Restoration Almost Complete

The exterior granite of Quincy's Old City Hall (1844) has been cleaned and fitted with energy efficient windows and doors.  Workers inside are adding the finishing touches to this project that was started in 2013 and will open to the general public soon.

Let It Go!

I like the view of the Adams Mansion from the backside with snow covered grounds.  QDP may pause here for a short time, depending on the success of updating my operating system and photo software.  If all goes well, I will return soon with more spring-like photos from Quincy.

Spring At Peacefield

With snowflakes in the air, the second day of spring was very peaceful at the Adams Mansion.   Snow might be melted by opening day in mid-April . . . 

Granite Snow Globe

Happy Monochrome Monday!  Quincy granite monuments stand up to every storm.

Historic Rehab

Quincy's historic City Hall is in the middle of an $8 million renovation project.  It is expected to be completed by January, 2015.  You can see older springtime posts HERE.

Reviving a "Classic"

Today's Monochrome Monday picture is a close-up of the facade of Quincy Savings Bank Building on Hancock Street.  This 1897, classical revival building features Quincy granite in it's very importatnt-looking doorway.  Notice the Roman-style use of a "v" instead of a "u" in the spelling of Quincy.  The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Quiet Beauty

The Adams Homestead possesses very quiet beauty in the wintertime.

A Blanket Of Leaves

Hancock Cemetery in Quincy Center is the resting place of 69 Revolutionary War soldiers and many other early settlers of what was then the town of Braintree.  This cemetery, on the National Register of Historic Places, is adjacent to City Hall and across the street from the Church of Presidents.

Laboring

Today is a day to celebrate workers everywhere.  These workers are renewing the brickwork and facade of Coddington Hall as part of an $18 million preservation and renovation project.  Coddington Hall was designed by renowned architect, Charles Brigham, who helped in the design of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Happy Labor Day!

Face-lift

The Coddington School, on the National Register of Historic Places, is undergoing a million dollar plus renovation for future use as school administration offices and other city services.  This colonial revival building was designed and built by Charles Brigham in 1909.  It's great to see these solid structures with so much character fixed and repurposed for many more years of service.  The old Quincy High School in the background is being readied for demolition.

July Theme Day: Facade

I chose this handsome 1929 Art Deco facade of the Granite Trust Building located in Quincy Center for my July "theme day" post.  This edifice has always served as a bank and a symbol of prosperous times for this city.  Once again it is the beacon of economic hope because the first phase of an ambitious redevelopment project is getting underway right behind it.

You may visit other City Daily Photo Bloggers' interpretations of this month's theme by clicking  HERE.

Cherry Blossom Time

 It's cherry blossom time at United First Church in Quincy Center.
 Happy Skywatch Friday!

Blanketing "Granite City" With Snow

This view of the First Parish Church in Quincy Center is taken from the Hancock Cemetery.

Classic Greek

Quincy's City Hall was built in the 1840s in the classic Greek Revival style.  It was built with Quincy granite by master stone workers.  You can see a close-up of one ionic column here.  The crumbling interior  is finally being renovated.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Happy Skywatch Friday!

Elizabethan Quincy

This Tudor/Jacobethan Revival Adams Building in Quincy Center was designed by William J. Beal in 1880, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Walking The Ruins

More than 100 years ago, inside these granite walls, large granite cylinders, 3' x 22', were turned on lathes and polished by jennies.  The Lyon's Turning Mill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Happy Monochrome Monday!

Chiseled In History

The Lyon's Turning Mill is the site of an historic granite turning mill that was established in 1893 off a roadway now called Ricciuti Drive.  An "Open House" was held there this past weekend providing an opportunity to see this National Register Historic Site up close complete with demonstrations of some old granite cutting hand tools.

Travel Tuesday: Lubec, Maine

Beginning today, I invite you to travel outside of Quincy with me every Tuesday.  Today I am taking you "Downeast" to the candy-striped lighthouse located on the Bay of Fundy.

West Quoddy Light is located on the easternmost point of the U.S. mainland and is on the National Register of Historical Places.  The present 49-foot brick tower was erected in 1857, after a Congressional appropriation of $15,000. West Quoddy Head Light's famous red and white stripes appear to have been added soon after the present tower was built. Red stripes on lighthouses were common in Canada, where it helped them stand out against snow. Only one other lighthouse in the United States -- Assateague Light in Virginia -- has horizontal red and white stripes.   In the early days, West Quoddy Head, like Boston Light, had a fog cannon to warn mariners away from dangerous Sail Rocks nearby. 

Stone Stairway To Heaven

This stately, and rather grand mausoleum is made from Quincy granite. It is located in Forest Hills Cemetery, one of the finest examples of a 19th century garden cemetery. There is so much history and art here . . . definitely worth your time. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

It's Monochrome Monday!

Historic Knoll

Moswetuset Hummock, the wooded mound in the background, was the seat of the ruling American Indian chief, Chickatawbut, in the 1600s. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts got its name from Moswetuset. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.