The Boston Athenæum is a unique combination of library, museum, and cultural center in a magnificent landmark building. Join us for a behind the scenes tour of the Boston Athenaeum including a special tour of the Great Boston Fire exhibit “Revisiting the Ruins”.
Following the 150th anniversary of the Great Boston Fire, Revisiting the Ruins considers how this event—which ravaged Boston’s central commercial district—was pictured, described, and circulated, presenting a range of media that documented the blaze and its aftermath. This exhibition will showcase powerful artifacts from a pivotal moment in Boston’s history while prompting visitors to consider how it has been remembered (or forgotten) generations later.
This evening will begin at 6:00 PM at The Vilna for a welcome reception.
Save the Date for Our Upcoming Museum Night Sessions:
Wednesday, May 17, 2023 - The Otis House
About The Boston Athenaeum:
Founded in 1807, the Boston Athenæum evolved out of an organization known as the Anthology Society, formed in 1805 by a group of Bostonians who produced a magazine called The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review. They created the Boston Athenæum to form an establishment “combining the advantages of a public library [and] containing the great works of learning and science in all languages.”
The Athenæum had an itinerant life in its early years. Its original home was on Congress Street, but it soon moved to Tremont Street near the present-day Government Center. In 1809, it moved to the Rufus Amory House, adjacent to the King’s Chapel Burial Ground. And it moved again in 1822 to a mansion on Pearl Street, where it remained for nearly thirty years.
Construction on the Athenæum’s present home on Beacon Street began in 1847. Designed by Edward Clarke Cabot, the building opened in 1849, with a sculpture gallery on the first floor, the book collection on the second, and a painting gallery on the skylit third floor.
Today, the Athenæum’s five galleried floors of books and reading nooks overlook the peaceful Granary Burying Ground. Its research books and collections have strengths in Boston history, New England state and local history, and in the fine arts. The Athenæum supports a dynamic exhibition program and hosts a lively series of events, discussions, and concerts.
The Boston Athenæum is a member-supported not-for-profit institution that everyone is invited to join.