Tiffany Windows Tours Return to Arlington Street Church May 4
Tours of one of Boston’s most beautiful art treasures will re-open to the public this May 4. Sixteen Tiffany opalescent stained-glass windows — the largest Tiffany window collection of its kind in any one church — grace the sanctuary at Arlington Street Church (ASC), corner of Arlington and Boylston Streets in Boston.
Self-guided tours with a smartphone (which guests must provide) are offered Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11am to 3pm. Sunday tours are from 1:30pm to 3pm. Tours cost $5 per person, and children under 12 are admitted free.
Completed in 1861, the church’s first Tiffany window was installed in 1899 and the last one 30 years later in 1929. The entire collection was recently fully restored by the country’s preeminent restorer of Tiffany glass. New lighting also was installed to enhance the vibrant colors and faceted layers of the glass and to showcase the collection to passersby and neighbors after dark.
According to Gaby Whitehouse, Tiffany Center volunteer and member of the congregation since 1967, funds raised from the tours will be used to maintain the Tiffany collection as well as for maintenance on the building housing the windows.
Joyce Kamau, church administrator, said Arlington Street Church is the first public building in the Back Bay, as well as a very important building in the history of Boston.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors again and hope to have a pleasant and safe resurrection of our wonderful tour program,” adds Kamau.
For more information about “The Art of Tiffany Stained Glass” tours, visit www.asctiffany.org. To volunteer as a tour guide, contact Joyce Kamau at jkamau@ascboston.org or call 617-536-7050.
City’s Open Space Plan Survey Now Online
How well is Boston’s park system working for you? What improvements do we need to make over the next seven years?
To make sure the City of Boston’s park system reflects the needs of all residents, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department has released an online survey questionnaire as part of its update to Boston’s Open Space and Recreation Plan. The survey is available in eleven languages at boston.gov/open-space. The survey link will be available until the end of May, 2022.
Mayor Michelle Wu understands the importance of residents’ feedback when evaluating open space, the built environment, and balanced development. The public’s responses to this five-minute survey will help the City of Boston improve the way parks are programmed, permitted, maintained, and designed. Park users and open space advocates are encouraged to share the survey with friends and neighbors to help gather input from residents throughout the city.
The Open Space and Recreation Plan considers all public open space regardless of ownership, including natural areas, urban wilds, community gardens, cemeteries, greenways, trails, parkways, and harbor islands, as well as the traditional parks, playgrounds, and squares. It examines service delivery, park access, distribution of facilities, and demographics to understand whether the open space system is serving people equitably.
Survey input will help us understand where we need to invest our resources in the years to come. Additional information about the Open Space and Recreation Plan update can be found at boston.gov/open-space. Comments or questions can be directed to: openspaceplan22@boston.gov.