Donna and I study-Brattle Street Cambridge: Henry Van Brunt-architectural essays

Greek lines and other architectural essays

Please glance at the writing of Henry Van Brunt on art, the Ideal and Aphrodite.
I just referred to Donna as Phi Beta Sexy, she majored in the philosophy of religious art. Today she liked one of the houses on Brattle belonging to the above author. Its a Houghton Mifflin and I used to collect them if printed before 1900. Actually I was looking for Elmwood, the home of James Russel Lowell from his birth untill his death, and I found a beautful yellow house on the corner of Brattle and Elmwood Ave. We had begun with the idea to visit Mount Auburn Cemetary, where Amy Lowell and Longfellow are buried (see previous blog entries), but as we have been there together before decided to return to the Longfellow House. Elmwood was also built during the time of Washington's Command in Cambridge. She wanted, after having seen it at first sight, to tour the Hooper-Lee-Nichols House, built in 1685 ( I have the date 1883 for the Brunt House, but there's a note that reads 1765 for either the Longfellow or for Elmwood, I have to double check).
We continued waling down Brattle Street and decided to tour the Longfellow House.

I signed the guestbook to the Henry Wadsworth Longefellow House and we ascended the stairs to begin the tour. And then we found out the don't allow pocket books or purses, and based on a previous agreement she and I  had from other museums- it's just part of our dating- we politely declined the tour and left. Meaning it did more for us as a couple to live by our arbitrary agreement that she feels more confident with her purse, than had we actually seen the museum.

And as to whether it was Elmwood or not, I think the world of Amy Lowell the poet, and for some reason it was a beautiful garden and a nice piece of architecture- leave it to poetry untill I track it down whether the poet's house is on a corner of Brattle. A cool artist pulled into his drive way later while we were admiring the brass statue's on his front lawn, which is also poetic since it looked like a private reside and were were trying to quickly see whom the statues were of before continuing onward.

Scott Lord Silent Film

Marsh Chapel Left Open during evening: please accept Mornings in the college chapel

Mornings in the college chapel

     Marsh Chapel was left open last night. I have a policy that whenever we pass a church, Donna can go inside and pray. We were walking Commonwealth Ave for the second time, the first time being on the inbound side, as we were going into the city. This time we still went from B.U West to East, but tried the other side and passed Marsh Chapel. I thought we we would back the "grounds" or "courtyard", but Donna asked to go inside. The church was left wide open with no one inside, so we went down the aisle to the front pews where we often sit.
It was serenity- a quiet place for her to pray and for me to reflect.
Of course I am interested in New England architecture; in one week we have visited four churches- and (I may have, long ago, unwittingly driven some nails into one by ten pine.)

A side note: Commonwealth Avenue is interesting, but only so interesting; but it was a nice walk on a summer night. Apparently there's a statue of Lief Ericsson, but we walked during the night from Boston University. You needn't know that Harvard and MIT are both nestled on the way home, but we passed a church we often need to pass and I found the photo-below while looking for a public domain shot of Marsh Chapel.
I hope its the last time I blog about or mention in a blog a neat novel I read before moving titled The Memorial Hall Murder, where the dean apparently jumped off the roof of Memorial Hall after the minister that he had murdered was somehow found alive in the ruins of Memorial Hall, which had exploded. The detective is Hamilton Dow and he's bland if not the blandest. So add this photo and if you can piece together mysteries this should be a photo of Memorial Hall, the murder was in room 201 of the church.

Park Street Church, Boston: Donna sang beautifully.

A sermon preached Jan. 10, 1810, at the Dedicat...:

'via Blog this'

The above link will give you an idea of where you are theologically.

Again, we have a policy that whenever we pass a church that is open, I can ask Donna if she wants to go inside and pray. Thursday, we visited the Paul Revere House, and the Old North Church, which is still an active church was open for historical tours, but we did find a beautiful Catholic church near by, diagnally in between the  Paul Revere House and the Old North Church, and we went inside where she could sit in front of the altar. We sometimes attend the Park Street Church and that included this Sunday. Which was nice. The subject was Galatians, which I am less interested for any ancient  "the unexamined life is not worth living", but it seems to be about the books of Paul and Peter. A woman quoted Matthew about if you ask a door will be opened to you.
Brass  tacks: its a rock band is centered on youth ministry during the afternoon service and the minister spoke of things on television and "pop culture", not as though it was unchristian, but really a little isolationist- during it he addressed Heart and Soul love, and I crinkled my wrinkles (crow's feet)  to acknowledge a smile. But then again, they have Christian Science Monitor that can handle most things Protestant, so why bother with "secular" things. So I "like the church". I brought Donna a rose Saturday, and she asked what it was for, and really, I was just in that mood after how well she got us through Thursday and Friday- For Romantic Reasons Only (good name for the title of my novel and screenplay). But then I mentioned the more inner meaning to her, "I brought you a rose, which means we can spend the weekend anyway you would like; anything you want to do." So I brought her to church after having missed a couple weeks.
 I used the word "kindness" before we went inside, and then I said to Donna, "I can use the word 'out of kindness', but if I have to I can amend it to 'love and kindness'", and if for any reason, the word was used as part of the sermon, then he caught my attention.
But Donna did sing beautifully.
The photo I posted is of a book that is two hundred years old; it seems to puts Emerson and quite possibly Universalism into perspective. Please feel invited to read the volume by clicking the link at the top of the page. I've skimmed the sermon and it concerns the omnipresence of God, particularly as they were opening a new church. I believe it is the first sermon delivered at the Park Street Church.

Donna and I in Boston: The Paul Revere House and Old North Church

The Paul Revere House





      Today we went to the Paul Revere House. Last year,one afternoon Donna and I serendipituosly decided to go to King's Chapel. She worships at the Park Street Church occaisionaly. While downtown today we were thinking of going to the" Boston Massacre Museum" on the Freedom Trail near Washington Street- there are two museums there, but when there decided to explore the city and find The Paul Revere House. It is small and quiet, but worth the hour if in the area. The house was built in 1680 and owned by Revere between 1770-1800 and therefore where Revere lived when Washington was in command in Cambridge. This afternoon we found a printing press from the colonial-revolution era tucked away behind the Old North Church. The Old North Church has a pair of wooden angels donated by a pirate.
Ok, most Boston residents don't really think the Freedom Trail is a thrill and are more curious about where the combat zone of 1950 was, which is why the historical buildings are no longer there, but I first  went to the Witch House in Salem around 1972, so I know the Revere House is from before 1692. The Freedom trail does have one or two things that are of interest.
 There is a beautiful church in the North End, it is a cathedral, and as I am agnostic, we went in to allow Donna to pray.
The church is art [the church is art-whether or not man is God or not-God believes in God-life is unabsurd:
sex is a meaning that can be given to love-beauty is only truth when we want to believe in it]. Actually, whether I should have been in there or not, the church is beautiful, there is a painted dome and Catholic statues, but I would have no reason to return unless we were walking through the North End again. I very coyly said, "If you're praying for another person its ok.", meaning that I was sitting right next to her and she is one of the people that I would want only the best for.
The furniture in the Paul Revere house was owned by Revere, and it is self-guided with guides available.

Bostonia: After dinner, Donna and I walked Commonwealth Ave.

During all these years I had never really been to Boston University Central ( was reading George Plimpton before we began dating) , so after dinner Donna and I walked the length of B.U., our going for coffee in the middle. We hadn't planned it. At the College of Communications she said that she liked it and would have liked to have attended.
Please mouse-click (press on the arrow over the photo) for a zoom view.