Historic Preservation
Petition: Save Pinebank Mansion in Emerald Necklace!
Oct 24, 2006 23:30 | Permalink
The Boston
Parks Department has submitted its plan to the Boston
Landmarks Commission to demolish the Pinebank
mansion, the only mansion left for public use on the
banks of Jamaica Pond by Frederick Law Olmsted when
he created the Emerald Necklace park system in the
1880’s.
Friends of Pinebank, a citizens group made up of Jamaica Plain, Brookline, and Boston area residents, proposes to reconstruct Pinebank as a community center for music and the arts.
The capital to finance reconstruction would be funded largely from private donations. We want to forge a partnership with the city to restore this civic building for all citizens - local and national - and as a continuation of the improvements in the Emerald Necklace made over the last 20 years.
We’d like your input about these proposed uses:
The existing south terrace could be used for outdoor artistic performances and enjoying coffee from the Olmsted Café on the first floor. Also, large outdoor concerts could be managed near Pinebank like the current Landmark Orchestra concerts.
The first floor could serve expanding uses including - music, performances, exhibitions, community meetings, and fund raising for local groups.
On the second floor, small flexible rooms could be spaces for music lessons or art school studios. An office could be available for a Park Ranger.
To counter potential vandalism, a small apartment could be on the top floor for a full-time caretaker.
One third of the basement could be for an environmental study area by local schools. A small bike shop could be in the basement for repairs and perhaps bike rentals.
Access to Pinebank would be primarily pedestrian or bicycle, with limited and controlled access for some vehicles (musicians, caretaker, etc.). This plan could promote physical activity and reduce the need for nearby parking.
Operating maintenance expenses could be covered by the Olmsted Cafe, income from leasing the second floor rooms to local music or art schools, and rental of the main rooms for weddings or small conferences. A large endowment could be created to ensure that maintenance costs and long-term expenses would be covered.
A reconstructed Pinebank could be an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art sustainable building. With such innovation, Pinebank could be a national model of adaptive re-use, recycling the existing bricks and terra cotta imported from England into an energy-efficient sustainable building using the latest green technology.
Would you be willing to have your name publicly listed in favor of reconstruction, rather than demolition? You would join the hundreds of supporters who treasure this signature building Frederick Law Olmsted left for us on the Emerald Necklace.
To join this ever-growing chorus of citizens who want their voices heard, please respond by email with your approval to hmattison@aol.com to list your name by Sunday, October 29, and ask other supporters to respond also. Also, please include your address.
Thanks from the Friends of Pinebank,
Hugh Mattison, President, Brookline
Anne Lusk, Ph.D. Vice President, Brookline
Dorothy Clark, Chair-Public Relations, Jamaica Plain
Albert Lafarge, Member and Social Scientist, Jamaica Plain
Bill Powell, AIA, Architect, BrooklineSarah Smith, Ph.D., Novelist, Brookline
Vickie Wallen, Chair-Community Outreach, Jamaica Plain
Friends of Pinebank, a citizens group made up of Jamaica Plain, Brookline, and Boston area residents, proposes to reconstruct Pinebank as a community center for music and the arts.
The capital to finance reconstruction would be funded largely from private donations. We want to forge a partnership with the city to restore this civic building for all citizens - local and national - and as a continuation of the improvements in the Emerald Necklace made over the last 20 years.
We’d like your input about these proposed uses:
The existing south terrace could be used for outdoor artistic performances and enjoying coffee from the Olmsted Café on the first floor. Also, large outdoor concerts could be managed near Pinebank like the current Landmark Orchestra concerts.
The first floor could serve expanding uses including - music, performances, exhibitions, community meetings, and fund raising for local groups.
On the second floor, small flexible rooms could be spaces for music lessons or art school studios. An office could be available for a Park Ranger.
To counter potential vandalism, a small apartment could be on the top floor for a full-time caretaker.
One third of the basement could be for an environmental study area by local schools. A small bike shop could be in the basement for repairs and perhaps bike rentals.
Access to Pinebank would be primarily pedestrian or bicycle, with limited and controlled access for some vehicles (musicians, caretaker, etc.). This plan could promote physical activity and reduce the need for nearby parking.
Operating maintenance expenses could be covered by the Olmsted Cafe, income from leasing the second floor rooms to local music or art schools, and rental of the main rooms for weddings or small conferences. A large endowment could be created to ensure that maintenance costs and long-term expenses would be covered.
A reconstructed Pinebank could be an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art sustainable building. With such innovation, Pinebank could be a national model of adaptive re-use, recycling the existing bricks and terra cotta imported from England into an energy-efficient sustainable building using the latest green technology.
Would you be willing to have your name publicly listed in favor of reconstruction, rather than demolition? You would join the hundreds of supporters who treasure this signature building Frederick Law Olmsted left for us on the Emerald Necklace.
To join this ever-growing chorus of citizens who want their voices heard, please respond by email with your approval to hmattison@aol.com to list your name by Sunday, October 29, and ask other supporters to respond also. Also, please include your address.
Thanks from the Friends of Pinebank,
Hugh Mattison, President, Brookline
Anne Lusk, Ph.D. Vice President, Brookline
Dorothy Clark, Chair-Public Relations, Jamaica Plain
Albert Lafarge, Member and Social Scientist, Jamaica Plain
Bill Powell, AIA, Architect, BrooklineSarah Smith, Ph.D., Novelist, Brookline
Vickie Wallen, Chair-Community Outreach, Jamaica Plain
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