Read more news at
INSIDE HISTORIC BOSTON INC.
News
Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friends,
It is fitting that we celebrate our 50th anniversary by moving to a new home in a new neighborhood. The Eustis Street Fire House’s rehabilitation builds on our organization’s history and embodies Historic Boston’s intended future in Boston’s neighborhoods.
As with our flagship building in Downtown Crossing, the Old Corner Bookstore Buildings, we will rehabilitate and occupy a structure that might otherwise have been destroyed and lost from our city’s landscape. Thoughtful and forwardthinking preservation projects such as these represent a commitment to the places and characteristics that anchor our neighborhoods and make our city unique.
Our move to Roxbury signals HBI’s commitment to strengthening all of Boston’s neighborhoods and affirms our vision for community and economic development through historic preservation.
In Fields Corner, for instance, HBI has convinced building owner Stephen Golden that restoring the historic appearance of his 1890s commercial block will be financially beneficial to him and transformative for the surrounding business district. In Hyde Park, we are helping a property owner and the community take incremental steps toward activating a dormant movie and vaudeville theater for new and relevant uses.
Today, HBI is also a proactive partner in fostering innovative preservation initiatives. We offer the benefit of our experience and expertise while making the most of the skills and strengths of others. In this issue, look for our new partnership with the North Bennet Street School for early, “handmade” structures in Boston. This adds to ongoing alliances with neighborhood Main Street programs, CDCs, and public agencies in the interest of supporting vibrant neighborhoods through the preservation of historic places.
During its next 50 years, HBI will be just as responsive to the city’s needs as in its first 50. While the needs will change, the demand for such work continues to exceed the resources available. To that end, we are launching a capital campaign this year to support our lengthening pipeline of projects involving important historic and cultural places in need of preservation.
This campaign is about more than raising money; it helps us continue to prove that Boston’s historic properties can meet current needs, enrich communities, and play a critical role in our city’s future.
Sincerely,
Kathy Kottaridis
Executive Director Historic Boston Incorprated