Urban History Trail

Washington Street Historic Panels: History and Pictures from 1700s to Present

Exhibit
26 canvas panels with pockets, top and bottom, and poles for hanging may be displayed, in whole or in part. The panels are as follows:

Topic Panels
  • Architecture (4' x 5')
  • Commerce (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Institutions (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • People (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Revitalization (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Roxbury Landmarks (4' x 4')
  • Roxbury Leaders (4' x 5')
  • Social Life (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Transportation (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Urban Renewal (1 each, 4' x 5', 4' x 4')
  • Made Land (4' x 5')
Transition Panels
Eight 4' x 4' panels, each with captioned pictures that describe and illustrate how a particular location has changed over the centuries.

Signs
  • Three-dimensional signs for each topic
  • Signs for each Silver Line station where panels are located
  • Background Information
  • Credits
Prints
16" x 20" Giclee reproductions of all panels on archival (acid-free) fine art (watercolor) are available for purchase online.

Speakers
A Speaking program can be assembled in conjunction with the Exhibit. The following people participated in the project and would be available to talk on the topic, or a similar one, listed after their names:
  • Barbara Boylan, Head of Design, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Aurthority
    "Working with Community Groups to Develop Public Art"
  • Richard O. Card, South End Historian, founder of South End Historical Society
    "History of the South End, a Typical Urban Neighborhood, from 1700 to 1899"
  • Linda Rubin Royer, Executive Director, Washington Gateway Main STreet
    "Revitalization of the Washington Street Neighborhood"
  • Cynthia Nartonis, artist and creator of bronze medallions
    "Casting History, the Art Process and the Imagery"
  • Nancy Seasholes, historian, educator, and author of "Gainging Ground", a history of land-making in Boston
    "Made Land, its History and Outcomes"
  • Jim Shantz, President of the Trolley Museum, Ogunquit Maine
    "A Transportation History as Illustrated by Washington Street"