Spring Lecture & Guide Training Series
2013 Registration Open!
Or call us at 617-367-2345 to pay by credit card.
Tuition
$95 for future guides
$150 for auditing entire series
$35 for a single session
George V. Meacham 1837
The 24-acre Public Garden was the first botanical garden in the United States The design was chosen from a public competition and Meacham was awarded $100 for his English-style garden landscape.
Massachusetts Teachers
Earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) that can apply toward 150-PDP state license renewal requirements. [inquire]Registration
Submit a new docent inquiry form. [go]
You may also send a check for a single lecture. [contact info]
Or contact us for more information about the Lecture Series and Guide Training Program. [go]
Refunds
Refunds will be granted until April 6, less the $15 registration fee included in the tuition.
- Complete Calendar
- Special Events
- • Lecture Series •
Register for the annual Boston By Foot Spring Lecture & Guide Training Series! This annual program is a requirement for new docents, and is open both to Boston By Foot members and the general public. Many of our senior guides return every year to renew their knowledge and experience the course again.
Led by distinguished professionals, the lectures trace Boston's topography and architecture from 1630 to the present. As a guide-in-training, you will receive the background, materials, and mentorship to lead informed, insightful, and interesting guided walks of Boston.
While there are no course requirements for auditors, each auditor is invited to participate fully in all program activities. Alternatively, you may also enroll for a single session, and attend the lecture and demo tour for that day.
Guides-in-training must attend all program activities including the informative lectures, engaging discussion groups, and the demonstration tours that bring the material to life. Graduation requirements include four written assignments, a final exam, and a practice tour.
All Boston By Foot guides lead a minimum of six tours each year, but many of our guides lead many more. They are also involved through research, designing new tours, and planning events.
| Saturday April 13, 2013 |
10:00 am | Colonial Boston |
| Frederic C. Detwiller, AIA Preservation Planner, New England Landmarks | ||
1630-1776: The settling of the Shawmut Peninsula by the Puritans and their development of a successful mercantile economy produced a densely populated town of Colonial and Georgian homes, buildings and churches. Field Trip: Historic Downtown Area | ||
| Lecture meets at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday April 20, 2013 |
10:00 am | Federal Boston |
| Dr. Judy Neiswander Advocacy Coordinator, Boston Preservation Alliance | ||
1785-1820: Charles Bulfinch emerges as the architectural leader of the Federal style with important contributions such as the Massachusetts State House, the Tontine Crescent and the Colonnade. Beacon Hill develops as a neighborhood for the affluent featuring many of Bulfinch's works and that of his followers. Field Trip: Beacon Hill | ||
| Lecture meets at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday April 27, 2013 |
10:00 am | Victorian Boston |
| Edward W. Gordon President, New England Chapter of the Victorian Society in America | ||
1850-1900: With great influence from Paris, the Back Bay land-making project enables wealthy persons moving up from the South End to build large mansions as well as providing great structures for art, learning and worship. The Victorian period ushers in a variety of architectural styles featuring the works of H.H. Richardson, C.F. McKim, and Cummings & Sears. Field Trip: Copley Square and Back Bay | ||
| Lecture meets at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday May 4, 2013 |
10:00 am | Contemporary Boston |
| David Fixler, FAIA, LEED AP Principal, Einhorn Yaffee Prescott, Architecture & Engineering | ||
1900-present: Follow the progression of 20th and 21st century architecture through the modern and post-modern office buildings, government buildings, condos, skyscrapers, convention centers and hotels of Boston. Field Trip: Government Center & the financial district | ||
| Lecture meets at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday May 11, 2013 |
10:00 am | Subterranean Boston |
| James Lambrechts, PE Assistant Professor, Wentworth Institute of Technology | ||
Under the city is a dense network of pipes, conduits, sewers and tunnels that serve the utility and transportation needs of a growing city. In 1987, Boston began the largest public works project in U.S. history to submerge an aging elevated highway amidst existing roads, structures, subways, railroads, utilities, businesses and homes, and in the process transformed the downtown landscape into a shining example of 21st century urban renewal. Field Trip: the Big Dig, Kennedy Greenway and downtown infrastructure | ||
| Lecture meets at the Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday April 6, 2013 |
1:00 pm | GIT Orientation Tour |
Get the lay of the land in this fun introduction to the lecture series. You will be introduced to the architectural concepts, the historical topics, and the topology of Boston on this interactive tour. | ||
| Meet at Gee's Wharf. | ||
| Saturday April 13, 2013 |
9:00 am | Guide Training Orientation |
An orientation session to the Guide Training Program. | ||
| Boston Society of Architects, 290 Congress Street, Boston. [map] | ||
| Saturday May 18, 2013 |
10:00 am | Final Footwork |
| Written exam followed by preparatory field work. | ||
