tool to spark creativity, curiosity, and imagination. Designed for children and families, Museum exhibits focus on culture, environmental awareness, health, fitness, and the arts. In addition to its child-centered exhibits, educators develop programs and activities that address STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math), literacy, performing arts, visual arts, cultures, health, and wellness. The Museum’s collection of Americana, Natural History, Global Culture, Native American, Dolls and Dollhouses, and Japanese artifacts encompass over 50,000 items.

Color Boston is filled to the brim with the city's most iconic settings, like Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, and Bunker Hill Monument, among many others.

Through its 24 beautiful black-and-white line drawings and detailed descriptions, “Color Boston” masterfully highlights what makes this shining city on a hill so special to its residents and visitors.

ISBN 9781948286565

www.colorourtown.com