Westland Gate facts for kids
Westland Gate, also known as the Johnson Gates, is a cool set of fountains in Boston. They stand at the end of Westland Avenue, right next to the beautiful Back Bay Fens park. These gates are like a fancy entrance to the park!
A Look Back in Time
The Westland Gate was designed by a famous architect named Guy Lowell. He also designed the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston! The gates were built in 1902 and put up in 1905. The pretty bronze parts were made by a company called Hecla Iron Works.
The fountains were first named the Johnson Memorial Fountain. This was to remember a rich person from Boston named Jesse Johnson. His wife, Ellen Cheney Johnson, gave money to build them. The fountains have two big pillars made of granite and Tennessee marble. These pillars have bronze designs at the top. Near the bottom of each pillar, there are four bronze lion heads. Long ago, water used to spout out of these lion heads!
Keeping Them Looking Good
The fountains have needed some repairs over the years to keep them in good shape. The first time they were fixed was in 1980. This work helped clean the stone and protect it from things like graffiti. There was even a special event in August 1980 to celebrate the repairs.
In 1990, more work was done. Workers cleaned the marble, fixed cracks in the stone, and repaired the metal parts like the lion heads. They even thought about adding new lights, but that didn't happen. By 2008, the fountains were still not working well. A spokesperson from the Boston Parks Department said they were on a list to be fixed.
Helping Hands for Restoration
A new effort to fix the fountains started in 2012. A group called the Fenway Civic Association (FCA) led this work. They helped get money to check the fountains in 2013. That year, the bronze parts were cleaned and protected.
In 2014, the Johnson Memorial Gates were named one of Massachusetts' most endangered historic places. This helped bring more attention to them. In 2015, money was given to fix two horse troughs nearby and add covers to protect them.
More good news came in 2017. The city of Boston approved a lot of money, $820,000, to help fix the monument. This money also helped make the area around the gates easier to use and more beautiful. Another grant of $67,985 also helped. In 2019, the city approved even more money, increasing the project funds to $1,002,000. The Fenway Civic Association also received another grant to help with the project. All these efforts show how much people care about keeping the Westland Gate beautiful for everyone to enjoy!
