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Boston Children's Museum is a children's museum in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- m ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, dedicated to the education of children. Located on Children's Wharf along the
Fort Point Channel Fort Point Channel is a maritime channel separating South Boston from downtown Boston, Massachusetts, feeding into Boston Harbor. The south part of it has been gradually filled in for use by the South Bay rail yard and several highways (spe ...
, Boston Children's Museum is the second oldest children's museum in the United States. It contains many activities meant to both amuse and educate young children.Campbell, Karen. "Empowering Kids." ''Our Town Brookline''. March 2007: 6-9.Palmer, Thomas C. Jr
"Dodger Owner Donates a Park to his Hometown."
''Boston Globe''. March 13, 2006. Accessed on May 2, 2008.


History


Early years

The idea for a children's museum in Boston developed in 1909 when several local science teachers founded the Science Teacher's Bureau. One of the Bureau's main goals was to create a museum:
it is planned to inaugurate at the same place, a Museum, local in its nature and to contain besides the natural objects, books, pictures, charts,
lantern slides The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lens (optics), lenses, and a light source. ...
, etc., whatever else is helpful in the science work of the Grammar, High and Normal Schools. The specimens are to be attractively arranged and classified and the room open daily to children or anyone interested in such work.
The Women's Education Association also helped the Science Teacher's Bureau with the planning for the children's museum in Boston. After four years of planning, The Children's Museum officially opened on August 1, 1913, at the
Pinebank Mansion Pinebank Mansion was a Queen Anne style house sited on a hill overlooking Jamaica Pond in Boston, Massachusetts. Built in 1868 by John Hubbard Sturgis, it was the only mansion retained by Frederick Law Olmsted in his plans for the Emerald Neckla ...
located along
Jamaica Pond Jamaica Pond is a kettle lake, part of the Emerald Necklace of parks in Boston designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The pond and park are in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, close to the border of Brookline. It is the source of the ...
in
Olmsted Park Olmsted Park is a linear park in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts, and a part of Boston's Emerald Necklace of connected parks and parkways. Originally named Leverett Park, in 1900 it was renamed to honor its designer, Frederick Law Olmsted. O ...
in Boston's
Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The comm ...
neighborhood."Pinebank, a Former Homestead in Jamaica Plain."
''Jamaica Plain Historical Society''. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
It is the second oldest children's museum in the United States. The first museum contained two cases: one devoted to birds and the other to minerals and shells. The exhibits were kept at children's eye level, used simple language, and complemented the lessons taught in school. George Hunt Barton served as the museum's first president. Delia Isabel Griffin was appointed the first curator of the museum. During the early years of the museum, leaders created branch museums throughout Boston so that children in other parts of the city could experience the museum as well. The first branch museums were located in schools, including the Quincy School on Tyler Street, the
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
School, the
Samuel Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, ...
School in
East Boston East Boston, nicknamed Eastie, is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts annexed by the city of Boston in 1637. Neighboring communities include Winthrop, Revere, and Chelsea. It is separated from the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown and d ...
, and the Norcross School in
South Boston South Boston is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. South Boston, colloquially known as Southie, has undergone several demographic transforma ...
. These museums usually consisted of a single room that contained a case of some specimens. In 1919, the Children's Museum opened a much larger branch museum in the Barnard Memorial Building on Warrenton Street. Known as the Barnard Memorial Branch Museum, it contained a number of different exhibits throughout the building. The Barnard branch closed in 1926. In 1935, the museum's lease on the Pinebank Mansion expired, and leaders decided that they needed a bigger space for the museum. They learned that a property was available a few blocks away on 60 Burroughs Street on the Jamaica Way and purchased the building from the Mitton family. The Children's Museum opened at its new location on November 18, 1936. Michael Spock, son of Dr. Benjamin Spock, served as the director of the museum from 1962-1985. Under Spock's leadership, Boston Children's Museum introduced the idea of "hands-on learning" to the museum field, and the first interactive exhibit in the museum, "What's Inside," was created during his term. In 1972 the museum was accredited by the
American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the " United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, ...
.Caulton, Tim. ''Hands-On Exhibitions: Managing Interactive Museums and Science Centres''. New York: Routledge, 1998. 5."Spock's Museum."
''Time''. November 8, 1968. Accessed on March 26, 2008.

''Boston Children's Museum''. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
The Computer Center at the Children's museum had a working, modified
UNIX Unix (; trademarked as UNIX) is a family of multitasking, multiuser computer operating systems that derive from the original AT&T Unix, whose development started in 1969 at the Bell Labs research center by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, an ...
system running on a
PDP-11/40 The PDP-11 is a series of 16-bit minicomputers sold by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from 1970 into the 1990s, one of a set of products in the Programmed Data Processor (PDP) series. In total, around 600,000 PDP-11s of all models were sold ...
with "kidproofed" hardware and software in August 1974.


Move to Fort Point Channel

In 1979 Boston Children's Museum moved into half of an empty wool warehouse on the Fort Point Channel in order to gain more space and become more accessible to people in Boston. (From 1984 through 2000, the other half of the building was occupied by The Computer Museum.) The following year, Boston's
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese sister city
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...
donated a Japanese silk merchant's house to the museum. The house, known as ''Kyo-no-Machiya'', is still one of the landmark exhibits at Boston Children's Museum.Stuphen, Melissa
"Children's Exhibits Stress Participation."
''The New York Times''. October 8, 1981. Accessed on April 23, 2008.

''Consulate-General of Japan in Boston''. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
In 1986, Kenneth Brecher became the director of the museum. During his term, Kids Bridge, a groundbreaking exhibit on cultural diversity and racism, opened at the museum. The exhibit later moved to the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Found ...
before embarking on a 3-year tour around the United States.Lawson, Carol
"Exhibition for Children about Racism."
''The New York Times''. October 22, 1992. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
Lou Casagrande served as the museum's president and CEO from 1994 to 2009."Museum Director: Not Child's Play."
''The Boston Globe''. June 7, 2009. Accessed on October 23, 2009.
The museum opened several important exhibits during Casagrande's term including Five Friends from Japan, access/Ability, and Boston Black: A City Connects.Boxer, Sara

''The New York Times''. July 22, 2004. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
In 2004, The Children's Museum of Boston officially became Boston Children's Museum. In April 2006, the museum broke ground on a $47-million expansion and renovation project designed by
Cambridge Seven Associates Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. (stylized as CambridgeSeven, and sometimes as C7A) is an American architecture firm based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Buildings designed by the firm have included academic, museum, exhibit, hospitality, transpo ...
and closed for four months at the beginning of 2007 to complete the project. The project added a 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2), glass-walled enclosure to the front of the museum, a new theater, new exhibits, and a newly landscaped park. The museum also focused on making its renovation "green" and is the first green museum in Boston. It reopened on April 14, 2007.Kooker, Naomi R
"Children's Museum Thinks Green During Renovations."
''Boston Business Journal''. March 23, 2007. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
Edgers, Geoff
"Going with the Flow."
''The Boston Globe''. March 31, 2007. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
Feinburg, Jody. "Fun in Motion: Expanded, Renovated Children's Museum is Better than Ever." ''(Quincy) Patriot Ledger''. April 15, 2007: F1-F2. In early 2008 Boston Children's Museum received
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, constructio ...
Gold certification from the
U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), co-founded by Mike Italiano, David Gottfried and Rick Fedrizzi in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and op ...
."Boston Children's Museum Receives LEED Gold Certification."
''Boston Children's Museum''. May 16, 2008. Accessed on June 24, 2008.
"The American Institute of Architects and Mayor Menino Select 'Boston's Greenest'."
''Boston/SF''. May 20, 2008. Accessed on June 24, 2008.
In 2013, Boston Children's Museum was one of ten recipients of the
National Medal for Museum and Library Service The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as "t ...
. The nation's highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community, the National Medal celebrates institutions that make a difference for individuals, families, and communities. Carole Charnow is the Museum's president and chief executive officer.


Permanent exhibits

* Arthur & Friends: The exhibit features the characters from Marc Brown's books and the television series. Children can learn and play in the Read Family Kitchen, Mr. Ratburn's Classroom, and the Backyard Sleepover.Rimer, Sarah
"An Aardvark Gets to the Top (Literally) at a Museum."
''The New York Times''. August 4, 1998. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
* Art Studio: The Art Studio is a place where children and families can create art together."Exploring, Learning, and Playing, Oh My!"
''Boston.com''. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
* Boston Black ... A City Connects: This exhibit explores Boston's Black community and its history and diversity. Children can decorate and ride on a Carnival float, shop at a Dominican store, learn about hairstyles at Joe's Barber Shop and African Queen Beauty Salon, and dance to Cape Verdean beats. * The Common: The Common is a central area where visitors can experience light shows, musical chairs, a gigantic checkers game, and many other activities. The Common is also used for gatherings. * Construction Zone: Inspired by the Big Dig, the Construction Zone gives visitors a chance to ride a Bobcat, play with trucks, and use jackhammers. * Countdown to Kindergarten!: This model classroom welcomes kids to take part in a typical Kindergarten experience while adults can ask staff "teachers" questions they may have about Kindergarten. * Explore•a•Saurus: The exhibit invites children and families to assume the role of scientist and explore the evidence, the science, and the features that make dinosaurs so compelling. * Japanese House: The
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese House is a real two-story
townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residenc ...
from
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the cit ...
, Japan, Boston's Japanese sister city. Visitors can learn about Japanese family life, culture, art, architecture, and seasonal events at the exhibit.Benzel, Jan
"Boston."
''The New York Times''. June 29, 1997. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
* Johnny's Workbench: Visitors are able to work with hand tools and natural materials at this exhibit. The exhibit was recently updated, and now visitors are able to create a small woodworking project to take home."Boston Children's Museum."
''Boston.com''. Accessed on May 4, 2008.
* KEVA Planks: KEVA Planks introduce children to problem solving and abstract thinking, and foundational concepts of mathematics, physics, and design. * Kid Power: This exhibit teaches visitors how to live healthier lives by eating right and exercising. * KidStage: At KidStage, visitors can watch and often participate in performances on the kid-sized stage. The exhibit introduces children to the performing arts—music, singing, dance, and comedy.Hall, Barbara

''The New York Times''. July 22, 1998. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
* New Balance Foundation Climb: The New Balance Foundation Climb is a three-story climbing structure located in the front of the museum. It was designed by Tom Luckey.Jermanok, Stephen
"Ready. Set. Climb."
''The Boston Globe Magazine''. March 18, 2007. Accessed on March 26, 2008.
* Peep's World: Peep's World recreates the world from the WGBH series ''
Peep and the Big Wide World ''Peep and the Big Wide World'' (''PATBWW'') is an animated children's television series created by Danish-Canadian animator Kaj Pindal. It revolves around the lives of Peep, Chirp, and Quack, as viewers discover, investigate, and explore the ...
'' and teaches young children science skills.Wulff, June
"World of Wonder."
''The Boston Globe''. July 28, 2009. Accessed on August 7, 2009.
* PlaySpace: PlaySpace is for the museum's youngest visitors—children between the ages of 0–3 years. Children can explore a tree house climber, a toy train set, and a "messy activities" area. The exhibit also includes an crawlers-only area with soft mats and other objects to lie and climb on.Caplan, Jeremy

''Time''. April 26, 2004. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
Boitano, Susanne
"Got a Baby? Get a Life."
''The Boston Globe''. April 22, 2004. Accessed on May 2, 2008.
* Science Playground: Visitors can learn about the natural world in "Investigate," discover the laws of motion in "Raceways," or play with bubbles in "Bubbles."
''Boston Children's Museum''. Accessed on March 20, 2008.


Collections

Boston Children's Museum has an extensive collection of objects from around the world. Most of the objects were donated to the museum. The Museum currently has more than 50,000 objects, but most are kept in storage away from visitor areas. Visitors can see some of the objects in the Native American Study Storage area and the Japanese Study Storage area on the third floor of the Museum and in window displays throughout the Museum. The Museum also lends objects to schools through its Educational Kits Program.
''Boston Children's Museum''. Accessed on March 20, 2008.


Influence

Boston Children's Museum has inspired both the Museo Pambata in
Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...
,
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
, and Le Musée des Enfants in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the ...
."History."
''MuseoPambata.org''. Accessed on March 27, 2008.

''The Children's Museum''. Accessed on March 27, 2008.


Building

The Museum is housed in a renovated industrial building. A large glass elevator provides access to the upper floors of the Museum. The elevator was once located outside the museum but is now inside due to the Museum's 2006-2007 expansion and renovation. The ground floor houses the Museum's admissions area and a gift shop. Outside, a large deck overlooks the Fort Point Channel and
Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...
and hosts the landmark Hood Milk Bottle."Interactive Graphic: Children's Museum."
''The Boston Globe''. Accessed on May 6, 2008.


Hood Milk Bottle

The Hood Milk Bottle is located on the Hood Milk Bottle Plaza in front of Boston Children's Museum. It has been located on this spot since April 20, 1977, when Hood shipped the bottle by ferry to Boston on a voyage it called the "Great Bottle Sail." The structure is 40 feet (12 m) tall, 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter and weighs 15,000 pounds. If it were a real
milk bottle Glass milk bottles are glass bottles used for milk and they are generally reusable and returnable. Milk bottles are used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen as retail store sale is available in some regions (with bottle d ...
, it would hold 58,620 gallons (221,900 L) of
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modul ...
."The Hood Milk Bottle Through the Years"
''Boston.com''. Accessed on May 13, 2008.

. ''Boston Children's Museum''. April 20, 2007. Accessed on May 13, 2008.
The bottle underwent extensive renovations. In fall 2006, the bottle was "uncapped"—its original top half was sliced off and preserved—so that its base could be moved slightly and rebuilt on the new Hood Milk Bottle Plaza. A renovated bottle was put back in place and officially re-dedicated by Boston Mayor
Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...
on April 20, 2007, thirty years to the day after it was moved to Children's Wharf."Friday is HOOD Milk Bottle Day in Boston"
''Bay State Parent''. April 19, 2007. Accessed on May 13, 2008.
The Hood Milk Bottle was originally located on the banks of the Three Mile River on Winthrop Street (Route 44) in
Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...
. Arthur Gagner built the structure in 1933 to sell homemade
ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as s ...
next to his store. It was one of the first
fast-food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
drive-in A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...
restaurants in the United States and was built using the "
Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to th ...
" style of architecture. Gagner sold the bottle to the Sankey family in 1943. It was abandoned in 1967. The bottle stood vacant for ten years until H.P. Hood and Sons, Inc. was persuaded to buy it and give it to Boston Children's Museum in 1977. Movies are sometimes projected onto the side of the structure for museum events.


See also

* Benewah Milk Bottle * Children's Wharf * Guaranteed Pure Milk bottle *
Milk Bottle Grocery The Milk Bottle Grocery, located at 2426 N. Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a grocery building with a large metal Braum's Braum's is an American chain of ice cream parlor and fast food restaurants. Based in Oklahoma City, Ok ...
* List of museums in Massachusetts


Notes


References

* Sayles, Adelaide B. ''The Story of The Children's Museum of Boston: From Its Beginnings to November 18, 1936.'' Boston: Geo. H. Ellis Co., 1937. * http://www.brooklynrail.org/2006-06/artseen/james-castle-and-walker-evans * Boston.com. June 2, 2010. "Director at Opera Boston moves to Children's Museum" * http://www.boston.com/yourtown/newton/articles/2010/06/02/director_at_opera_boston_moves_to_childrens_museum/


External links

*
Pinebank
First home of Boston Children's Museum {{Coord, 42, 21, 5.84, N, 71, 2, 59.15, W, region:US-MA_type:landmark, display=t Association of Science-Technology Centers member institutions Buildings and structures completed in 1933 Children's museums in Massachusetts Museums established in 1913 Museums in Boston Novelty buildings in Massachusetts Seaport District 1913 establishments in Massachusetts Milk in culture