Pedestrian Hit and Killed on Seaport Blvd

From BPD News:

DEATH INVESTIGATION AT 73 SEAPORT BOULEVARD

At about 5:35pm, on Thursday, October 30, 2008, officers from Area C-6 (South Boston) responded to a radio call for a pedestrian struck in the area of 73 Seaport Blvd. On arrival, officers located a 35 year-old female lying on the ground unconscious. According to witnesses, the victim was struck by a shuttle bus or a min-bus. Passengers on the bus say the victim fell into the side of the bus. Witnesses further state that they saw the victim lose her balance and fall backwards from the sidewalk into the side of the passing bus. The victim was immediately transported to Mass General Hospital where she was later pronounced. At this point, the preliminary investigation indicates that the incident was accidental. No charges are pending at this time.

South Boston Open Studios This Weekend

South Boston Open Studios
November 1st and 2nd, 2008
Noon - 6pm each day
Free to the Public

www.southbostonopenstudios.org

Artists and craftspeople of South Boston will open their doors to the public Saturday and Sunday, November 1st and 2nd, 2008 as part of the annual South Boston Open Studios event. Visitors will be able to talk to and make purchases directly from the artists and visit the creative environments in which the artwork is produced. The weekend-long event also provides a great opportunity to sample many of this historic neighborhood's restaurants, cafes, pubs, and retail shops.

Numerous disciplines will be represented throughout the dozens of participants, including: sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, installation, photography, video, jewelry, ceramics, woodworking, fabric and performance art. Much of the work will be in-process and the artists will be on hand for questions and conversations. Participating organizations and galleries include the SBAA (South Boston Arts Association), which will be exhibiting in the Laboure Center at 275 West Broadway, The Distillery (which will showcase three galleries and over 50 artists) located at 516 East 2nd Street, King Terminal at 110 K Street, and Norman Crump Studio at 793 East Sixth Street.

The event is free to the public, rain or shine, noon to 6pm each day. Public transportation is easy, take the Red Line to Broadway.

Important Community Meeting on Landmarking, Wed, 10/29

There's an important community meeting on landmarking coming up. The Study Committee is giving a final presentation of the proposed Landmark District for our neighborhood before the hearing on November 10th, 2008. It defines a set of boundaries in Fort Point which will receive the Landmark designation as well as a set of guidelines for how development of these buildings need to be handled. This is a critical step to preserving the history and character of our neighborhood.


The Fort Point Landmark Study Committee's homepage is: http://www.cityofboston.gov/environment/fpc/







Final Presentation by the Landmarking Study Committee

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
6:30 PM
Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress Street

This is a public presentation of the work of the Study Committee to create a Study Report for the Fort Point Channel Landmark District as completed September 10, 2008. This meeting will be an informational presentation to the community and other interested parties prior to the Boston Landmarks Commission designation hearing for the Fort Point Channel Landmark District on November 10, 2008. (No further revision of the Study Report will be considered at this meeting).

1. Introduction to the Designation Process

2. History and Significance of the District

3. History of the Petition Process and Recent Activity in the District

4. Overview of the Standards and Criteria

5. Next Steps

6. Question and Answer Session

Projected Adjournment: 8:30 pm


The public hearing for the petition to make Fort Point a Landmark District will be held in a few weeks:


Petition #201.01, Fort Point Channel Landmark District
November 10th, 2008
5:30 PM
BRA Boardroom, 9th Floor
Boston City Hall

Liquor Licenses for 241 A St.

I'm late in posting this, but the licensing board has ruled on the liquor license for 241 A St. (aka Devlin's), listening to all of the community feedback and curbing it to 12:30 AM on weekends and 10 PM for the patio area. Thanks to everyone who spoke at the hearing and wrote letters, as well as to our local politicians who backed the community's concern over the original 2 AM closing time: Senator Jack Hart, Representative Brian Wallace, and Councilor Bill Linehan.

Photos from Open Studios

Tom Wojciechowski in front of some of his new work.

Visitors check out Justin Viglianti's photography.


Congratulations to all of the artists and volunteers for another great Open Studios!

Boston Virtuosi Concert Sunday

Boston Virtuosi will be giving a performance at Midway Theater this Sunday at 2pm at Midway Studios Theatre (15 Channel Center St.). Selections range from Bluegrass and Tangos to Mozart!

Open Studios This Weekend

Open Studios is this weekend and more than 200 artists will be participating. There will also be a number of public art installations. "House of Cards" by Lisa Greenfield will be floating in the Fort Point Channel between Summer and Congress Streets. Tom Wojchiehowski's 100' "Light Words" will use the light from Fort Point landmarks and cityscape to spell out words with images that celebrate the neighborhood. And Nicole Seisler will physically tie together opposite ends of the Fort Point neighborhood with "Out in the Studio", a performance and installation using hand-thrown, raw clay vessels.

In addition, at Midway Studios, 8:00 pm October 17 and 18, 2008, Fort Point Theatre Channel will present two evenings of contemporary music featuring Ensemble Warhol. The program includes Tierkreis, by Karlheinz Stockhausen, and the Voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, by Mark Warhol. Ensemble Warhol consists of Naomi Gurt Lind, soprano, Donald Wilkinson, baritone, and Meghan Miller, flute.

For a map of map of studio buildings and more information, see the FPAC website: www.fortpointarts.org. Hope to see everyone out this weekend!

Barking Crab Proposes Upscale New Digs

Barking Crab throws Gale plan a curve
Boston Business Journal - by Michelle Hillman

The owners of The Barking Crab Restaurant are proposing a remake of the clam shack — a move that could complicate a neighboring plan by Gale International, developers of the massive project known as Seaport Square.

Gale International, with its partner, Boston Residential Group, wants to build a six-story residential and retail building within feet of the site now occupied by the Barking Crab. They have offered to let the Barking Crab move into the proposed building.

“We reached out to the Crab several times and are going to continue to do so,” said Curtis Kemeny, president of Boston Residential Group.

The Barking Crab owners declined that offer — and now are proposing their own six-storey building with residential, retail and possibly office uses. They outlined it in a letter of intent filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Globe Article on Steve Hollinger's Show

Steve Hollinger's "What Left" show got a great writeup in the Globe (see below). It's currently at the Chase Gallery and runs through Saturday.


'Left' to his own devices
As an inventor and a sculptor, Steve Hollinger is constantly experimenting to feed his curiosity

Steve Hollinger's studio in Fort Point Channel is filled with strange treasures. There's a two-headed bird with three eyes and two beaks, stowed in a glass jar. There are antique hypodermic needles, a crocodile skull, magic lanterns, and an old aluminum prosthetic leg, polished to gleam. On one shelf, there's a 3-inch-tall house that Hollinger made out of spider webs, still intact after four years.

A soft-spoken, bearded man who pads barefoot through the light-infused space, Hollinger is more than a collector of odd items. He's an inventor and artist whose unusual sculptures - many of them kinetic and powered by solar cells - are on view in the solo exhibit "What's Left" at Chase Gallery through Sept. 27.

As an artist, Hollinger, 45, conducts experiments for his own delectation. "You're surprised by the outcome," he says. "I make an experiment, tapping into a certain feeling, and see if this thing captures or houses that certain feeling."

At Chase Gallery, many of those experiments hinge on life's fragility. "Heart #4" is an astonishing assemblage of glass tubes and vessels with blue liquid pumping through them, powered by the sun. "Skeleton Leaf Boxes" consists of translucent boxes that are indeed made out of delicate leaf skeletons, and "Born on the Drop of Truckee" is a living-room tableau in an old wooden explosives box, with a solar-powered mini TV brightly broadcasting images of atomic-bomb tests.

Read full article on the Globe's site.

Drink to Open This Month

The first of Barbara Lynch's projects, Drink, is slated to open later this month. It's going to be in first floor of the FP3 building at 348 Congress St. (map).


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DRINK TO OPEN SEPTEMBER 2008
CHEF BARBARA LYNCH’S FIRST FORT POINT CONCEPT
READIES FOR OPENING

SEPTEMBER 12, 2008, BOSTON, MA… Drink, James Beard Award-winning Chef Barbara Lynch’s first venture in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood, is slated to open at the end of this month. A bar entirely focused upon the craft of the cocktail, Drink will be overseen by current No.9 Park Bar Manager John Gertsen.

Blending time-honored techniques and the classic cocktails of the prohibition era with modern innovation and the very best artisanal ingredients, John Gertsen and his team will strive to offer each guest an unparalleled cocktail experience. A seasonal menu of canapés, created by Chef Barbara Lynch and Executive Chef Colin Lynch (no relation) will be available to accompany the cocktails.
“I’ve always wanted to open a bar, so this has been a really fun project to work on with John Gertsen,” said Barbara Lynch. “It’s an exciting time to be opening in Fort Point; there is so much change happening in this neighborhood. We are looking forward to being a part of this community and helping it grow while preserving the qualities that make it Fort Point.”

Front and center at Drink will be the cocktail, with a focus on the classics and communal cocktails. Every spirit will be hand selected and blended with house made syrups, fresh herbs, and freshly squeezed fruit juices. The ice program, the result of years of John’s research on the important role of ice in creating a perfect cocktail, will feature ice from two primary sources: a Kold Draft machine and crystal clear, fifty pound blocks of ice. From these two sources, bartenders will be able to offer ice in several formats, tailored to suit every type of cocktail.
Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz, of C&J Katz, designed the interior of Drink with the goal of preserving the elements that would give the space its rough-elegant industrial feel, an aesthetic reflective of the Fort Point neighborhood. To achieve this, the granite foundation boulders, exposed brick walls, and wood ceiling beams were left intact and inspired the remaining design. Another integral part of the design mission was the notion of community. Designed with gatherings in mind, the bar zig-zags through the room creating six corners for guest to sit around and three “bays” for bartenders.

Drink will be located on the basement level of FP3, Berkeley Investments’ Fort Point neighborhood residential project and will be opening at the end of September. For more information, please contact Sarah Hearn at shearn@no9park.com.

Heliport Meetings Canceled

The Heliport meetings scheduled for September 17th and September 24th are cancelled.

Mayor Menino and Senator Hart are developing a new approach to improving helicopter access in Boston including working with Governor Patrick and the officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority to review operations and procedures necessary at improving efficiencies at the Logan Airport heliport.

Music Posters Exhibit - Opening 9/17

POSTGIG - A Compilation of Music Posters

A one week exhibit including original posters by: Modern Dog, Aesthetic Apparatus, Patent Pending, The Small Stakes, Seripop, Hammerpress, The Decoder Ring and many more. Curated by Clifford Stoltze, the show complements the recent launch of his book 1000 Music Graphics. For more details, see the FPAC Exhibit Page.



Special opening hosted by FPAC on Wednesday, September 17th, 6-8pm with appetizers and an open bar, catered by The Channel Cafe.