This Sunday - walking tour of Ball Square/Powderhouse Area

[ron_newman]

This Sunday, June 14th: Ed Gordon, President of the New England Chapter of the Victorian Society of America (VSA/NE) will lead a walking tour entitled "From Powder House Pickles to Ball Square Brick Yards." There will be an opportunity to view houses proposed for historic designation as well as go inside several historic structures, including the WPA Field House, the Powder House, and one or more residences with many original features still intact or fully restored.

The tour will start at 10:30 am at the Field House at Nathan Tufts Park, at the corner of Broadway and College Avenue.

The tour is sponsored by the Victorian Society of America and Historic Somerville, in collaboration with the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission. The cost is $8.00 for members of the VSA/NE or Historic Somerville, and $10.00 for non-members.

For further information call Edward Gordon via 617-789-3927 or email him at edwardgordon@aol.com or contact Barbara Mangum, President of Historic Somerville at bmangum411@aol.com

(this event was originally scheduled for May 17 but was postponed due to rain)

Comments

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I live up there, but I just don't understand what there is to see that validates forking over $10. The Powder House is always accessible for anyone to walk right up to and look into, the houses are still-active residences where people take out the recycling and park their hybrids, you can walk past SoundBites....it's just a neighborhood.

Okay, maybe I'm being a skeptical jerk. Are you going?

[ron_newman]

I'm not going because it's the same time as Bike to the Sea Day. I've done some of these organizations' earlier tours; they give interesting insight into the area's history. To some extent, they are aimed at architecture buffs who live outside Somerville.

You do get to go inside the Powderhouse, but there isn't a lot to see inside. (No spiral staircase, so you can't climb anywhere.)

[avjudge]

I did their Winter Hill/Magoun Square tour last year, and really enjoyed it. As mentioned, they're focused on the architecture, and the development of the architecture, which leads to city history. And since I love to learn about city history, naturally I enjoyed it.

I'll definitely do this if my plans to go out of town for the weekend fall through.

Anne