BostonZest

Where in Boston Would You Find These Doors?

Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen it around Boston.

Here are some hints to find this stunning set of doors:

• Take a walk in the South End 
• They are on a main street
• There is a ghost ad on the side of the building

Ready? Click through or scroll down past this great book about Boston, for the answer.

 

What Would You Have Seen in This Spot in the 1970s?

If you were standing where I was to take this photo in the 1960s, what famous Boston institution would you have had in view?

Here are your hints:

In case you are new to the area, it is on Cambridge Street near Massachusetts General Hospital.

Like the hotel and hospital, it was open to the public and you could stop by at 3 am and feel welcome.

It closed down for a while and was reopened by a fan. 

Click through or scroll down past the Amazon ad to find the answer.

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Where Would You Find This Snarling Lion Face?

Go lion hunting on your next walk. Here are a few clues to help you find this guy and a few of his pack. 

• Head to The Fenway.
• By that we mean the parkland, not the baseball place.
• Be careful crossing the street, there are lions everywhere.
• This structure has something in common with the Museum of Fine Arts.

Ready? Click through to find the answer.

 

Where Would You Find These Neatly Folded Hands?

Let's play Attention to Detail! We give you a close-up clue and you have to figure out where you've seen it around Boston.

Here are some hints:

• The hands are on a statue of a woman that was created by a woman.
• The statue is of a Quaker and was created by a Quaker.
• It is located next to a famous building. 
• It was installed in 1959.

Ready? Click through for the answer.

Where Is This Ornamental Iron Lace Work? Play Attention to Detail

In his description of the balcony in this 1956 photo, photographer Leslie Jones called it "Ornamental iron lace work." 

Do you recall seeing this architectural detail in the South End?

As a part of our research for Penny's Attention to Detail column in the Boston Sun, we went to take a look at it today.

We're happy to say that the building is looking great and the "iron lace work" is in lovely condition. 

Before we give you the answer, we'll give you a few clues.

• The name of the street has changed during this building's history.
• It has a fountain nearby.
• It is near The South End Historical Society.

Here's The Answer!

Leslie Jones took this photo of, "... 558 and 560 Massachusetts Ave., formerly 37 Chester Square.” The Leslie Jones photo that is part of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.

Bonus tidbit: Chester Square was renamed Massachusetts Avenue on March 1, 1894.

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Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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Then & Now: 176 Marlborough Street by Developer Eben Dyer Jordan #throwbackthursday

Here is what 176 Marlborough Street looked like circa 1922. This residence was built in 1876 and was one of six contiguous houses along that block of Marlborough that were built by Eben Dyer Jordan, the founder of Jordan Marsh. He built 166 Marlborough for his daughter and her husband and the other five were quickly sold. 

The photo is part of the City of Boston Archives Street Lighting Collection. The city was creating a record of the street lighting fixtures and the note on this photo says:

"Electric street lamp on converted gas post with electric light fixture with white dome & clear glass globe. Installed in 1909."

Here's the same scene in 2011 with a new gaslight replacing the old gaslight that had been so proudly electrified in 1909.

Today, a street tree stands in the place of the former electric lamp and you see fences and gardens in front of the townhouses but not in early photos. Many homes in the Back Bay were winter residences where families lived for the "winter season." In the summer months, they would have been closed up while the family moved to their summer estates. 

You'll see many references to "winter season" in the genealogy of this residence on the award winning site, Back Bay Houses: Genealogies of Back Bay Houses.

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Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: 1922 photo is used under this creative commons license. Second photo © 2011 Penny  Cherubino  

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Where Is This Lion? Fun with Historic Photos!

This lion lives on a fairly busy street in Boston. Do you know where you'll find him? 

Photo credit and links are below.

Photo credit and links are below.

Clues:

1. Over the years this building was used for a lodging house, church, undertaker, stores, day nursery, and apartments.
2. In 1943, repairs were made to the buidling after a fire.
3. Today, the building houses seven condominium units.
4. Leslie Jones took these photos.
5. It's in the South End.

Update: 10/25/14: We received a review copy of Dirty Old Boston: Four Decades of a City in Transition by Jim Botticelli, a great new book from Union Park Press and found the second photo on page 37. If you love these historic photos posts, you will love this book. 

Here's a photo of the lion, today:

 

Are you ready for an answer?

This lion lives at 511 Columbus Avenue at the corner of Greenwich Park. 

Here are the historic photos with their titles.

Both are: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection, and are used under this creative commons license.

"South End kids pose on stone lion"

"African-American boy with Stowe lion"

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 Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino