DECEMbEr 2011 FrEE

WWW.FENWAYNEWS.org

serving the Fenway, Kenmore square, upper BacK Bay, prudential, longwood area & mission hill since 1974 volume 37, numBer 12 decemBer 1-29, 2011

Planners Say Short-Term Pain Will Yield Long-Term Gain: Less Flooding, More Life in the Muddy River

shut your windows, plug your ears: Berklee starts work on mass ave tower
parking spots, both resident and meter. Metal plates in the street, for work done running new utility lines, jar us awake when trucks run over them at night. Demolition was fast, but created lots of unpleasant dust to breathe. The remaining work is scheduled to be done as follows, by Lee Kennedy Company, the general contractor: Site and foundationDecember 2011August 2012 Structure and exteriorJuly 2012June 2013 Interior finishFebruary 2013July 2013 Berklee intends to have 350 students living in the building by the start of school in September 2013. Two-week look-ahead construction schedules are available at www.berklee.edu/ Berklee160 then clicking on Schedule. In addition, Berklee has established a projectspecific telephone number, 617-747-8060, to handle calls related to construction disruption for neighborhood residents and businesses. After hours, calls will be directed to Berklees 24-hour security office. Local residents have expressed many concerns. Rodent infestation is a major concern in the Fenway. Rats abound in the neighborhood as is, and construction disrupts them even more. Traffic and parking, already a challenge, will become extremely difficult. The noise and dust created by the construction will be ongoing annoyances for two full years. Even more longterm is the concern residents have about the structural effect this project will have on neighboring buildings, built as they are on land fill (we are called the Back Bay and the Fens for good reasonboth neighborhoods are built on filled-in marshes). The Fenway News will keep you updated on construction issues. If you have any questions in the meantime, dont forget to call Berklee at 617.747.8060. Karla Rideout lives in the East Fens and was a member of Berklee began site work for its new 16-story building the Berklee Neighborhood Task at 160 Mass Avenue. Construction will take about 21 Force. months.

by Karla rideout

t will probably be beautifulthe 16-story Berklee dormitory going up at 160 Mass. Avenue. The architectural firm that designed it, William Rawn Associates, is known for beautiful buildings. The next two years of construction decidedly wont be beautiful. Change is hard, and 16 stories full of student housing is a big change from one story of primarily neighborhood enterprises. The process of getting to the end is even harder, and we are not even considering here the longterm effects on the neighborhood. Already, the Fenway has lost many

Vote Dec.13

Photo: steve chase

by Jamie thomson

The Watertown firm of Vanasse Hangen resurface downstream from the jug handle. Brustlin (VHB) has been engaged to plan major Fenway flood-risk mitigation Flooding over the last several decades has and coordinate traffic flows in the Landmark project moving toward start-up next proven these culverts lack the capacity to vicinity to accommodate construction handle peak water flows from a 20-year spring will bring three years of activities over the seven distinct stages of the traffic disruptions in the vicinity of flood, that is, the largest flood statistically first phase. VHB Project Engineer Michael the Landmark Center. The inconvenience will likely to occur on the Muddy River over a Sutton described buy Fenway motorists, pedestrians and those stages with cyclists improved traffic flows in that an animated same area and needed mitigation of the PowerPoint flooding threat the Muddy River poses presentation, to low-lying areas from the Riverway which graphically to the Kenmore Square MBTA station. suggested The first phase of this complex, that morning multi-faceted project will set the commuters stage, at its completion in 2015, for an through the area ambitious second phase focused on will have to be environmental rehabilitation of the fully caffeinated Muddy River. The first phase will be and alert as co-financed by the state, City of Boston they navigate and Town of Brookline, with the federal periodically government picking up two-thirds of changing traffic the projects tab of approximately $90 The first phase of the Army Corps of Engineers plan would help reduce patterns. During million. floods like this one, in March 2010, when the Muddy River flooded much of a question-andProject Chief Engineer Michael the Back Bay Fens. answer session, Keegan, of the Army Corps of several people argued for a vigorous public given 20-year period. Engineers, and officials associated with the information effort to keep Fenway residents High water in the Muddy River Muddy River Flood Risk Management and updated on changing traffic patterns as well frequently washes debris down the river Environmental Restoration Project addressed as on project progress. Keegan indicated that channel and stacks it up at the intakes of the a well-attended meeting at Wheelock College information would be available on several culverts, impeding flows and impounding on Thursday afternoon, November 3. They websites, including those of the Army Corps of water that, during major floods such as 1996 repeated the presentation that evening. Engineers and MASCO (Medical, Academic and 1998, back-flood into nearby low-lying Keegan led off with a PowerPoint and Scientific Community Organization), areas. description of the first phase of the project. It which helps coordinate traffic flows in the A severe flood in 1996 inundated the will reorganize Muddy River infrastructure around Landmark Center and last about three Kenmore Square MBTA station to its ceiling. Longwood Medical Area. Plans calls for the daylighted portions To avoid a repeat in subsequent floods, the years, with civil works scheduled to begin in of the river to be equipped with universally City of Boston had to sandbag sections of April 2012. accessible paths designed for joint use by the Green Lines Riverside Branch to prevent Area motorists, pedestrians and cyclists inundation. In each of those events the MBTA pedestrians and cyclists, to be integrated into will experience repeated reorganization of the larger Emerald Necklace system of parks. had to move passengers by bus around the traffic flows on Brookline Ave. Boylston St., Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted sandbagged section of the line. Flooding the Riverway and Park Drive in during the costs totaled $100 million, including damages laid out the revered system of six linked parks first phase. These traffic shifts have been occasioned by waters that reached the grounds in the late 19th century. choreographed to facilitate construction The projects second phase will focus of several of the colleges located in the rivers activities designed to allow daylighting of on maintaining Olmsteds vision. Beginning flood plain, as well as the MBTA. the section of the Muddy River that currently in 2015, dredging will take place in parts of To eliminate this threat, the project will runs underground in front of the Landmark the Muddy River course between its origin Center, under Brookline Ave. and beneath the replace the three small culverts with a single 24-by-10-foot culvert under Brookline Avenue. at Jamaica Pond and its termination at jug handle land that allows left turns from Charlesgate. The gentle gradient over most of Project engineers calculate this structure to Brookline Ave. onto Park Drive at Boylston. its length slows Muddy River flows, allowing The work will also daylight a second section be large enough to handle 20-year floods. suspended solids and effluents to settle onto of the river, now buried upstream from Avenue To install the new large culvert, the project the river bed. These natural processes further will have to excavate a 25-foot trench under Louis Pasteur. Brookline Avenue, a process that will require moderate the gradient, degrading water quality Buried six-foot-diameter tubes lead muddy river on page 2 > ongoing traffic management. river waters under these two areas until they

On The Heels of a City Council Race Comes a Special Election to Fill a State Senate Seat. What You Need to Know.
by Steve Wolf

As The Fenway News reported last month, the october resignation of Steve Tolman triggered a special election to fill the State Senate seat he held. the election takes place in two parts: a party primary on Tuesday, December 13, and a final election on tuesday, January 10. In the Second Suffolk & Middlesex senate district, however, winning the Democratic nomination almost guarantees victory in the final election. So the key vote is the one that takes place this month. four candidates, each with a base in a different part of the districtwhich runs from the fenway and part of the back bay through Allston and into Watertown and belmonthope to win the Democratic nod: Will Brownsberger, a state representative from belmont Jon Hecht, a state representative from Watertown Bob McCarthy, the retired president of the statewide firefighers union, also from Watertown Tim Schofield, a lawyer and head of the Ward 21 Democratic Committee, from brighton. In an unusual turn of events, fenway voters may end up holding the key to the elections outcome. first, the primary comes right before Christmas and right after City Council elections. That could spell lower-than-usual turnout for a special election (not a very high bar to begin with). Second, the candidates could split the district vote, which is roughly balanced among Watertown, belmont and Brighton (with Hecht and McCarthy likely undermining each others chances in their home town). A good turnout by fenway voters could spell the difference. to learn more about the four candidates, visit their websites: http://mywillbrownsberger.com/ http://electhecht.com/ http://bobmccarthy.org/ http://www.timschofield.org/ Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on tuesday the 13th. If youre not sure where your polling place is, visit www. WhereDoIvoteinMa.com.

2 | FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011

> muddy river from page 1

and impoverishing fish habitat. To address this problem Boston and Brookline have already excavated capture pits in the river bed just below storm sewer outfalls to trap suspended solids. Maintenance will require regular emptying of these pits to reduce downstream siltation. Another aspect of the projects second phase envisages efforts to suppress the stands of tall, riverside reeds (Phragmites australis), an exotic species accidentally introduced from Europe some 200 years ago. Project engineers assert that the reeds impede water flow and, according to Mike Nichols, project biologist, they serve little purpose as animal habitat. Wheelock College Life Science Professor Sara Levine contests this position, based on research she has recently conducted with

Wheelock students into the fauna, including a number of bird species, that inhabit the reeds. In the question-and-answer period following the two presentations, Chief Project Engineer Keegan took the opportunity to express his appreciation for the active participation of local governments and civic groups in planning the project. By his account, all participants shared a consensus that piecemeal efforts would be inadequate to mitigate flood threats and rehabilitate the Muddy Rivers ecology. The project as now planned targets a comprehensive solution. It will occasion disruptions over the medium term, but set the stage for sustainable improvements. Jamie Thomson lives in the West Fens.

Photo: Patrick oconnor

125th Latin-English Thanksgiving Game

\The 125th meeting of Boston Latin and Boston English high school football teams ended in a 50-0 Latin win on Thanksgiving Day at Harvard Stadium

ruckus on symphony road

On Oct. 30 at about 6am, two officers responded to a radio call about someone throwing bottles from the rooftop of 114 Hemenway St. They were met by the caller who stated that things were actually being thrown from a third-floor window. The officers observed several open windows on the floor; at the time the temperature was about 35 F, and it had been raining and snowing for about 18 hours. Officers observed on the ground a window screen, several broken beer bottles, broken plates and dishes multiple pots and pans, a window fan, and numerous seat cushions from a sofa. They also observed a 2011 Audi A5 with New Jersey plates and a broken windshield. While speaking to the caller, officers saw a man pushing what appeared to be a microwave oven out one of the windows. Thats him, he threw all this s--- down here, the caller stated. Officers ordered him not to drop the object, and then one of them went to

the front of the building to gain entry. When he pushed the buzzer he got a response: come on up. When he got to the right floor he saw that the apartment door was open, and saw the suspect who, attempting to conceal the fact that he had been the person holding the microwave in the window, was wearing a furry hat with tails extending down his back. The suspect appeared to be intoxicatedunsteady on his feet, his words were slurred, and his eyes were glassy. When the officer attempted to take him into custody, he resisted by stiffening his body and pulling his arms away from the officers grip. After a short struggle, the officer was able to handcuff him. When asked for ID, he stated that it was in the bedroom. The officer entered and observed a plastic bag containing a green vegetable matter believed to be marijuana as well as two glass pipes and a digital scale. The suspects roommates, who were in their respective bedrooms, came down to the street and identified the cushions, pots and pans,

broken plates and the fan as all having come from their apartment. They began cleaning up, and the officers transported the suspect to District 4 for booking on multiple charges, including wilful and malicious destruction of property over $250 and throwing an object on a public way. The drugs, the scale, and two pipes were held as evidence.

injured pedestrian on peterborough street

On Nov. 10 an officer responded to a call at about 5:15pm about a pedestrian struck by a tow truck at 137 Peterborough St.. Upon arrival the officer spoke with EMTs who were preparing to transport the victim to Brigham & Womens Hospital for a wrist injury. The EMTs relayed the victims account of what had occurred, stating that the tow truck was backing up and tapped the victim, knocking her to the ground and causing her to injure her wrist. The officer spoke with the operator of the tow truck who stated that he was backing up

slowly on Peterborough after missing his turn, and did not see the pedestrian because she was wearing a black jacket and dark clothing, and had stepped out from between two vehicles into the roadway, not at a crosswalk. He also stated that he was unsure if his vehicle had made contact with the victim or just startled her, causing her to fall down. The victim was transported to the hospital and the driver was directed to file an accident report as soon as possible.

robbery on mass. ave.

On Nov. 19 at about 9:45pm, officers responded to a call about a robbery in progress at 171 Mass. Ave. Upon arrival the found a woman who stated that she had stepped out of the building to smoke a cigarette when a man came up, slammed her head into the wall of the building and ran off with her smart phone. Officers observed swelling and discoloration on her forehead. Officers searched the area for the suspect to no avail.

Your Fenway neighbors agree.

Arlene Ash Bob & Osla Case Brian Clague Suzanne Comtois Helen Cox Stan Everett Nikki Flionis Joyce Foster Steve Harnish Cathy Jacobowitz John LaBella Joanne McKenna John ONeil Sheneal Parker Gloria Platt Lauren Dewey Platt Walter Platt Rosaria Salerno Matti Kniva Spencer Mat Thall Anne Tobin Dee White Margaret Witham Steve Wolf

On December 13, were voting for

WILL BROWNSBERGER
Until a few weeks ago, we didnt know any of the impressed us. We dont expect that well agree with every candidates who will appear on the ballot for the vacant vote he takes. We do think he would serve with honesty and State Senate seat on December 13. We did know we wanted independence and act as a strong advocate for the interests the Fenway to be heard in this election. So we of the Fenway and its residents. did our homework, reviewed the candidates Coming just two weeks before Christmas, this records, and reached agreement on someone: election could set a record for low turnout. Will Brownsberger, currently serving as a We urge every registered Democrat and State Representative from Belmont. independent in the Fenway to turn out on We liked Wills record in the legislature Tuesday, December 13, and to vote for Will. on a range of issues, but his emphasis on For more information about Wills record and transparency and openness especially positions, visit www.MyWillBrownsberger.com

DEC. 13

PAID FOR ENTIRELY BY THE FENWAY RESIDENTS WHOSE NAMES YOU SEE AT THE TOP OF THIS AD.

FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011 | 3

brA boArd gives go-AheAd for 1282 boylsToN redevelopmeNT

A Boston Redevelopment Authority board vote last month continued the make-over of 1282 Boylston Street, long-time site of a McDonalds and more recently a parking lot. The Abbey Group won approval for a 337,000-square-foot mixed-use project that will include an unusual community benefit: a neighborhood center attached that will be programmed largely by and for Fenway residents. The center will occupy some of the buildings 15,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Sitting atop that will be 99,000 square feet of office space, and above that will sit 210 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Abbey Group says the building will meet the requirements for LEED Silver certification, although it may not actually be certified. LEED is the most popular standardized program in the US for determining a structures environmental friendliness, and the building will rack up points under LEED just for being in the Fenway, with good transit connections, and for its efficient use of the site.

the Ipswich Street building, to the New Mission High School facility on Allegheny Street in Mission Hill, while New Mission moves into the Hyde Park Building, which it would share with another school.

All They Needed WAs Whipped CreAm ANd A Cherry

Wentworth Institute of Technology celebrated a construction milestone on Nov. 18 with the topping off ceremony for the schools William H. Flanagan Campus Center. In a bid to remake student life at Wentworth, the project entails a renovation of the 40,000-squarefoot existing student center and an 8,500-square-foot addition. The building will include a fitness center, radio station, recreation center, dining hall, bookstore, meditation center, and meeting spaces for clubs, activities, and organizations. Construction began in May, and the school hopes to wrap it up late next summer. Flanagan, for whom the center is named, graduated from Wentworth in 1951. Signing the ceremonial last beam at Wentworths topping-off ceremony were (from left) student government President Anette Balestrand; Al Spagnolo of Spagnolo, Gisness architects; Wentworth President Zorica Pantic; and Tom Goemaat, president of Shawmut Design & Construction..

shoCKiNg TurN of eveNTs AT lANdsdoWNe gArAge

Meredith Management has installed new Boston Red Sockets (get it?) electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the Lansdowne Parking Garage on Lansdowne Street. Merediththe Newton management and development firm that is building the Kenmore Center project on Mass Turnpike air rights parcel 7installed the chargers as part of ChargePoint America, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program run by the US Department of Energy. Meredith will let garage customers use the charging stations for free in order to promote use of environmentally-friendly, electric vehicles in Massachusetts. The Boston Red Sockets will also help the City of Boston reach its climate action plan goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

missioN hill CheerleAdiNg ChAmps heAd To floridAWiTh your help

The cheerleading squad for the Mission Hill/Fenway Buccaneers Pop Warner Youth League, known as The Lady Buccaneers, will compete in the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Competition on December 5 in Florida. The girls, who range in age from 8 to 10, cleaned multiple competing teams clocks last month in the New England Regional Cheer Competition. The cloud to this silver lining? The Lady Buccaneers have to raise approximately $40,000 to pay for their travel, hotel accommodations and food if they want to compete at nationals. You can help get them there by sending a donation to Mission Hill/Fenway Buccaneer Disney Fund, c/o Citizens Bank, 569 Washington Street, Dorchester, MA 02124.

Photo Provided by WentWorth

hArrieT TubmAN house hoNors KiNg ANd shAW

Former State Rep. Mel King (who represented the Fenway and South End from 1973 to 1982) and Sarah-Ann Shaw, whom WBZ-TV hired as Bostons first African-American TV reporter in 1969, addressed an enthusiastic audience at the United South End Settlements last month at a ceremony in their honor. The Boston 400 organized the event as part of its ongoing initiative...to highlight black leadership in Boston and to celebrate the progress of African Americans in leadership positions in both business and government. The event boasted a star-studded team of moderators, including Ron Bell, a senior advisor to Gov. Deval Patrick; former State Rep. Charlotte Golar-Richie, president of YouthBuild USA; former WBZ anchor and all-around community heart-throb Liz Walker; and Harvard Law School professor Charles Ogletree. Newslines compiled by Stephen Brophy

musiCAl ChAirs AT bps leAves ArTs ACAdemy iN The feNWAy

Bowing to angry students and parents from Boston Latin Academy, the marginally lessprestigious cousin to Boston Latin School, Schools Superintendant Carol R. Johnson dropped her plan to move the Latin Academy into shuttered Hyde Park High School. That move would have set off a chain reaction of other school moves, beginning with the Boston Arts Academy, now on Ipswich Street in the West Fens, which would have taken over the old Latin Academy campus in Roxbury. Instead, according to The Boston Globe, Boston Public Schools released a plan late last month to move Fenway High School, which shares

recurring
The following events take place at the Peterborough Senior Center, located two blocks from Boylston between 100 and 108 Jersey St. (walk down the alley and look left). For more information, call 617-536-7154.
mondays

11am: Films
tuesdays

sPeciaL events
Call the Center for special events and the Monday/Tuesday movie schedule.

11 a.m: Exercise with Mahmoud 12 noon: Documentaries

Wednesdays

9:45am: Yoga with Carmen 10noon: Blood pressure check with Joyce
thursdays

11am: Berklee sing-along

Zoning Hearing
The Zoning Commission of the City of Boston hereby gives notice, in accordance with Chapter 665 of the Acts of 1956, as amended, that a public hearing will be held on December 14, 2011, at 9:30 AM, in Room 900, Ninth Floor, Boston City Hall, in connection with Text Amendment Application No. 422, Map Amendment Application No. 603 and a petition for approval of the Development Plan for Planned Development Area No. 81, 1282 Boylston Street (PDA Plan), filed by the Boston Redevelopment Authority on behalf of The Abbey Group. Text Amendment Application No. 422 would amend Article 66, Fenway Neighborhood District, with respect to the Neighborhood Shopping Subdistrict regulations and Planned Development Area regulations. Map Amendment Application No. 603 would amend Map 1Q, Fenway Neighborhood District, by 1) changing the existing zoning of several parcels of land from NS-1, indicating a

Go to SAVETHEBOSTONY.COM, click on COMMUNITY IMPACT, go to Our Community to learn the history of this fiasco, go to HOW TO HELP, go to Forward Petition to let officials know how you feel about your gym!

Neighborhood Shopping Subdistrict, to NS-3, indicating a Neighborhood Shopping Subdistrict; and 2) adding the designation D, indicating a Planned Development Area overlay district to approximately 1.1 acres of land bounded generally by Jersey Street to the west, a public alley to the north, Boylston Street to the south and existing buildings to the east in the Fenway section of Boston. Said PDA Plan consists of the construction of up to 337,000 square feet mixed-use building containing approximately 210 residential units, approximately 88,000 square feet of office space, approximately 15,000 gross square feet of ground floor retail space and underground parking for approximately 295 vehicles. Copies of the petition, the PDA Plan and a map of the area involved may be obtained at the office of the Zoning Commission, Room 953C, Boston City Hall, between 9 AM and 5 PM any day except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays.
FOR THE COMMISSION, JEFFREY M. HAMPTON, SECRETARY

4 | FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011

Serving the Fenway, Kenmore Square, Audubon Circle, upper Back Bay, lower Roxbury, Prudential, Mission Hill, and Longwood since 1974

ovember saw celebrations of two people who have, each in her own way, contributed something special to the Fenway. Early in the month on a Sunday evening, dozens of people crowded into Woodys Pizza on Hemenway Street to celebrate Helen Coxs 80th birthday. A resident since 1958 (a phrase she has used in so many public meetings that she could copyright it), Helens contributions to the neighborhood are too many to list in a single issue of this newspaper. A good sampling would include active involvement in the Fenway Community Development Corporation, the Fenway Civic Association, the 1970s-era Fenway Interagency Group, and The Fenway News. Rubbing elbows with Helens neighbors was a clutch of elected officials, a testament to her long years of involvement in city and state politics. City Councilors Felix Arroyo and Ayanna Pressley, State Reps. Byron Rushing and Marty Walz, and former State Rep. Mel King all shared in the pizza and cake. Arroyo presented Helen with a citation from the City Council, at which point Helen proceeded to share the spotlight by identifying contributions made by community members and organizations in the crowd. She then reminded (or, more accurately, ordered) everyone to vote in the City
Photo: matti kniva sPencer

Two Nights in November, One Shared Love for the Neighborhood

from the editor

Council election being held two days later. Helen delivered her remarks from atop a chair near the bar, looking a lot more like a college student than an octogenarian. Barely a week later, the Fenway Community Development Corporation (FCDC) honored Barbara Burnham, its former executive director, with a tribute at the Susan Bailis House. The crowd enjoyed a buffet supper (and really enjoyed the dessert bar), drinks and music before a program that felt much more like a roast than a tribute. People who knew Barbara before, during, and after her time in the Fenway (the mid-1990s, before she joined the Local Initiatives Support Corp., where shes now vice president of federal policy) blended praise and good-natured mockery in equal measure. Every story seemed to Helen Cox revolve around Barbaras gift for mixing hard-headed advocacy, a touch of operatic drama, absurdity, and above all, laughter. Penina Adelman, director of the Peterborough Senior Center, described the tribute as really funny, hysterical at times. Penina also drew a lesson from the evening: It made me realize that the Fenway is full of people who really do care. True that. Both Barbara and Helenin fact many folks at both eventshave given much to defend and improve this small corner of Boston and the people who live here.
to what we were told Berklee statedthe community was not given the opportunity to comment on the CMP. The copy we received did not include the attachments Civil Plan, Logistics Plan During Abatement, Logistics Plan During Structural Demolition, Logistics Plan During Excavation/Superstructure, Truck Delivery Routing, and Community Outreach by Berklee School of Music. We would appreciate receiving these attachments as soon as possible.
communication

Steve Chase Helen Cox Tracey Cusick Joyce Foster, president Steven Harnish Barbara Brooks Simons Steve Wolf, treasurer eDitor: Stephen Brophy weB teaM: Nicole Aubourg, stephen

Fenway news association BoarD oF Directors

brophy, Steven Kapica, Mandy Kapica, Valarie Seabrook ProDuction Designer: Steve Wolf writers: Daniel Alfaro, Jon Ball, alison barnet, Liz Burg, Bob Case, Conrad Ciszek, Helen Cox, Tracey Cusick, Rachel DiBella, Margot Edwards, Lisa Fay, Lori A. Frankian, Joyce Foster, Marie Fukuda, Steve Gallanter, Galen Gilbert, Elizabeth Gillis, Katherine Greenough, Sam Harnish, Sarah Horsley, Monica Lisa Johnson, Rosie Kamal, Steven Kapica, Mandy Kapica, Ruth Khowais, Shirley Kressel, Mike Mennonno, Letta Neely, Catherine Pedemonti, Richard Pendleton, Karla Rideout, Mike Ross, Barbara Brooks Simons, Matti Kniva Spencer, Jamie Thomson, Anne M. Tobin, Fredericka Veikley, Chris Viveiros PhotograPhers: Steve Chase, Lois Johnston, Mike Mennonno, Patrick OConnor, Valarie Seabrook, Matti Kniva Spencer, Ginny Such, Steve Wolf caLenDar: Penina Adelman, Helen Cox, Ruth Khowais, Steve Wolf, ProoFreaDer: Tracey Cusick Business Manager: Cathy Jacobowitz DistriBution: Della Gelzer, Aqilla Manna, Lauren Dewey Platt, Reggie Wynn
The Fenway News is published monthly by the Fenway News Association, Inc., a communityowned corporation dedicated to community journalism. If you would like to volunteer to write, edit, photograph, lay out, distribute, or sell advertising on commission, please contact us at:

From the emerald necklace conservancy comes a plea for help

to the editor:

abutters group questions Berklees commitment to addressing impacts

Thank you for your letter of 10 November. As you know, the Berklee Abutters are a group of neighbors who are affected by the construction at 160 Mass Ave. We would like to clarify that this group is larger than the First Fenway Co-op and includes homeowners and renters, businesspeople and community activists, all of whom are impacted by the construction on a daily basis. We believe that it is Berklees responsibility to reduce the negative impact [of the new dorms construction] on our neighborhood to the greatest degree possible. We expect you to be responsible and respectful neighbors and developers. This means our concerns must be considered and accounted for by you and your team proactively, not reactively. In the interest of an ongoing conversation, we are writing with our updated observations and concerns. We are also planning a December meeting with elected officials, to which you and your team are cordially invited.
construction management PLan
dear bill [William Whitney, berKlee viCe President for real estate]:

As I was picking up trash in the park, a fellow dog walker saw me and said, Here, let me help! Its that simplewhen we all pitch in, doing as much as we can: a park gets cleaned up, free concerts are possible, pruning historic trees is accomplished, Conservancy youth programs are filled to capacity and the next generation of park stewards begins to take responsibility for this park and the world around them, we create a strong community dedicated to the preservation of the Emerald Necklace. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy relies on individual donations for nearly half of our budget. Today we are $70,875 from our year-end goal. Please take advantage of this chance to say, Here, let me help! and make a donation today. Your gift, large or small, makes such a difference. You can do this online at www.emeraldnecklace.org or by calling 617-522-2700. Thank you for your generous support now and throughout the year. See you in the parks! PS: Share your enthusiasm for the Conservancy and help support its mission by giving the gift of a membership to a family member or friend.
Julie CroCKford ConservanCy President

The Fenway News, PO Box 230277, Astor Station Boston, MA 02123 617-266-8790 editor@fenwaynews.org www.fenwaynews.org

LETTERS

Subscriptions $24/year ($15 for limited income) 2011 FENWAY NEWS ASSOCIATION, INC.

Comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

The founders of The Fenway News adopted this motto to express their mission of exposing and opposing the dangers the neighborhood faced in the early 1970sincluding rampant arson, unscrupulous landlords, and a destructive urban renewal plan. If the original motto no longer fits todays Fenway, we continue to honor its spirit of identifying problems and making our neighborhood a better and safer place to live.
> Frequency <

Thank you for the project phone number. The three-week look-aheads, however, are less helpful. For instance, Start pretrenching for sheet piles (week of 11/21) is not informative for the layperson. Noise and dust levels will be more useful for us to know. As an example we are attaching a 2009 update from William A. Berry and Son, which is admirable in its thoroughness.
structuraL assessment

After some difficulty, we received a copy of Berklees CMP [construction management plan] from the City. Please note thatcontrary

As stated in our original letter, we would like Berklee to be an active partner in assessing and preserving the current and future state of residential buildings around the site. We do not believe that the First Fenway Coop lies safely outside the zone of impact. If it does, we request that you expand the zone Letters on page 5 >

The Fenway News reaches the stands every 4-5 weeks, usually on the first or last Friday of the month. Our next issue will appear on Friday, December 30. The deadline for letters, news items, and ads is Friday, December 23. Contact our business manager at ads@fenwaynews.org
> aDvertising < > DeaDline <

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FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011 | 5

retaiL sPace

Pest controL PLans

As neighbors who have experienced past infestations as a direct result of construction, we were pleased to read in the CMP that Berklee has contracted with Boris Pest Control. Please forward us a copy of that contract for our review.
Parking and safety

The CMP states that carpooling will be encouraged for hourly construction workers. Experience has shown us that this is insufficient. Without a mechanism to prevent workers from taking up resident parking, they will naturally and inevitably use those spaces. We note that leased parking is being provided for construction managers, and we ask Berklee to provide a number of leased spaces for workers as well. In addition, we request that Berklee give residents access to college parking lots, or reimburse residents for parking, during snow or other emergencies. We remain keenly concerned about the safety of the existing crosswalks between Haviland and Belvidere Street. Our concern is not with visual obstruction but with increased activity in this already chaotic space. We have noted the presence of a Boston Police Department officer and would like to know the hours, responsibilities and staffing of this detail.
noise

We are still concerned about the loss of retail appropriate to the surrounding residential community. The neighborhood should not have to lose McDonalds and Arirang, two affordable restaurants, in favor of a new restaurant with a price point too high for local residents. To address this concern, we would like to see RFPs or other plans that are underway for the retail on the St. Germain side of the project. We encourage Berklee to lease to independent businesses. If it is too early in the construction process for this, we request that resident input be sought, in a timely manner, when plans for retail space are being made. We would also like confirmation that local residents can use the dining hall, as was promised in our initial meeting. We look forward to receiving your response within the week, and we thank you for your attention.
sinCerely, John booKston, Conrad CiszeK, niKKi flionis, steve Gallanter, Cathy JaCoboWitz, Joanne mCKenna, letta neely, Kyle Piers, Karla rideout, rosaria salerno, JessiCa sorKin, eriC tinGdahl, louvere WalKer

From left at the groundbreaking for Berklee 160: Lee Kennedy Constructions Lee Michael Kennedy; City Councilor Mike Ross; Berklee President Roger Brown; State Rep. Marty Walz; Mayor Thomas M. Menino; Rev. John Unni; and architect William Rawn. higher learning, and more than 148,000 students attend those institutions, Mayor Menino said. Building new dorms so students move out of neighborhoods and into supervised facilities is important to the quality of life for everyone in this city. Berklee has been a valuable community partner and Im happy to see the college expanding its footprint in Boston. In the last ten years more than 10,000 new student beds have been added at institutions citywide, bringing the total number of dormitory beds to 37,111. There are currently 947 dorm units under construction and another 3,293 in the pipeline. The ground floor of Berklees new 16-story facility is designed with floor-toceiling windows that will bring life from within the building into the neighborhood. The project also includes 4,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, possibly for a restaurant with live music, which will add to existing pedestrian foot traffic along the corridor. The 155,000-square-foot facility will also include practice and ensemble rooms, a fitness center, student lounges, a two-story dining hall with 400 seats that will be used as a new venue for student performance, and a 19,000-square-foot below-grade music technology center with soundproof studios for recording and post-production activities. The building features a modern, mixeduse edifice that will create a new vertical core for the Berklee campus. 160 Massachusetts Avenue is the colleges first ground-up construction project and is the first phase of a multi-year planned expansion that will include more student housing, a new performance center, and additional administrative and academic space. More than 4,000 students attend Berklee, which occupies more than 20 buildings in the area around Boylston Street and Massachusetts Avenue. The project architect is William Rawn Associates of Boston. The Rawn firm is responsible for a number of award-winning performing-arts and campus buildings, including Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the new Cambridge Public Library, and Northeastern University Buildings G and H.
mayors offiCe, City of boston

Mayors Office Celebrates Berklee groundbreaking

to the editor:

Abutters are already experiencing serious disruption due to noise around the site. Residents of the Carillon have lost sleep due to the metal plates on Mass Ave. You write that Berklee is monitoring the noise from the site; we would like more details on the decibel baselines and what Berklee would consider unacceptable noise.

On November 30, Mayor Thomas M. Menino celebrated the groundbreaking on Berklee College of Musics new living and education facility. The $100 million project at 160 Massachusetts Avenue will create 300 new construction jobs and 15 permanent jobs, and add campus housing for approximately 370 students, freeing up housing in the Fenway, Back Bay and South End neighborhoods for Boston residents. Boston is home to 36 institutions of

looming projects will slow the piKeand Fenway streets

By RiCHaRD PenDleTon

the section of boylston St. that runs from Dalton to Saint Cecilia Street is above a 400-foot stretch of commuter rail track and a parallel length of four eastbound Mass. Turnpike lanes. in early november, I was walking west on this block of boylston, on the south side of the street and close to the railing. Movement (or the lack thereof) on the turnpike below caught my eye. two of the eastbound lanes were closed, with a string of orange safety cones stretching out of sight in both directions. all traffic was squeezed into the remaining two. the resulting caterpillar-like speed defeats the designed purpose of the Mass. Pike. A glance into the turnpike tunnel that bores under the Hynes Convention Center showed a major repaving effort under way. the turnpike crews activity brought to mind several pending projects that will soon cause similar traffic slowdowns on this, i-90, the most direct motorway from boston to Seattle. the Massachusetts Department of transportation (MassDot) currently has several air-rights parcels

above the turnpike up for development bids. Air rights parcels 12 thru 15 are all clustered around the intersection of Mass. Ave and boylston. Interested developers have been sharing public presentations of their evolving projects with a community advisory committee. The schedule of presentations and commentary to date can be found at the boston Redevelopment Authority website, www.bostonredevlopmentauthority.org/calendar Developers want to build all manner of structures which, of course, require supports that must be grounded in the turnpikes curbsides and medians. These projects, taking the form of condos, stores, office space, and parking will drastically alter the local urban scape. Abutters and interested neighbors should take an early and serious interest in the exact piledriving method to be used on a given project. Vibration is but the tip of the iceberg. the sinking of piles, whether by auger and cement, hydraulic hammer, or hydraulic press will require the closing of one and more likely, two turnpike

lanes. General service and supply of these turnpike construction sites will also be by way of the turnpike itself. Girders, glass, concrete, pipes, wires and tiles just a fraction of the items needed to complete any given project. the turnpike between the Parcel 1215 cluster and the soon-to-begin-work at Parcel 7 west of Kenmore Square, will be, literally, a clogged artery. Molasses and the vehicular stream will be indistinguishable. Anyone who suggests the developers undertake their projects in a 1-2-3 orderly progression so that no two ventures are underway at the same time should be ready for ridicule from the circles of power. nevertheless, turnpike traffic flow, east and west, is a process to be closely monitored by affected citizens as this construction progresses. as traffic is affected on the turnpike, so shall it be on the surface roads. back bay, fenway and South end residents will curse the excessive number of vehicles on their local streets, but that is the price of what some think is progress. Richard Pendleton lives in the East Fens.

The Joy of the Season Be With You

To our neighbors and friends: Happy holidays, and may 2012 bring nothing but light, peace and hope.
Northeastern University Office of City and Community Affairs, 617-373-5810

Photo: PhiL farnsWorth

> Letters from page 4

to include this building. We believe this is in your interests as well as ours. Additionally, we request that Berklee pay for a baseline structural assessment for the FFC.

6 | FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011

Pursuing Founders Vision, Kaji Aso Welcomes a Broad Range of Arts, Artists
ate Finnegan first met Kaji Aso when she was a college student and he a professor responsible for critiquing a piece of her art. I was just so struck by him as a person, she says. She decided then that she wasnt going to lose track of Mr. Aso, and she never did. Thirty-three years later, Finnegan is president and one of six directors of the Kaji Aso Gallery. Located on St. Stephen Street, the gallery has become a cornerstone of the local artistic community. It offers art and poetry classes, hosts concerts, and puts on public exhibitions. Galleries have a feeling about them. You may not feel like I can just drop in there, says Finnegan. Kaji Aso Gallery aims to change that. The gallerys newest exhibition, A Spot of Beauty: Boston opened November 4 at the Prudential Center and ran through the 19th. If you put the art out in a public area, where its accessible to peoplepeople love art, says Ms. Finnegan. The gallerys first public shows were products of the adventurous Kaji Aso, famous for organizing a series of river trips with his students. Sixteen students would kayak down rivers such as the Nile and the Volga for six weeks at a time, visiting cities and interacting with the local cultures. The art inspired by these expeditions began popping up in Asos exhibitionsfirst at Boston City Hall, then the Boston Public Library. Though the river trips ended in 2002, the gallery continued to look for venues to house its work. A friend who worked for the Bank of Tokyo introduced the gallery to the Prudential Center management in 2003, and a first showing was arranged. Nine years later, shoppers still enjoy annual exhibitions by Kaji Aso Gallery. This sort of publicity drives members of the community to become more artistically active.

by duKe harten

They may sign up for art classes or attend concerts. On display at the gallery right now is a compilation of landscape paintings done by both students and instructors. The paintings are refreshed each month, and one can never be sure whether to expect Japanese calligraphy or idyllic pastoral scenes. [Mr. Aso] always tried to bring into America parts of Japanese culture that have universal value, that anyone could appreciate or understand, says Finnegan. Classes are offered in blocks of 8 or 16 weeks, and include painting, drawing, calligraphy, ceramics, and poetry. The gallery also houses private piano instruction and vocal coaching, and once a month the 35-person concert space hosts local musicians. Says Finnegan of the concerts, Were approached a lot by students or musicians who already have established groups, who want to play in this space. The synthesis of music and art is doubly beneficial for concert goers: the audiophiles get to experience the art and the artists enjoy the concerts. The passion Aso brought to his gallery continues on in his students. The current exhibition was assembled by 30 volunteers students, faculty, and friends of the gallery. They might not have art be the main focus of their life, says Finnegan. But whether it is a hobby or a passion, art brings these people together. Finnegan explains what differentiates Kaji Aso from more typical galleries: Lots of times in the art world it can be competitive. Thats something I think people picked up from Mr. Aso right awayhe really believed that if youre making the most sincere effort, youre really going to be unique. This philosophy translates into a real feeling of community among the students and volunteers that constitute Kaji Aso Gallery. Duke Harten is a student at Northeastern University.

quirky and clever, yet phantom tollbooth cant avoid the doldrums
s I was walking to the Wheelock Family Theatre to see its current production, the musical The Phantom Tollbooth, I had a flashback to high school and Mr. Jensen, our history teacher, who worked summers collecting fares in a highway tollbooth. We used to whiz by him wavingme in an Edsellaughing merrily. Why on earth would a teacher have to work in a tollbooth? Well, The Phantom Tollbooth is nothing like that, except for the driving not in an Edsel but in a little red strapped-on plastic sports car. Milo (Jeffrey Sewell, who looks awfully young) is a nerdy boy with no interests. He doesnt care about anything and doesnt want to go out with his friends. For Milo, its always Another boring afternoon. (Sewell has an excellent singing voice, but the mic wire across his cheek makes him look strangely disfigured). Where would I go anyway? he asks. When a phantom tollbooth appears on stage, Milo pushes the continue button and takes a token. Then the fun begins, all along the theme of Anything is possible as long as you think its possible. Milo picks up a watchdog (Michael Wood) in the Doldrums, the place youre bound to land if you dont think and, up to now, Milo isnt thinking. (Tock is more of a clock dog than a watchdoghes got a big clock on his chestbut whats an author going to do?) The two enter upon Jeffrey Sewell as Milo and Michael Wood as Tock in a series of hardships and Wheelock Family Theaters recently completed production complications together. The of the Phantom tollbooth. crux of the play is a feud between two brothers over which is more important: words or numbers. Milo and Tock find themselves in Dictionopolis where King Azaz holds forth and then in Digitopolis hearing out his brother, the Mathemagician. Since these brothers can never agree on anything, its clear that whats missing is Rhyme and Reason, so Milo and Tock begin their arduous rescue of the two banished princesses, Rhyme and Reason. The Phantom Tollbooth is largely a play on words did I just do it too?and often quirky. Clever bits are played by the Whether Man, the Spelling Bee, the Senses Taker, the Demon of Insincerity, and, my favorite, the Humbug, who wears a bugs shell on his back and feelers on his head and comments that he has family members in important positions in our government. That got a few laughs from the audiences adults. Interesting that the royal family is racially mixed. WFT casts on the basis of talent, not racesomething I always appreciate. I dont know if it was because I had a cold and wasnt quite up to it, but this performance didnt seem as wonderful as the many others Ive seen. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I love the Wheelock Family Theatre. But there seems to be an imbalance in The Phantom Tollboothtoo much of Dictionopolis, especially its Word Market where words and parts of speechNouns! Adjectives!are bought and sold with great fanfare on stage and in the aisles. It was fun but too longperhaps a prejudice for words over numbers? Other adventures seemed short in comparison. All of a sudden, obstacles surmounted and princesses rescued, Milo is back in his bedroom anxious to go out with his friends and declaring, Theres so much to do! Subtraction Stew in Digitopoliseat and become empty instead of fullwas my favorite scene, well choreographed and lively, although it seemed out of character to see glum Milo dancing. The acting and singing was great in general, but I thought the set was too drab and foggy. The tollbooth looked well-worn, having seen its day, and was probably not unlike the tollbooth Mr. Jensen worked in every summer, humming, Another Boring Afternoon. The musical Phantom Tollbooth (book by Norton Juster and Sheldon Harnick, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick), ran through Sunday, November 20, at the Wheelock Family Theatre, 200 The Riverway. It marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Justers popular childrens book, which was originally illustrated by Jules Feiffer, and coincided with the beginning of WFTs 30th year. Alison Barnet lives in the South End.
by alison barnet

hed play a dirge For daddys junKy music... iF he could Find a store selling instruments
n october 27, Daddys Junky Music announced that all of its stores would be closing. Prominent among them was the Mass. Ave. branch in the east fens. Although I dont play any instrument other than the radio, I have always been an asexual musician groupie. on occasion i would drop into Daddys and gaze at the polished wood of Gibson guitars. The banks of synthesizers inspired awe as i contemplated how many sounds an instrument was capable of generating. I have more than fond memories of playing with a boSS 250 beat box while attempting to rap. on several occasions I bought a t-shirt at the store for my nieces. Additionally, having been a bartender in several dance clubs, I was acquainted with several DJs on the Daddys staff who sold turntables and mixing boards. it wasnt that long ago that Wurlitzer, Jacks Drum Shop, and laSalle instruments resided in my neck of the woods. Today Broken neck at 1108 Boylston services guitars and Berklee College of Music offers instrument repair as well. Rutmans Violins in Church Park, Rayburn instruments on Huntington ave. and the Guitar Center near Fenway Park are the last remnants of music retail in the fenway. The november 6 Boston Globe quoted Daddys founder Fred Bramante as placing the blame on the tax-free aspect of Internet sales: It is pulling revenue out of every state in the United States that has a sales tax. It is killing retail construction, and thats jobs, and its killing retail stores, and thats jobs, he said. Instrument stores, like book stores, have become showrooms where goods are inspected as a precursor to on-line purchases. iPhones and their off-price cousin Droids administered the blunt-instrument trauma. the attractiveness of the Mass. Ave. retail strip also contributed to the undoing of Daddys Junky Music. back in the good old, bad old, marginal retail establishments were enabled by the fenways reputation for arson and prostitution. those days are long gone. you would have to be over 40 to recall even the tail end of that era. Today my home court is dominated by chain retail and property owned by berklee. the college is erecting a 16-story dorm at 160, Mass. ave, formerly 168 Mass. ave. berklee was the landlord for Daddys Junky Music. ars brevis, vita brevis. Steven Gallanter lives in the East Fens.

By STeVen GallanTeR

Photo: nancy viaLL shoemaker

by JoyCe foster

Moving Concert Showcases H&H Artistry

There may not be better corrective to the dissonance of modern life than a visit to Jordan Hall when the Handel & Hayden Society is here to take us back to the sounds of the 18th century. The second concert of the season for this almost 200-year-old fixture of the Boston music scene featured Pergolesis magnificent Stabat Mater, performed with period instruments under the baton of guest conductor and solo harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, who was making a rare Boston appearance. Does it not cause tears to fall? was the question inspired by an early performance of the Stabat Mater, and the poignancy of the sorrowing virgin captured by the passionate music was nearly palpable during H&Hs reading of the work. The liturgical, but almost operatic work is divided into 20 verses with

soprano Liesbeth Devos and mezzo-soprano Emily Righter alternating between arias and duets. This was music and narrative movingly joined in a powerful expression of grief and hope, deepened in the duets by Righters lush near-contralto. Earlier, the Bach Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D major was given a spirited reading by harpsichordist Alessandrini, whose reputation as an innovative interpreter of baroque music preceded him. The Concerto Grosso in E Minor of Geminiani opened the program, followed by the Salve Regina, another Pergolesi work, sung by Liesbeth Devos. The Handel & Hayden Society will return with three performances of Handels Messiah, at Symphony Hall on Friday December 2 at 7:30pm, Saturday, December 3 at 3pm and Sunday December 4 at 3pm. Joyce Foster lives in the East Fens.

FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011 | 7

Two Very Different Plays, One Very Good Neighborhood for Theatre
ne of the many benefits of living in the Fenway is the quality of theater available in the neighborhood or close by. This past month I attended two excellent plays Captors at the B.U. Theatre on Huntington Ave. and Aint Misbehavin at the Lyric Stage on Clarendon St. One is a meditation on human contact with evil, and the other is a celebration of living, loving and music. Both left me feeling mindstretched by the writing and sense-moved by the staging and performances. In Captors, playwright Evan M. Wiener uses a memoir by Peter Z. Malkin and Harry
Photo: Library of congress

by stePhen broPhy

Thomas Fats Waller in 1938. Stein about the capture by Israeli agents of Adolph Eichmann in Argentina in 1960. The play opens with a brief evocation of this event and then gets down to the business of examining its impact on the captured, the captors, and the journalist who helps one of

the captors reduce his memories to writing several decades later. This last character, with his named changed from Stein to Cohn, becomes the narrator of the action and a nagging conscience in search of the truth. The central protagonist-antagonist relationship is well rendered by Louis Cancelmi as Malkin and Michael Cristofer as Eichmann. All of the action takes place on one set, evocatively representing the interior of a safe house in which the three men who hold the former Nazi leader try to persuade him to agree to stand trial in Israel. The initial capture is represented dimly behind a scrim that also stands in for a wall of the house. On the right side of the stage sits a table at which the journalist works; on the left another table around which the Israeli agents work out their tactics. In the center is a raised dais on which a bed and a chair create all the staging needed to represent an informal prison. Malkin is not at first the character who is charged with negotiating with Eichmannin fact he is ordered not to talk to him during his stints of guard duty. Nevertheless a relationship develops, which both moves the action of the play forward and creates the ground in which the plays themes are explored. The collaboration between Malkin and Cohn (played by Daniel Eric Gold) eerily mirrors this central relationship and echoes the themes in ways that draw out their complexity without creating confusion. Christopher Burns and Ariel Shafir play the other two captors, and convincingly work out the tensions that must exist in such a group. As I went into this play I mentioned to my companion that narratives involving Nazis are about my least favorite form of entertainment. But two hours later I was reminded again of the importance of contemplating the human capacity for evil, particularly when the evildoer is not rendered as a caricatured monster. The play runs through Dec. 11; you should give it some attention. few days later I trooped into a very different theater space in the YWCA on Clarendon Street for a Sunday matinee and came out with renewed appreciation for the early-20thcentury artists who created a unique American art formjazzand most particularly for Fats

Waller. This play consists entirely of his songs, and feels more like a cabaret performance. The three women and two men of the cast occupy some sort of club and its dressing rooms, and move from song to song in ways that dont create a narrative so much as they evoke a way of lifethe Harlem Renaissance of the post-WWI years. Calvin Braxton has the central role of Thomas Fats Waller, and completely charms the audience with the grace of a heavyset man who can seem lighter than air. Lovely Hoffman, Robin Long, and Lori Tishfield play the women who give meaning to the lives of Waller and the other man, played by Davron S. Monroe. As they move through the various

moods of the tunes from The Reefer Song through Taint Nobodys Bizness If I Do through Jitterbug Waltz to Keepin Out of Mischief Now these five actors show us how much life is wrapped up in performance, mostly by the quality of they ways they deliver their numbers. This play runs through Dec. 17give yourself an early holiday present. Captors at the BU Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., runs through Dec. 11. For information and tickets, visit www. huntingtontheatre.org/ Aint Misbehavin at the Lyric Theatre, 140 Clarendon St., runs through Dec. 18. For information and tickets visit www.lyricstage.com/

gardner taKes a winter holiday

by barbara brooKs simons

A
Roof Deck KENO Now Open Memorial Day ESPN Game Plan Draft Specials to Labor Day! Great seafood Swing on tips and steak in for

As the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum moves into the final stages of its construction and preservation projects, the museum will be closed during December and part of January. The historic Palace on The Fenway closed on November 15 and will reopen on January 19, 2012. During the closure, museum staff will move some amenities into the new wing and prepare special exhibitions. The new wing, designed by prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, will house the cafe and shop, a new performance hall, a special exhibition space, and other features. Speaking about the new concert hall, the architect said, As soon as you get in that space, its about music, but its something magical as well. A glass corridor set in a grove of trees will connect the new building with the Palace. While the new wing and outside features have been under construction, the Gardner has also renovated and restored the historic galleries. The Tapestry Room, formerly home to concerts, has been carefully restored to its original use, with upgraded lighting. We are fortunate to have remained open for the majority of the construction schedule with the least amount of impact on the public during this period, said Anne Hawley, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the museum. We now need this time to put the important finishing touches on the spaces and to prepare for our opening celebrations in January. We look forward to the unveiling of the new wing and refreshed Palace galleries and welcoming the public back to the Gardner. Barbara Brooks Simons lives in the East Fens.

lunch & enjoy Tavern BuzzTime favorites including hot dogs for interactive only $1.50 during Red television Sox Away Games!
1270 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02215 617.867.6526

Visit us online at:

se TheBa ballTavern.com

of Sweet Carolines, besides the food, however, is its version of the green monster: a stunning, ets face it. If any section of the city is worthy of more of our attention in live wall-to-wall vertical garden. The trip is worth it here just to see this gorgeous the bitter winter months, it is that of structure, which is visible from the street. Fenway Park. Although some of the I sat in the upper level by the bar and faithful will still risk frostbite and madness quickly realized what was to reach late-night bowling RESTauRaNT REviEW deceiving about a name like destinations or long lines at Sweet Carolines for anyone Machine, this series of city blocks Fineis, for many, to be put away in our tuned who has spent more then five minutes in Boston: its not a sports minds until spring training, when fork bar. While televisions and a craft droves of sports bars can open beer selection in the spacious their doors and windows to the masses again. But should you choose to forget bar area will smartly accommodate herds of pre-and-post-game visitors in the warmer this area until daylight savings time returns, months, this restaurant is not your average Sox youll be missing out. I realized his while haunt. This was made all the more apparent talking about the new space and surprising fare at Sweet Carolines with co-owners Sasha by the quick arrival of my appetizerhot items like buffalo chicken Rangoon and Philly Nisenbaum and Rich Gehrlein. cheese steak egg rolls with house-made spicy There is something about the trek from ketchup made for a promising rest of the meal, Kenmore through the hibernating storefronts especially accompanied by a craft pumpkin ale. of Fenway Parks perimeter that makes the For good measure, I also tried the beefsteak off season seem colder than it probably tomato salad with buffalo mozzarella and is. So when I arrived at Sweet Carolines avocado. I order about one salad off a menu one chilly evening last week, the interior of in a given year, and this one made it worth the this newly renovated space was all the more wait. Try it. inviting. The bars in each of the two levels of Of course, I was most excited for my the restaurant boast re-purposed and original entrees: the marinated steak tips and mac and oak from the buildings construction, and cheese. As a popular item on many menus compliment the modern, sleek, but altogether casual atmosphere that these co-owners sought across the city, the mac and cheese didnt stand out. However, this made it all the easier when overhauling this space. The focal point
by raChel dibella

Sweet Carolines Holds Surprises (and Save Room for Dessert)

to skip to the best part of the meal. The steak tips, grilled to medium, were tender and juicy while perfectly charred, thanks to the kitchens zesty marinade. The steak tips are served with a choice of two sides. After having seen the dessert choices, however, I admit that the standard seasonal vegetables and potato served on my plate were just a barrier between me and the crme brul. And besides, I ate the salad. And so I reached the pinnacle of my experience at Sweet Carolines. The guiltinducing dishes I was brought for dessert ensured a second (and third) trip to this Fenway dining haven in winter. Crme brul accompanied by sweet and tangy mangoraspberry drizzle was seconded only to what I will deem the house specialty: vanilla bean ice cream puff sandwiches alongside scoops of crme Chantilly. I ate it all, and if thats wrong, I dont want to be right. Go to see the green monster. Stay to try the food. And be sure to go back again when the preseason begins, when the weather is warm, and when Sweet Carolines can open its patio seating to diners who prefer to take their indulgences al fresco. Sweet Carolines is located at 1260 Boylston Street. Check them out at http:// sweetcarolinesboston.com/. Rachel diBella lives in Jamaica Plain, but her favorite place to eat is the Fenway.

Photo: Wikimedia commons

8 | FENWAY NEWS | DECEMbEr 2011

This symbol indicates a free event. For even more listings, visit www.fenwaynews.org

pick of the month

it wouldnt be December without an unhinged gold Dust orphans mash-up of familiar christmas stories sprinkled with raunchy songs and suggestive-but-inno-way-subtle puns. From a retooled Silence of the Lambs that features rudolph as a young FBi trainee (dont ask) to Whos Afraid of the Virgin Mary a scenerychewing exercise set in biblical Bethlehem, the troupe leaves no twist unturned. This year ringmaster ryan Landrywhos also headlining arts Rocky Horror Picture Show revival in harvard square on Friday nightslocks Dr. seuss and charles Dickens in a room to see who comes out alive. if Liza Minnelli and gay male strippers had inhabited Dickenss ur-christmastide story, it might look something like Mrs. Grinchelys Christmas Carol. sat, Dec 3-sun, Dec 18 at Machine, 1254 Boylston street; minimum age 18. tickets: $35-$45 Visit www. brownpapertickets.com/event/210431 to buy tickets and for more information.

Landry Takes On (Down?) Another Xmas Classic

system that relied entirely on solar energy to heat a house built in Dover in 1948. Harvard historian Daniel Barber examines her subsequent efforts to promote the use of solar power and considers parallels between the late 1940s and the politics of energy today. 5:15 pm at Mass Historical Society, 1054 Boylston. For details, visit www. masshist.org/events/more_info. cfm?eventiD=708 FREE

for information, tickets. At Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St. $20-$78

fri, dec 16: The powerful voices of New England Conservatorys Millennium Gospel Choir return to the Museum of Fine Arts for the choirs popular holiday concert. 8pm, Remis Auditorium at the MFA. Tickets $20 (members, seniors, students) and $25. Visit www.mfa.org/ programs/music/nec-millennium-gospelchoir or call 1-800-440-6975 for tickets and information.

thu dec 8-sat dec 17: In Priscilla Dreams the Answer, aliens bring the protagonist startling news: the fate of two planets rides on her shoulders. A whimsical and melancholic look at some bigeven cosmicquestions. Factory Theater (in the Piano Factory), 791 Tremont St. Thu-Sat at 8pm; Sun, Dec 11 at 3pm. Tickets $16. More information at 866-811-4111 or www. thefactorytheatre.org/?page_id=1528. sat, dec 10: Looking for an unsentimental corrective for holiday smarm? Try A John Waters Christmas, a one-man holiday show from the director of Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. Berklee Performance Center predicts that Waters will enthrall (or possibly appall) his audience with a rapid-fire monologue [that] explores and explodes traditional archetypes as he shares his compulsive desire to give and receive perverted gifts, a religious fanaticism for Santa Claus, and an unhealthy love of truecrime holiday horror stories. 8pm, reserved seating. Tickets $25-$45 ($60 seats already sold out) via www.berkleebpc.com/ or from the box office at 136 Mass Ave, M-S, 10am6pm. Information at 617-747-2261. thu, dec 15 and sun, dec 18: American conductor Steven Fox makes his Handel & Haydn Society debut in a holiday exploration of works from around the world. Visit www.handelandhaydn.org/ concerts/2011-2012/a-bach-christmas

through Weds, dec 7: MassArt presents

the work of 20 faculty members (newly hired or back from sabbatical) in Selections 11, with works that include installations, photography, wood and glass sculpture, paintings, and synesthetic experiments. South Building, first floor. Mon-Sat, noon to 6pm; Weds to 8pm. FREE.

thu, dec 8: The Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble, Eric Hewitt conductor, presents a free concert at 8 p.m. at The Boston Conservatory Theater, 31 Hemenway St. The performance offers a mostly Schuller program, in celebration of Gunther Schullers 86th birthday and features soloist Jonathan Cohler. For information call the conservatory event line at 617-9129240. FREE

the right word for martinis, but it fits Pink Martinis arch and eclectic mix of musical influencesfrom cabaret to Latin to movie soundtracks. Working off of its popular album, Joy to the World, the Portland, OR-based band presents a multidenominational holiday program. Guest singer Storm Large fills in for convalescing lead singer China Forbes, but advance word suggests she complements Pink Martinis sound nicely. 8pm, Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave. Tickets $30-$65 via www.berkleebpc.com/ or from the box office at 136 Mass Ave, M-S, 10am-6pm. Information at 617-747-2261. Gamma Rho Sorority brings four diverse musical acts to Church for its annual benefit in support of groups devoted to strengthening families in low-income Boston neighborhoods. Tashawn King, Members Only, Elevation Theory, and DJ Reggie Beas will perform, starting at 8:30. $20 in advance/$25 day of the show. A 21+ show; ID required. Church, 69 Kilmarnock Street. More info at www.churchofboston.com/club. html?month=201112.
an abbreviated caLendar for the Peterborough senior center aPPears on Page 3.
fri, dec 23: Rock the Bells! benefit. Sigma

fri, dec 16 & sat, dec 17: Fizzy isnt

of Fine Arts presents the works of Yelimane Fall in African Calligraphy in Action. Fall, a Senegalese painter and activist, uses the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet and varied calligraphic styles to create paintings filled with graceful letters and sinuous forms. Tue-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 1pm-5pm. Second floor, George Sherman Union, 775 Comm Ave. More info at www.bu.edu/cfa/ visual-arts/galleries/sherman/ or 617-358-0295. FREE.

fri, dec 2 through fri, dec 16: BUs College

thu-sun, dec 8-11: Now in its 31st year,

the Museum School art sale is the largest contemporary art sale in New England. Discover works from the newest students to acclaimed alumni, including Jedediah Caesar, Ellsworth Kelly, the Starn Twins, Rachel Perry Welty, and many more. Opening reception on Dec 8, 5-8pm; sale continues through the weekend, 10am-8pm. Call 617-369-3204 or visit www.smfa. edu/artsale for more details. FREE

sat, dec 3: Missing your old book store? Get ready to shop! The annual holiday book sale at the Boston Public Library takes place today from 10am-4pm in the McKim Building (Dartmouth Street entrance) in Copley Square. Gift-quality and general merchandise books for all ages and interests. Most hardcovers $2, most paperbacks $1. Also records, tapes, CDs, DVDs and audio books. Sponsored by the Citywide Friends of the BPL, all proceeds benefit the BPL and its 26 branches. For further information call 617 859-2341. dec 3-4, 10-11, 17-18: The Velveteen Rabbit returns to the Boston Childrens Theatre for six performances spread over three weekends. At the Roberts Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont St. Tickets $25; visit www.bostonchildrenstheatre.org for details.

sun, dec 11; fri-sat, dec 16-17; mon, dec 19: Boston Gay Mens Chorus presents

This Shining Night, a holiday concert that corrals African and Jewish traditions, traditional English carols, and even a TV Christmas song or two. This polished group, celebrating its 30th anniversary, invariably puts on a terrific show. At Jordan Hall: Sun at 3pm; Fri, Sat, Mon at 8pm. Purchase tickets at https://bgmc.secure.force.com/ ticket. More information at www.bgmc. org/index.php/.
Wed, dec 13: The Boston Environmental History series continues with a consideration of the impact of MIT engineer Maria Telkes, a proponent of alternative energy long before the term was even coined. Telkes designed a complex

sat, dec 3: Fenway Garden Society annual meeting, 10am-12pm Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. Light refreshments. sat, dec 3: muddy river cLeanuP sponsored by Emerald Necklace Conservancy. Join other volunteers along the Muddy River from 10am-1pm To RSVP or for meeting site, email projectassistant@ emeraldnecklace.org or call 617-522-2700. sat, dec 3: Putting the rose garden to bed

Apts). 1:15pm march to Edward Brooke Courthouse in Government Center for 2pm hearing in Boston Housing Court. For more info, contact: Sarah Horsley at (617) 267 4637 x19 or shorsley@fenwaycdc.org
thu, dec 15: Congressman Michael

Capuanos liaison holds office hours: 1-2pm. Fenway Health, 1340 Boylston St. Questions & concerns about national issues and/or legislation are welcome.

Help put the Kelleher Rose Garden to bed for the season. 10am-1pm Meet at garden along Park Drive side of the Fens. For more info and to RSVP, email projectassisdtant@ emeraldnecklace.org or call 617-522-2700.
Wed, dec 7: Fenway liaison for Mayors

dont forget first night!

is it just us, or has First night gotten way more interesting in the last few years? For 2011 the Hynes hosts a slew of nifty options, including screenings from the Roxbury film festival, Improv boston, the boston Poetry Slam, and West African ensemble Mamadou Diop. Acclaimed storyteller Mike Daisey will hold forth at the bU theater (home of the Huntington), and WGBH joins berklee to present a live national radio broadcast (in the age of twitter why does that still sound exciting?) featuring the Julian lage trio. All great choices, but were really psyched about hearing the legendary Mavis Staples at Symphony Hall. at $15, those First night buttons make great stocking stuffers or Chanukah gifts; buy them at Shaws (West fens, Prudential), Au bon Pain (369 Huntington ave, Prudential), and Tedeschis (141 Mass ave in the east fens). or buy through the website, which also has extensive artist notes and schedules www.firstnight.org.

Office of Neighborhood Services, William Onuoha, holds office hours, 3:30-5:30pm YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring concerns about city services.

thurs., dec 15: Annual holiday party by Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants 6-8pm Music by Helena Ruffen, Michael Kane and Brian Clague (Fenway resident). Delicious food. Tickets $25. Susan Bailis Assisted Living Ctr., 352 Mass Ave. (next to Mass Ave Orange Line stop. For more info, tickets, or to RSVP, call 617-267-2949. sat, dec 17: Boston Prime Timers, a support

holiday tradition featuring the professional BalletRox dance company and over 80 local children, moves to Wheelock Family Threatre this year. This Nutcracker follows the story line of E.F. Hoffmans original 19th-century fairy tale but takes place in contemporary Boston and fuses seasonal tradition with contemporary innovation. Ballet, swing, hip hop, and tap will interpret music from Tchaikovsky to Ellington. Visit www.wheelockfamilytheatre.org for details and tickets. $25-$50.
Wed, dec 7-fri, dec 9: Shakespeare knew

dec 3-18: The Urban Nutcracker, a Boston

Wed, dec 7: Holiday tree lighting sponsored by City of Boston and Fenway Civic Assoc. with caroling and hot cider, 6:30pm Near entrance to the Kelleher Rose Garden along Park Drive side of the Fens.

that his fans craved a splash or two of human blood. In What a Rash and Bloody Deed is This! BUs Shakespeare Project uses his depictions of murder, mayhem, war, and cruelty to pose questions about our own attitudes toward violence. WedThu, 7:30pm; Fri, 8pm. At TheatreLab, 855 Comm Ave. More info at www. bu.edu/cfa/or 617-353-3390. FREE.

Wed, dec 7: Ward 5 Democratic Committee, special meeting to endorse candidates for tue, dec 20: Audubon Circle Neighborhood the State Senate race (Sen. Tolmans recently Assoc Board meeting, 6:30-8:30pm Harvard vacated seat). 7pm LIR Restaurant, 903 Vanguard, 131 Brookline Ave., Annex Bldg., Boylston St. Room 3D. For more info, call 617-262-0657. mon, dec 12: LMA Forum. 6:30-8pm For Wed, dec 21: FFenway liaison for Mayors location or to verify if meeting will be held, Office of Neighborhood Services, William email Laura at lfogerty@masco.harvard.edu. Onuoha, holds office hours, 3:30-5:30pm tue, dec 13: sPeciaL state senate eLection to YMCA, 316 Huntington Ave. Bring fill Senator Steve Tolmans seat. 7am-8pm concerns about city services. For more info, call City of Boston Election Wed, dec 21: West Fens Community/Police Dept at: 617-635-3767. meeting, 5pm Landmark Center (401 Park tue, dec 13: City Council Redistricting Drive), 2nd fl, District 4 Police substation Coalition meeting, 6-8pm, Grove Hall (next to security desk). Community Center, 51 Geneva Ave. For upcoming BRA meetings and hearings, Wed, dec 14: Burbank Apts Protest & raLLy, check www.bostonredevelopmentauthority. noon, 151 Tremont St, (offices of William org/calendar/calendar.asp & Robert Kargman, owners of Burbank

network of gay and bisexual me meets at the universally accessible USES Harriet Tubman House, 566 Columbus Ave. (corner of Mass Ave). Rrefreshments at 2:30pm, program at 3:30pm, socializing till 5:30pm $2 donation at door. Visit www.bostonprimetimers.org, email bostonprimetimers@uses.org or call: 617-447-2344.