2022 Boston Guide to Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city. We pulled together a list of cool things to see, do, taste, learn, support, or think about throughout the month of May. 

Before we dive in, the Boston Preservation Alliance is supported by you, our neighbors and community members. We have a Preservation Month goal to raise $25,000 in support of our work protecting, promoting, and preserving Boston’s architectural heritage. We bring people and organizations together to influence the future of Boston’s historic buildings, landscapes, and communities.

Any level of support is an immense help in our efforts to keep Boston a vibrant place to live, work, and visit. Together, we make Boston better.
 

Support Our Work


Now, lace up those shoes and get ready for preservation adventures. Here are nine ways to honor, enjoy, and experience our vibrant city.

North End Street that zigs and zags.
1. Explore Boston’s Green Spaces

This year marks Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday. He is known as the Father of Landscape Architecture and Boston is lucky to be home to a number of his parks. We have Olmsted to thank for the concept of the Emerald Necklace and several of Boston’s parks. (Note: He created the concept of the Emerald Necklace, but did not design all the parks. For example, the Public Garden was designed by George Meachum.) His parks range from unexpected mini oases like Charlesgate Park to grand landscapes such as Franklin Park and the fragrant Arboretum. 

List of Olmsted Parks:

1.  Franklin Park
2. The Arnold Arboretum
3. The Fens, Arborway, and Riverway
4. The Emerald Necklace
5. Dorchester Park (designed by Olmsted, Olmsted & Eliot, a firm led by Frederick Law Olmsted’s sons.

2. Celebrate Boston’s 200th Birthday as a City

May 9: Boston at 200 with the Massachusetts Historical Society. Free to attend.

The Massachusetts Historical Society is hosting an event, both in-person and online, that examines Boston as a city. 

The Boston Preservation Alliance is serving on the newly-formed Commemoration Commission that will not only celebrate upcoming historical anniversaries but will also reexamine and update our preservation toolkit.  

It’s been 200 years since Boston was incorporated in 1822. An excellent panel will discuss Boston’s past, present, and future. What will Boston look like moving forward? How will the city face rising costs pushing out innovators and artists? What will climate change’s effects be on this coastal city? In 2122, will Boston remain the innovation hub of America? 

Register

3. Wake Up Your Garden with the Loring-Greenough House 

May 7: Wake Up Your Garden 11 am — 1 pm.
May 14: Summer Kitchen Opening 1 pm — 3 pm.

To celebrate the advent of spring, the Loring-Greenough will host a plant sale on May 7 featuring clippings from their heritage and native plants. There will also be opportunities for soil testing, chats with Massachusetts Master Gardeners, a book swap, and children’s activities.

Keep the fun going and join the Summer Kitchen Opening on May 14. Come visit the last remaining example of an early 19th-century summer kitchen in Boston! Tours of the summer kitchen and drying space will be offered, plus fun activities such as butter making, rug beating, 19th-century games, and view items from the Loring-Greenough collections related to cooking and food preparation.

The Loring-Greenough is also one of Boston’s oldest buildings. (a hint for a future item)

4. Take a Walk.

May 14: Jamaica Plain Historical Society Walking Tour of Monument Square
May 15: Boston By Foot Tour, Reinventing Boston
May 21: Jamaica Plain Historical Society Walking Tour of Sumner Hill
May 28: Jamaica Plain Historical Society Walking Tour of Stony Brook
May 29: Boston By Foot Tour, Reinventing Boston

There are few better ways to see the city than by foot. 

The Jamaica Plain Historical Society is hosting a series of walking tours around Monument Square, Sumner Hill, and Stony Brook. Stroll around Monument Square and see architecture that spans three centuries including the oldest community theater company in the United States, roam around the finest collections of Victorian houses in Sumner Hill, and sip your way through Boston’s beer history by exploring Stony Brook.

Book a Tour

Boston By Foot is leading a tour titled, “Reinventing Boston” with two tour dates. A walk through Boston is a walk through time. On this guided walk through the Greenway and along the Waterfront, observe how Boston’s urban landscape has changed as you uncover the clues left behind.

From cobblestone streets to the first subway to the Big Dig, Boston has led the way in urban transformation. For hundreds of years, the city has changed to meet the demands of people, business, transportation, and public health.

Walk from the narrow streets of 17th-century Boston to the modern city, exploring a city re-engineered!

5. Be an Armchair Time Traveler with the Help of the Atlascope
An old map sharing the area of Uphams Corner in 1910

Atlascope is a tool made by the Leventhal Map Center for exploring historic urban maps in metropolitan Boston and telling stories about how places have changed over time.

Urban atlases offer some of the most important sources of information about the historical geography of cities in the United States, with extraordinary detail about buildings, owners, and city infrastructure. Until now, browsing these atlases has involved looking through volumes and pages for a specific area of interest. The Atlascope project brings nearly 100 atlases of Boston and its surroundings into a seamless digital interface.

Go Explore With Atlascope


Visit the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center to see the current exhibit, “More or Less in Common: Environment and Justice in the Human Landscape.” Or attend an online event in conversation with Dudley Square Neighborhood Initiative on community land trusts, sustainable development, and community resilience in Roxbury.

6. Track Down Boston’s Oldest Buildings. 
One of Boston's oldest buildings on minot street.

Boston City Archaeologist, Joseph Bagley, tracked down Boston’s 50 oldest buildings and organized them in a book called, “Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them.” It is a great guide to the city and reveals unexpected histories hidden within wood and brick. The book won a 2021 Preservation Award. One building from the book has sadly been demolished, but the others remain. See if you can find them all and share them with us via Instagram. Of the top five, three are in Dorchester, and two are in the North End. 

Buy the Book
 

The AIA Guide to Boston App is another great resource as you roam the city. The app includes the history of thousands of buildings at your fingertips and is available for free.
 

DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE    Download for Android

 

7. Dive into the History of Your Own Home.

There are several local organizations and resources to help you discover the history of your own home. Most are based on the neighborhood you live in. 

If you live in…

  • Back Bay: Then you should explore the award-winning www.Backbayhouses.org, an extensive list of house and neighborhood history. Be warned, this is a proper rabbit hole of information.
  • Charlestown: Then the Charlestown Preservation Society is for you. They have a great house research guide complete with Charlestown Resources.
  • Dorchester or Mattapan: Look to the Dorchester Historical Society. For just $75, a researcher at the Dorchester Historical Society will help you unravel the stories of your home. 
8. Dine Out at One of Boston’s Legacy Businesses
Facade of Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale

Legacy Businesses – mom and pop shops – make Boston unique and our neighborhoods vibrant. They are so unique that no other city in the world has places quite like them. 

The character of a place rests in more than the physical architecture. People make memories, not buildings, and Boston’s Legacy Businesses are the retainers of neighborhood identity and generation’s worth of memories.

See our list of Boston’s Legacy Businesses.

Some suggestions:

  • Classic candlepin bowling at Central Park Lanes, Ron’s, South Boston Candlepin.
  • Jazz at Slades, Darry’s, and Wally’s.
  • Tour the world through food with stops at Cafe Polonia, Merengue, Singhs Roti Shop, Tawakal Halal Cafe, and Hei La Moon (now in a new location).
9. Subscribe to our Newsletter for More Preservation Updates and Adventures.

Our Preservation field guides are sent out every two weeks and are sure to make you fall in love with Boston. They are full of advocacy updates and neighborhood preservation news.

Subscribe

Happy Preservation Month!

 

Help the Boston Preservation Alliance raise $25,000 this Preservation Month. Every amount helps and every gift of $20 or more automatically makes you a member of the Boston Preservation Alliance.

Support the Alliance

 

Recent

EVENT: Landmark Love

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Preservation Priorities: Letter to Mayor Wu

Update: February 29, 2024

The Boston Preservation Alliance has submitted a letter to the Wu Administration.

Now Accepting Nominations for 2024 Preservation Awards

Each year the Boston Preservation Alliance presents the Preservation Achievement Awards to recognize a group of exemplary historic preservation projects or activities in Boston.

Rudolph Spotted Around Boston

Written by Matthew Dickey

Walk with Me: 10,000+ Steps Exploring Boston

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Barbie's Boston Dream House

A Visual Guide to “Barbitecture” and Real-life Doll Houses

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A Short History of Boston’s Triple Deckers

5 Incredible Adaptive Reuse Projects in Boston

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Alliance Alert: Buckminster Hotel vote pulled from agenda at 11th hour

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Councilor Bok, Preservation Advocate

On behalf of the Boston Preservation Alliance and Boston’s preservation community, we would like to thank Councilor Kenzie Bok for her dedication to our city’s historic resources.

My Boston Home: East Boston Library

Written by Dan Bailey

Tiny Story: Hibernian Hall

Written by Matthew Dickey

Now Accepting Nominations for 2023 Codman Lifetime Achievement Award

The Codman Award for lifetime achievement, named for John Codman who established Boston’s first historic district (Beacon Hill) in 1955, recognizes outstanding and career-long…

Event: Upham's Corner Heart Bombing

Talk Historic To Me.

Redefining Preservation

Thank you for helping us redefine preservation. Architecture is the surface of a city, but our history is deeper than a facade. It is the people, residents, and visitors that make Boston…

2022 Preservation Gift Guide

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Tiny Story: Helen's Leather Shop

Written and photographed by Anan Shen, 2022 Summer Intern.

The West End: What We Will Lose

Written by Anan Shen. This is the first of a series of short stories about the West End.  

 

Doyle's Update

As an advocacy organization for historic preservation, the Alliance often advocates to save historic buildings because of their stunning architecture or articulated streetscape.

Seven Magical Places in Boston

Celebrate Harry Potter’s Birthday! 

 

East Boston’s Oldest Buildings and Where to Find Them

Written and researched by Dan Bailey.
All photos by Dan Bailey and Matthew Dickey.

Tour Your Boston: Pho Hoa

Stories about our neighborhoods are often told by adults for adults. But what landmarks and businesses define our neighborhoods through the eyes of the next generation? 

My Boston Home: The Dragon of JP

Thousands and thousands of buildings line Boston’s streets. But one house is different from all the rest. It takes a bit of determination to find it.

EVENT: A Weekend Photo Workshop with Peter Vanderwarker, Sept. 16-18

Photos by Peter Vanderwarker.

A Weekend Photo Workshop with Peter Vanderwarker, Sept. 16-18

Launch of the City's new Commemoration Commission

On May 1, 2022, Boston celebrated the 200th anniversary of incorporation as a city at the Old South Meeting House.

EVENT: Heartbombing 2022

Valentine’s Day is approaching and that means only one thing—it’s time to dust off those markers and share some love (Heart Bombs) for old buildings! What are heart bombs?

Tiny Story: The Star (Paczki) Baker of Dorchester

In a little triangle just south of Andrew Station, Polish and American flags fly in pairs. The air wafts with the smell of freshly fried dough.

A Vision for Preservation

Written by Alison Frazee, Executive Director

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Our Most-Watched Advocacy Projects of 2021 Are Below, But First…

The Alliance relies on generous supporters like you to continue our work in promoting, preserving,…

Preservation Highlights From 2021

The Alliance has been utilizing every opportunity to further our goals of historic preservation advocacy and telling the fuller story of Boston’s past. Below are a few of our 2021…

Event: Virtual Coffee Hour Featuring BPL McKim Building Master Plan

Thursday, December 2, 10:00-11:00 am.

2021 Mayoral Election: A Q&A with the Candidates

The Boston Preservation Alliance is Boston’s primary, non-profit advocacy organization that protects and promotes the use of historic buildings and landscapes in all of Boston’s…

Neighborhood Walking Tours

In partnership with Boston By Foot. 

The Pleasant Cafe

Written by Jennifer Dines.
Photos by Matthew Dickey.

Event: 2021 Libations for Preservation (at Sea!)

Turn on your favorite sea shanty and prepare for the water. The Young Advisors are bringing their annual Libations for Preservation event to the sea! 

Tiny Story: Explore A Slice Of The Boston Harborwalk

Written by Ava Yokanovich
Photos by Ava Yokanovich

My Boston Home: Roxbury Mini Mansard

Interview with Angela Ward Hyatt
Photos courtesy of Angela Ward Hyatt
Before and after photos below!

Tiny Story: Memories from the South End

Memories from former South End residents Judith Nee and Isabel O’Hara
Images from Neil Kadey and Judith Nee
Written by Judith Nee and Ava Yokanovich

Tiny Story: Boston Building Resources

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Photos by Ava Yokanovich

Fifteen Magical Places in Boston

Written by Mackenzie Barrall and Corinne Muller. Photos by Matthew Dickey.

Originally published July 2020. Updated July 2021.

Victory! Budget Increased for Boston Landmarks Commission.

The Alliance works closely with the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC), which resides within the Environment Department at the City, to further preservation efforts in Boston.

Tiny Story: The Marliave Restaurant

Written by Jules Spector and Matthew Dickey

#ArtWorksHere #ArtStaysHere

Images and words by Matthew Dickey

Tiny Story: Red Hat History

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Photos by Matthew Dickey

Tiny Story: Forged Histories of the Public Garden

Written by Mackenzie Barrall

Photos by Ava Yokanovich

Tiny Story: Southwest Corridor Park

Written by Ava Yokanovich

Images taken by Ava Yokanovich along the Southwest Corridor Path near Titus Sparrow Park

 

14 Ways To Explore Boston This Preservation Month

Written by Matthew Dickey

AllianceALERT: Increase the budget for Preservation
There are untold stories in Boston being lost and we need your help to save them.

EVENT: Annual Meeting of Members

Save-The-Date

When: March 25
Time: 6 pm via Zoom
Featuring: Brent Leggs

This event is generously supported by the Nolan-Miller Fund

Tiny Story: Corita Kent

Corita Kent (1918–1986)

Artist, Educator, Advocate for Social Justice

Written by: Vicki Adjami

Event: Coffee Hour–Award Nominations

When: March 4
Time: 10 AM
Where: On Zoom
How: Register below to receive a zoom link

EVENT: Heart bombing Highland Park Addition

Virtual Heart Bombing

Feb. 1-15 

EVENT: Heart bombing Highland Park Addition

Virtual Heart Bombing

Feb. 1-15 

2020 Preservation Gift Guide

Written by Matthew Dickey

Event: Preservation Chatter

The Boston Preservation Alliance and the Young Advisors present: 

Preservation Chatter 2020

Thursday, November 19

6 — 7 PM

32nd Annual Preservation Achievement Awards

6:00 pm. October 15, 2020. Virtual and open to all. 

Tiny Story: Elma Lewis and the NCAAA

Written by Mackenzie Barrall.

Tiny Story: Now + There

Written by Corinne Muller.

Photos by Matthew Dickey.

An Interview with Boston Preservationist David Rodrigues

David Rodrigues is the Manager of Facilities and Preservation at

Tunney Lee's Chinatown Atlas

Written by Corinne Muller. Photos by Matthew Dickey.

 

The Boston Equality Trail

Written by Corinne Muller

Tiny Story: Elite's

Announcing our 2020 Preservation Achievement Award Winners

Preservation takes many forms and requires many hands.

Our Booklist for Pride Month

Written by Corinne Muller.

Dorchester Day

By Corinne Muller

Our Statement of Solidarity—Black Lives Matter

Boston Preservation Alliance stands united with the voices decrying the murder of George Floyd and the long-standing history of racism this tragedy demonstrates.

Meet Our Summer 2020 Interns

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A Wave of Generosity

Let’s come together to create a wave of generosity for the organizations that help Boston thrive.

EVENT: The Tale of Two City Halls

When: May 16

Time: 2PM

Where: Live on Instagram!

EVENT: Preservation Coffee Hour AMA

Have a preservation question? Want to hear updates about any of the preservation projects we’re monitoring?

ENF Filed with MEPA for Northern Avenue Bridge

An Environment Notification Form (ENF) has been filed with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office.

AllianceAlert: Your voice needed to help the BLC

Historic places need your help!

Your Boston Guide to Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Preservation Month in a Strange New World

Written by Greg Galer

How to choose which buildings to treasure, and which to trash

Written by Alison Frazee, Assistant Director, Boston Preservation Alliance.

Tiny Story: Pump Up the Music

We continue our series of tiny stories that uplift the soul.

2020 Preservation Award Nominations Now Open

2020 Preservation Award Nominations Now Open

POSTPONED EVENT: 2020 Annual Meeting of Members

Join us for our Annual Meeting of Members

When: Postponed. New date is TBD

Alliance Event Updates

In light of concerns with COVID-19, we have postponed several of our upcoming events.

EVENT: Heart Bombing

Heart Bombing

Feb. 15 | 1 — 4 pm | Amrheins, 80 W. Broadway, Boston

PLAN: Downtown Scenarios Workshop

Your Voice Needed to Preserve Downtown Boston  

A Preservationist Gift Guide

Is there a preservationist in your life? Or maybe you love architecture, history, and unique Boston stories as much as we do. If either of these is the case, then this is THE gift guide…

Boston's Mid-Century Marvels

With the proposed redevelopment of the Hurley Building, we thought this is a good time…

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

2019 Preservation Achievement Awards 

#SaveMyBoston

Detrimental: Preservation Advocates Ask MGH to Reconfigure Expansion Plans to Spare Three West End Buildings

Preservation advocates are imploring Massachusetts General Hospital to reconfigure its expansion plans to avoid demolition of three historic West End buildings, reports Dan Murphy of the…

Beer + Mortar: Another Round

BEER + MORTAR: A WALKING TOUR

Tracing Black History in Boston with the Green Book

By Isabella Labbe

August 6, 2019. Updated March 2023.

Seven Magical Places in Boston

Written by Matthew Dickey.

6th Annual Libations for Preservation

The Boston Preservation Alliance Board of Young Advisors presents:

 

Libations for Preservation

When:

Wednesday, July 24, 2019…

An Interview with Boston Artist Karen McFeaters

Karen McFeaters is a Boston-based painter whose work features locations around the city that highlight…

Tracing Queer History in Boston

Written by Izzy Labbe

Roger Webb and the "Democratic Donkey"

Roger Webb was the founder of the Architectural Heritage Foundation and…

Beer + Mortar: A Walking Tour

Save the date for Beer + Mortar, a walking tour through Dorchester and Roxbury led by Matthew Dickey of the Alliance and HBI.…

EVENT: COMMUNITY MEETING ON THE NORTHERN AVENUE BRIDGE

The City of Boston invites you to a Community Meeting on the Northern Ave Bridge

Monday, June 3, 2019

Announcing our 2019 Preservation Achievement Award Winners

Neighborhoods are living things. They evolve to the changing needs of their inhabitants. Rural farms become streetcar suburbs. Carriage lanes become roads. Thriving businesses fade.

Use GE money to fix the bridge, says Leung at the Boston Globe

The state gets a $98M cut of GE’s sale of its property in Fort Point. Where should that money go?

31 Things to do for Preservation Month

May is National Preservation Month which gives us a perfect excuse to show off our beloved historic city.

Advocacy ALERT: National Register Threatened

Advocacy needed to OPPOSE a rule change to undercut the National Register of Historic Places

EVENT: 2019 Annual Meeting of Members

Please join us for our Annual Meeting | Registration is closed, but walk-ins welcome! 

EVENT: The Restoration of The Mother Church

Boston Design Week Event

Boston Design Week March 27-April 7 2019



EVENT: YA Meet and Greet with Cocktails!

The Alliance’s Young Advisor’s Board is seeking new board members for 2019!

Call for Nominations for the 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards

The Boston Preservation Alliance is now accepting nominations for our 2019 Preservation Achievement Awards! 

 

Less than Boston

The closing of Durgin Park (1827) following upon Jacob Wirth (1868) last year reminds us that Boston’s unique character comes from more than just architecture.

Marty Misses the Mark With Citgo Veto, says Banker & Tradesman Editorial

“An icon of the Boston skyline was very nearly protected against the city’s current rapacious development culture- but then the mayor stepped in.”

Marty Misses the Mark With Citgo Veto, says Banker & Tradesman Editorial

“An icon of the Boston skyline was very nearly protected against the city’s current rapacious development culture- but then the mayor stepped in.”

Walsh vetoes Citgo Sign Landmark designation, Sign to be moved

Mayor Walsh, Citgo, Related Beal (the developer of the site), and Boston University release a statement: 

Walsh vetoes Citgo Sign Landmark designation, Sign to be moved

Mayor Walsh, Citgo, Related Beal (the developer of the site), and Boston University release a statement: 

EVENT: Community Meeting on the Northern Avenue Bridge

The City of Boston invites you to a

Community Meeting on the Northern Ave Bridge

Meet our newest Young Advisors

The Young Advisors is a board of developing professionals whose role is to expand and amplify the Alliance’s mission of protecting places, promoting vibrancy, and preserving character.

The Alliance Looks to the Future at Milestone Event

On Monday, October 22, the Boston Preservation Alliance hosted the 2018…

Opening Remarks at the 30th Annual Preservation Achievement Awards

Opening Remarks: Chris Scoville, Board Chair
Preservation Achievement Awards and 40 30 10 Celebration 

Announcing the Winners of the Preservation Bucket List!

To celebrate our 40th Anniversary year, the Alliance launched a special social media campaign: The Preservation Bucket List photo competition.

EVENT: Preservation Achievement Awards & 40 30 10 Celebration

This year marks the 40th Anniversary of the Alliance, the 30th Anniversary of the Awards, and the 10th Anniversary of our Young Advisors Board.

EVENT: Tour of Mount Auburn Cemetery

Join the Alliance Young Advisors for a stroll through Mount Auburn Cemetery, the oldest rural cemetery in the US.

It’s time to have your say on the Citgo sign’s future

The debate over the future of the Citgo sign is still quietly grinding on.

It’s time to have your say on the Citgo sign’s future

The debate over the future of the Citgo sign is still quietly grinding on.

The Preservation Bucket List + Photo Competition

The Alliance is turning 40 this year!

September 7: Deadline for eligibility forms for Fall 2018 Community Preservation Funds

Boston has an estimated $20 million in annual funds to support capital projects in historic preservation, affordable housing, and parks and green spaces.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Citgo sign here to stay, but maybe not surrounding buildings

Developer Related Beal on Tuesday went before the Boston Civic Design Commission to submit its updated plans to redevelop buildings on Commonwealth Avenue near Deerfield Street.

Boston, here's the chance to make Northern Avenue Bridge a real destination

Boston’s urban planners and placemakers have an opportunity to make the Northern Avenue Bridge, now a rusting relic in Fort Point Channel, a postcard-worthy destination that draws…

The Northern Avenue Bridge is being replaced, and the city is debating just who will be allowed to use it

It has been nearly four years since anyone could walk across the old Northern Avenue Bridge, and two decades since you could drive across it.

Alliance Included in National Best Practices Report

The Boston Preservation Alliance was included in a 2018 national report regarding best practices for public outreach and education to build a knowledgeable, engaged, and activated…

Defending Fenway’s Heritage

Emily Kahn, Boston Preservation Alliance Intern

Defending Fenway’s Heritage

Emily Kahn, Boston Preservation Alliance Intern

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

Announcing the 2018 Preservation Achievement Award winners!

As neighborhoods change over generations, it’s important that touchpoints to their past both remain in place and sensitively evolve to maintain their relevance.

EVENT: Instagram Tour: Historic Breweries of Jamaica Plain

Boston was once home to 31 breweries, enough to bestow this storied city with the title of “most breweries per capita.” A majority of the city’s breweries are clustered around…

Meet Our 2018 Summer Interns

The Boston Preservation Alliance offers internships to graduate and undergraduate students to help train the next generation of preservationists by providing hands-on experience in the…

City Council Awards First Batch of Boston Community Preservation Funds

Boston City Council voted on Thursday, June 21, to approve the first batch of Boston Community Preservation funding requests.

City Council Awards First Batch of Boston Community Preservation Funds

Boston City Council voted on Thursday, June 21, to approve the first batch of Boston Community Preservation funding requests.

EVENT: Ladder Blocks Walking Tour

You’re invited to a special preview for Alliance and Boston By Foot members. The Ladder Blocks Walking Tour will take place on Sunday, May 20, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.

EVENT: Preservation in Perpetuity: An Overview of Preservation Restrictions

Boston has a wonderful mix of historic buildings and sites, from stately row houses to 3-deckers, churches to commercial blocks.

EVENT: Preservation, Powered by PechaKucha

The Young Advisors of the Boston Preservation Alliance are hosting a PechaKucha night on Tuesday, May 15 at The Algonquin Club of Boston.

Director of Advocacy, Alison Frazee, recognized with highest honor at 2018 Tsongas Awards

The Alliance had an impressive showing at Preservation Massachusetts’s 30th Annual Paul & Niki Tsongas Awards Dinner held on May 9 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

Alliance ED Guest Editor of Boston Architecture Diary

May is Preservation Month. To mark the occasion, Boston Architecture Diary tapped Greg Galer to share recommendations for preservation events happening around the city.

Does the three-decker have lessons for us today? 

Alliance Executive Director Greg Galer was a moderator for “Preserving Affordability, Affording Preservation,” an April 27th conference hosted by Historic New England.

The Alliance Appoints New Board Chair and Elects New Board Member

The Boston Preservation Alliance is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Scoville as a new Board Chairman and the election of Sean Geary to the Board of Directors.

Alliance Celebrates 40 years, Looks Forward at 2018 Annual Meeting

The Boston Preservation Alliance is hosting its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 21 at historic Old South Church at Copley Square.

Density Done Right: Examples from Boston and Barcelona

By David Nagahiro, AIA, LEED AP

7 Buildings Living Their Best Second Lives

From old fire departments to post offices that succumbed to the demise of snail mail, buildings across the country have fallen prey to shifting markets and the rise of technology.

Paramount Theatre and the Boston Opera House Honored for Their Remarkable Makeovers

Last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation

Thank you to all our corporate members, including: