Boston – The BSA Foundation recently announced a re-imagined and reinvigorated 2016 Common Boston festival of architecture and design (CB16), to be held this summer for one weekend only, June 4 and 5, 2016. CB16 will be an open invitation to the public to discover, explore, and experience some of the most significant spaces and places in and around Boston.
CB16 will provide free, behind-the-scenes access to various sites across the metro area. Participants will have the opportunity to go beyond the typical tourist venues to discover historic sites, office towers, mansions, hidden infrastructure, unique learning spaces, private parks, and more. Based in part on open-house weekends in cities like Chicago and New York, the free festival will unlock the doors to dozens of architecturally, culturally, and historically significant sites, encouraging residents and tourists to consider why design matters, while tapping into unique stories that illuminate Boston’s vibrant communities.
This year’s festival partners represent a diverse variety of cultural and architectural spaces located throughout Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, and include Autodesk, Ayer Mansion, Boston Architectural College, Boston Public Library (Central, Honan-Allston, East Boston, Parker Hill, Hyde Park, and Mattapan branches), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cambridge City Hall, Church of the Covenant,District Hall, Dorchester Heights Monument, Eliot Hall and the Footlight Club, Eliot School, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Ether Dome and the Russell Museum of Medical History and Innovation, Fenway Studios, Fenway Victory Gardens, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Hibernian Hall, Innovation and Design Building, KITCHEN at Boston Public Market, Loring-Greenough House, Lunder Art Center at Lesley University, MassArt, Midway Studios, Nichols House Museum, Old North Church, Otis House for Historic New England,Restoration Resources, Strand Theatre, Trinity Church, Urbano Project, Vilna Shul, Waterworks Museum, William Clapp House, Y2Y Harvard Square, and YMCA of Greater Boston.
“Common Boston is a fantastic opportunity to discover the amazingly rich architectural, cultural, and historic resources of neighborhoods throughout Greater Boston,” says Mike Davis FAIA, Chair of the BSA Foundation. “Festival partners will not only showcase their organizations and share their architectural stories, but by welcoming visitors will also foster a stronger sense of community. The Foundation looks forward to new conversations among neighbors, business owners, and residents, and a greater sense of how the built environment impacts our everyday lives.”
All 2016 Common Boston programming is free and open to the public. The festival weekend will kick off with the dParty, a celebration of design on Friday, June 3. The location for this event will be announced in future communications.
For more information, visit commonboston.org.
