In partnership with the Saint Botolph Neighborhood Association and The Friends of Titus Sparrow Park, explore the hidden artistry of the Saint Botolph neighborhood for our second annual Veteran’s Day walk!
From 1913 through 1984, Saint Botolph studios created tens of thousands of beautiful stained-glass windows. This work was so highly prized that records for over 15,000 of these stained-glass windows were preserved in special collections at MIT and at the Boston Public Library.
Our most famous artisan was Charles Connick. He opened Connick Studios at 9 Harcourt Street in 1913. At that time, the east end of St Botolph Street was a center for Arts & Crafts artisans. His workshop specialized in windows for public and sacred spaces. Connick also authored Adventures in Light and Color, and received honorary degrees from both BU and Princeton. The second major stained-glass business was Duggan Studios at 116 Saint Botolph Street. Terance Duggan opened this studio in 1936 and it ran into the 1990s.
The compact Saint Botolph neighborhood (2 blocks by 8 blocks) still has over 200 stained-glass windows. We will view windows from three eras: the 1880s, WWI-WWII, and from the 1980s to the present, as local historian Dan d'Heilly leads us on a twilight walking tour. Dan will tell tales of the windows, the artists, and the times that made them.
We are asking neighbors to illuminate their windows that evening so our group can better enjoy this visit, to when St. Botolph was called Stained-Glass Row by the New York Times. Meet at 4 PM on the Southwest Corridor at Harcourt Street.
Here are the details and what to expect:
Tour starts at 4:00 PM
Meet at the Southwest Corridor at Harcourt Street
Tour length is approximately 1 mile and will end at 5:00 PM
Registration required, below
Meet Your Guide: Dan d’Heilly
St. Botolph resident Dan d’Heilly, like many neighbors, always knew that stained glass was a part of the fabric and history of the neighborhood. However, he was recently compelled to do major research on the subject, and to begin to document it on a website in conjunction with the St. Botolph Neighborhood Association.
Contact Irwin Levy if you have any questions at irwintlevy@gmail.com or text 516.456-1337.
Registration required
Space is limited to 25
