Mayor Walsh Announces Recipients of Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund Grants

BOSTON - Thursday, October 6, 2016 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the recipients of the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund Grants. Pending the approval of the Boston City Council, a total of $856,257 will be distributed among eight projects, designed to enhance and improve public spaces through restoration and public art.

"Edward Ingersoll Browne left an invaluable legacy to the City of Boston, creating a fund that ensures our public spaces remain places of inspiration," said Mayor Walsh. "The grants announced today will help to enhance local neighborhoods, schools and communities, ensuring art remains accessible to all."  

The approved proposals are as follows:

• The Friends of Doherty Park will receive $69,500 for the restoration of the Doherty Park Fountain in Charlestown.  
• The Mather Parent Council and Boston Public Schools will receive $140,000 for the Communing at Mather School Site Improvement. The grant will cover the construction of a welcoming new gateway to the Mather School in Dorchester, with a granite seating and planting of heirloom apple trees.
• Historic Boston Incorporated will receive $150,000 for the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm restoration. Efforts will include landscape enhancement and historic preservation at the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm in Mattapan.
• The Old North Foundation of Boston will receive a grant of $46,350 for the Old North Church and Foundation / Longfellow Gardens. The grant will cover the design development of a display of the iconic Longfellow poem combined with a water feature in the North End.
• The Manning School Outdoor Exploration Committee will receive a grant of $117,407 for the Joseph P. Manning Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. The grant will cover improvements to the schoolyard, including the creation of a front porch and entry plaza plus a sculpture. The new entrance to the school will serve as a gathering place for students and parts.
• The Washington Gateway Main Street Association will receive a grant of $28,500 for Ride Along Washington, a proposal to design, build and install eight bike racks along Washington Street in Roxbury.
• The Friends of Frederick Douglass received a grant of $250,000 for the construction of a memorial to Frederick Douglass. The project will be sited at 998 Tremont Street in Roxbury.
• Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial Association will receive a grant for $54,500 for the installation of an irrigation system and landscaping improvements

In 1892, Edward Ingersoll Browne, a successful Boston attorney with a strong sense of civic pride and public spirit, wrote his will directing that one-third of his estate be set aside in a special fund for the improvement of Boston's public spaces. Grants from Mr. Browne's bequest are utilized for the design, fabrication and installation of permanent works of public art in Boston.