Tour of Boston Massachusetts

Welcome to Boston

The Massachusetts State House is where the Senate and House of Representatives meet today, just as they did when it was built in 1798. The State House is found in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. Like many early American government buildings, it was inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, and its gleaming copper dome was installed by none other than Paul Revere and Sons in 1802.

A Trip Down Memory Lane in Boston

Over the years, Maureen and I have visited Boston a number of times. While this album is dedicated to our last visit I have added this one collage of pictures taken during our trip to Boston in the 1970's

Massachusetts State House in Boston

The capital of Massachusetts in Boston was designed by Charles Bulfinch in 1787. It's cornerstone was laid by Governor Samuel Adams assisted by Paul Revere. The building was built on John Hancock's cow pasture on Beacon Hill. The dome of the State House in Boston has been gilded with 23-carrot gold leaf. It houses the Massachusetts House of Representatives, The Senate and the Governor's Office and is located on the highest point on Beacon Hill overlooking the Boston Commons.

The Swan Boats in the Public Gardens in Boston

The Swan Boats are a fleet of pontoon pleasure boats which operate in a pond in the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Swan Boats have been in operation since 1877, and have since become a cultural icon for the city. They operate beginning the second weekend of April and ending the third weekend in September. The Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common.

The Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden

The Swan Boats operate in the same pond in the Public Garden in which they have operated for over 140 years. A Swan Boat ride is a peaceful experience, usually lasting about 12–15 minutes. The Swan Boats remain a Boston tradition and symbol of the city.

The Pond in the Boston Public Gardens

During the warmer seasons, the 4 acres (16,000 m2) pond is the home of a great many ducks, as well as of one or more swans. A popular tourist attraction is the Swan Boats, which began operating in 1877. For a small fee, tourists can sit on a boat ornamented with a white swan at the rear. The boat is then pedaled around the pond by a tour guide sitting within the swan.

Guarding the Boston Common

The 50 acres which makes up The Boston Common is one of the oldest public parks in the United States. It is where the Freedom Trail Tour of Boston begins and a must see for anyone visiting Boston.

Park Street Church in Boston Massachusetts

Park Street Church is a stop on Boston's Freedom Trail. The founding of the church is dated to 1804. The church's cornerstone was laid on May 1, 1809, and construction was completed by the end of the year. The church was the tallest building in the United States from 1810 to 1828. For much of the early 19th century, it was the first landmark travelers saw when approaching Boston.

Beacon Hill in Boston

Beacon Hill is a 19th century downtown Boston residential neighborhood located directly north of the Boston Common. It is more like a village than a city neighborhood.

Beacon Hill Home in Boston

Beacon Hill is one of the higher income neighborhoods in Boston. It architecture is made up mostly brick row houses of the Federal, Greek Revival and Victorian periods.

The Mother Church for The First Church of Christ, Scientist

This Romanesque Revival stone structure was completed in December 1894. Designed to fit on a kite-shaped lot, the former features a 126-foot steeple and an octagonal auditorium that seats 900. It is built of granite from New Hampshire.and today located on the 13.5-acre Christian Science Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts

Christian Science Plaza in Boston

Designed in the 1960s by the firm I.M. Pei & Partners (Araldo Cossutta and I. M. Pei, design partners), the 13.5-acre (55,000 m2) Christian Science Plaza along Huntington Avenue includes a large administration building, a colonnade, a reflecting pool and fountain, and Reflection Hall (the former Sunday School building). The site is one of Boston's most recognizable sites and a popular tourist attraction.

Huntington Avenue in Boston

The building in the the front of the picture isThe building in the the front of the picture is 177 Huntington Avenue. The building, opened in 1973, originally served as the Christian Science world headquarters. 111 Huntington Avenue was given the nickname the R2-D2 building because of its distinctive roof that resembles the robot from Star Wars. It was built in 2002. Next to 111 Huntington Building is 101 Huntington Avenue a 25 story office tower.. The building, opened in 1973, originally served as the Christian Science world headquarters. 111 Huntington Avenue was given the nickname the R2-D2 building because of its distinctive roof that resembles the robot from Star Wars. It was built in 2002. Next to 111 Huntington Building is 101 Huntington Avenue a 25 story office tower.

Boston Public Library

Located on Copley Square the Boston Public Library was established in 1884 and was the first publicly supported municipal library in the USA. It is also the first public library to allow people to borrow books and other materials.

Boston Symphony Hall

Boston Symphony Hall was designed by McKim, Mead and White, and built in 1900 by the Norcross Brothers for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Italian Renaissance Revival building rests on thousands of wooden pilings embedded in filled land, and is one of the city's first steel-framed buildings. It is clad in brick, with limestone trim. Its main entrance, now on Massachusetts Avenue, was originally intended for arrivals by carriage, while the original main entrance was through the columned portico on Huntington Avenue.

Trinity Church in Boston

Situated on Copley Square in Back Bay, Trinity Church is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The building's plan is a modified Greek Cross with four arms extending outwards from the central tower, which stands 211 ft tall. The church is situated in Copley Square, in the shadow of the John Hancock Tower. Trinity Church is the only church in the United States and the only building in Boston that has been honored as one of the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States" by the American Institute of Architects.

Reflection

In addition to worship, the parish is actively involved in service to the community, pastoral care, programs for children and teenagers, and Christian education for all ages. The church is home to several high-level choirs, including the Trinity Choir, Trinity Schola, Trinity Choristers, and Trinity Chamber Choir. The building, designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, is currently under study for becoming a Boston Landmark.

Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston

The Fairmont Copley Plaza is a Forbes four-star, AAA four-diamond hotel in downtown Boston. It was built on the original site of the Museum of Fine Arts and named in honor of John Singleton Copley, an American painter. The total cost was $5.5 million. The seven-floor hotel is constructed of limestone and buff brick in the Beaux-Arts style.

Entrance to the Copley Hotel in Boston

From its opening, the hotel was a center of the social life of Boston's elite. It was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenburgh who was the architect for the Plaza Hotel in New York and the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. The grand opening attracted celebrities, socialites and dignitaries such as Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, grandfather of President John F. Kennedy.

Peacock Alley in the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston

The entrance hallway has been called "Peacock Alley" since the 1920s. The 5,000-square-foot lobby has a 21-foot high gilded coffered ceiling with matching Empire style crystal chandeliers and Italian marble columns. Much of the classical architecture and decor has been preserved, including the back-to-back "P" monogram.

Peacock Alley in the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston

Nearly every President of the United States since Taft has stayed at the Copley Plaza. Many foreign dignitaries, royalty, and celebrities have been guests of this hotel. The Copley has been featured in the films The Firm and Blown Aw

John Hancock Towers in Boston

The building in the rear of the picture is The John Hancock Tower. It is 60 stories skyscraper and the tallest building in Boston. The old Hancock Tower, The Berkeley Building, was built in 1947. It is topped by a beacon with red and blue lights which is a code for the weather. During the baseball season a flashing red light means the Red Sox game has been called off.

Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Roman Catholic basilica in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, sometimes known as "The Mission Church". The Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province have ministered to the parish since the church was first opened in 1870. It was constructed in Romanesque style, of Roxbury puddingstone. The spires, added in 1910, but Due to the church's sloping foundation, the west cross tops its tower at 215 feet; the other spire is two feet shorter

Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The spires, added in 1910, but Due to the church's sloping foundation, the west cross tops its tower at 215 feet; the other spire is two feet shorter. The western tower houses twelve bells

Interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The length of the church is also 215 feet presenting a perfect proportion. On December 8, 1954, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, through the intercession of Boston’s Cardinal Cushing, His Holiness Pope Pius XII raised the Mission Church to the status of a Basilica. The church complex was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2004.