Address Newsletter
Our weekly digest on buying, selling, and design, with expert advice and insider neighborhood knowledge.
Boston, MA
I was ready to hate the new Copley Square Park. Then I visited it. – The Boston Globe
But you know what? I actually kind of love it.
I spent hours there on Tuesday afternoon, taking the place in from various angles, watching how locals and tourists are using the space. And they were actually using it.
Good job, everybody!
Maybe everywhere was bound to feel like heaven on one of the first, long-overdue warm, cloudless days of the year. Maybe anything would look great after the ripped-up square the city endured for more than two years.
But on Tuesday afternoon, the new park felt dynamic, magnetic, and interesting.
You can watch the whole world pass by on the path that cuts through the park, from the corner of Boylston and Clarendon at one end, to the corner of Dartmouth and Huntington at the other: gaggles of workers strolling by with their lunches, and haunted-looking businessy types rushing to something important; kids cackling in groups or shrinking into themselves; tourists taking in the glorious architecture in every direction — Trinity and Old South churches, the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel and glass Hancock tower, the grand Boston Public Library. There were old women inching along with grocery bags and kids hurtling ahead of their parents like little pinballs. Some people carried expensive little designer bags, and others heaved along all they had.
The parade is better than Newbury Street, and you don’t have to camp at a cafe with an eight-dollar matcha to enjoy it.
There is now far more seating from which to people-watch, especially if your bits are creakier than they were in your glory days: The renovation has tripled the sitting spots in the park. There are wooden benches under the budding trees by St. James Street, and benches built into a raised structure along Dartmouth, the platform built to protect the roots of trees that had struggled before with people trampling them.
The square has 30 more trees than it did, bringing the total to 83, all of them desperately needed in a warming city. In the summer, you’ll be able to sit at cafe tables and chairs beneath the growing canopy. It might not look promising right now if you’re not a gardener, but the whole place will be super lush once all of the new plantings grow in. The city has also added new raised beds filled with native species to buffer the place from the busy streets around it.
And in case any of you water-table nerds are curious, the designers say that, because of the new planting beds and paving materials, the reconfigured plaza will actually absorb more rainwater than before. The center of the park has been reinforced to take the weight of trucks, the weekly farmers market, and the crowds from big events like the Boston Marathon.
People parked themselves all over the place on Tuesday afternoon — on the benches beneath the most mature trees, and in the full sun along the built-in stone and wooden benches on the other side. There is less grass than there used to be — the lawn space has been halved, to about 10,000 square feet — but there was still plenty of lolling going on, with folks laid out in the sun, reading or napping. Later in the afternoon, a few kids squealing raced around on the grass, one of them dragging along a kite in the stiff wind. Expect more lying about once the renovation of the beloved fountain by Boylston Street is complete: It will be safer and better lit, and the sound of running water is excellent for snoozing, or so I’ve heard.
“You have folks sitting around in their own little spaces, it’s just beautiful,” said Charles Robinson, who lives in elder housing in the South End, and was sitting in the sun by the raised grove. “I drift out here to just sit. It’s wide and it feels free. It’s comfortable, you can see how it flows.”
People came and sat a while then moved on, all living our moments together. A woman sat under a tree and called to accept a job offer after a protracted interview process, negotiating her hours. Two nursing school graduates stopped to take pictures in their caps and gowns and an older, retired nurse approached to give her advice after 47 years in the job: “Don’t be afraid to change your mind!” A couple dozen kids from The Learning Project, a nearby elementary school, set up a maypole in the park and practiced a complicated fractal weave, as a teacher tried to both direct them while playing the saxophone. It was mystifying and delightful.
“There is so much more room now,” said Amy Allard, who lives in Ridgewood NJ but comes to Boston often because she and her husband love it. “This is so crisp and clean.”
I can understand how people would resist crisp and clean. It seems like nobody leaves anything alone any more: everything gets renovated and spiffed up, the rough edges sanded off. And ordinary people get pushed further and further out. Boston is far ritzier and more polished and exclusive than it was when I first came here over 30 years ago.
But this is going to be a really successful, accessible public space — a democratic place where we can be together, in the sun and in the shade, where we can gather for farmers markets and public performances and protests and five minutes of respite in a place where everybody has a right to be.
It reminds me of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, another Boston gem, built on the land freed up by the Big Dig. Everybody (except yours truly, for the record!) ragged on that place at first, decreeing it a soulless disaster. Now it’s one of the city’s most vital arteries, with art and food trucks and beer and grass and gorgeous spots to gather ourselves.
Like the Greenway, Copley Square Park is the kind of space cities desperately need — a flexible, open place that can accommodate all kinds of people.
It’ll grow on us. Maybe, after a while, we won’t even miss all that lawn.
Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham can be reached at yvonne.abraham@globe.com.
On the Market
Ted Kennedy Jr. speaks on the importance of his late mother’s Boston home, now for sale.
At first glance, Joan Bennett Kennedy’s Back Bay home may not appear all that unusual, but the endless stories held within its walls illustrate how a sacred space became one woman’s shelter from the storm.
After divorcing Ted Kennedy in 1982, Bennett Kennedy returned to Boston and moved into 250 Beacon St. #10, and remained there for more than four decades until her death at age 89 in October. Now, her three-bedroom, three-bathroom home, which measures 2,075 square feet, is on the market at $2.59 million.
“Her home really played an important part in the transformation of her life,” her son, Ted Kennedy Jr., told the Globe. “She was a newly divorced woman coming back, trying to reestablish her roots in Boston, and she had her music, which was part of her unique identity, apart from being married to my father. She was seeking to reinvent herself and live on her own terms.”
It was there at 250 Beacon where Bennett Kennedy restarted her life. She earned a master’s degree in music education at 44, and became a staple on the Boston classical music scene, thanks to her lifelong dedication to the piano. But it was also where she faced significant struggles, ranging from depression to alcoholism. She didn’t hide her battles at a time when they weren’t commonly discussed.
“She paved the way for many other women who were suffering in silence,” said Kennedy Jr. “The Boston community just took her in and provided her with friendship and support.”
The circa-1925 building features an elegant lobby that leads to the elevators. Inside the fifth-floor unit, a foyer flows into a hallway and into the spacious living room, where hardwood floors run throughout and a wood-burning fireplace sits under a unique carved mantel surrounded by marble. But it’s the windows that capture the eyes, with views of the treetops and the Charles River in the distance.
“She would sit at her piano in the condo every afternoon for hours,” said Kennedy, who noted that the home later served as the spot where his mother penned “The Joy of Classical Music,” a guide for introducing classical music to families. Prominent musical figures, including John Williams, Seiji Ozawa, and Arthur Fiedler, were frequent guests.
The open floor plan continues in the dining area and library, filled with built-in bookcases and oversized windows.
The living room fireplace is two-sided; on its opposite side is the primary bedroom suite, with built-in bookshelves and a massive bay window with beautiful views. The primary suite features an en-suite bathroom with a pink vanity.
“These front rooms, all three of them, the amount of glass and the size of these windows are just magnificent,” said Linda Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who has the listing and knew Kennedy for years. “Being on the fifth floor, she sat right at the tree line, looking at the Charles River.”
A second of three full bathrooms has elegant marble tiles and a step-in shower. Across the hallway are two closets for storage and the galley kitchen with green/blue cabinetry and stainless steel appliances.
There are three bedrooms, one with teal carpeting and ample built-in storage.
The home has central air, and the building has a live-in superintendent. The fee is $1,725.39 per month. The piano is not included as part of the sale.
Boston, MA
East Boston couple accused in alleged racist attack on restaurant patio after calling in noise complaint
A husband and wife have been arrested after police claim they assaulted and violated the civil rights of people dining at a Colombian restaurant in East Boston.
Authorities arrested Arielle Raso, 37, and her husband Gregory Raso, 39, on Monday evening. Police said the couple called 911 with a noise complaint for the back patio of Tertulias Cafe just before 7 p.m. Officers asked the couple to call back around 11 p.m. if the noise continued, per the city’s ordinance.
Instead, police said the couple took matters into their own hands. Within two hours authorities were called back to the Porter Street address for an assault in progress.
Nearly a dozen people were eating on the back patio which shares a fence with the Raso’s house. Video shows water being sprayed from a hose to the patrons on the other side of the fence. In their police report, authorities said Arielle Raso admitted to doing it. Additionally, prosecutors claim the Raso’s broke a piece of a shared wooden fence and threw it at the victims. One piece hit a 12-year-old.
Police also report that during her arrest, Arielle yelled at the victims, “Get out of this country.” “I will kill you. I don’t give a [expletive].”
Gildardo Preciado has owned Tertulias Cafe for roughly a dozen years. He said he just attained a permit for the outdoor patio last year when he officially purchased the property his restaurant resides in. But he said this aggressive, and in the prosecutor’s view, racist behavior has been going on for years.
“They don’t like Spanish people,” said Preciado. “That’s what they said. But this is a neighborhood full of Latin people. I don’t want to give them a hard time, that is where they live. I understand. It has been almost impossible [to do business] going like this.”
WBZ-TV knocked on the door listed in the police report for the Raso’s. A family member approached and said, “There are two sides to every story,” but would not elaborate.
The Suffolk County District Attorney called the incident, “appalling.” The Raso’s are facing a number of assault and civil rights violation charges. They are due back in court on July 28.
BOSTON, MA — An iconic Massachusetts bakery is opening inside Boston Logan Airport later this year.
Mike’s Pastry, the longtime North End bakery known for its cannoli, cookies and other Italian desserts, will open a new location in Terminal C at Boston Logan International Airport later this year, according to MarketPlace Development and Massport.
The new shop will offer signature Mike’s Pastry items along with travel-ready selections, including filled-to-order cannoli in multiple flavors, cheesecake slices, lobster tails and a full espresso bar.
Mike’s Pastry was founded in Boston’s North End in 1946 and has grown into one of the city’s best-known bakeries, with several locations across Greater Boston. The new location is expected to be open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We’re thrilled to bring iconic North End favorite Mike’s Pastry to Boston Logan, giving visitors even more variety of Boston flavors,” Massport CEO Rich Davey said in the announcement. “This addition reflects our continued commitment to elevating the passenger experience by bringing local culture to the terminals through live entertainment, classic culinary favorites and more.”
Mike’s Pastry owner Angelo Papa said the airport opening will give travelers a chance to pick up a familiar Boston staple before departure or after landing.
“Mike’s Pastry has always been about sharing a piece of Boston with everyone who walks through our doors,” Papa said. “Bringing that experience to Boston Logan is special for us.”
The Terminal C shop will pair Mike’s Pastry’s North End identity with a more modern airport design, featuring the bakery’s gold tones along with blue and white accents, solid-surface countertops and illuminated pastry display cases.
Latest Arrivals At Logan Airport
This is just one of several new food and beverage outlets expected to open at Boston Logan Airport this year.
Earlier this year, a modern-day fish shack with counter service and seating, Roger’s Fish Co. , officially opened in Terminal A at the airport.
Meanwhile, CAVA and Berkshire Farm to Flight were some othere new arrivals in the airport’s Terminal B.
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