Thought some of you would be interested. Begin forwarded message: > From: [log in to unmask] > Date: March 6, 2009 9:15:20 AM EST > To: [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask], [log in to unmask] > Subject: SJC says museum expansion won't violate will (Isabella > Stewart Gardner Museum) > > > Good Morning all, > Lisa > > ----- Forwarded by Lisa White/CA01/01/USCOURTS on 03/06/2009 09:13 > AM ----- > > Dear Judges, Here's the link to the museum: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/ > > Lisa White - US Courts Library > --------------------------------------------------------- > SJC says museum expansion won't violate will > By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | March 6, 2009 > > The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that the > expansion plans of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum do not > violate restrictions created by the museum's founder in her will. > > The decision gives the museum permission to remove a carriage house > on its Fenway site; create a new entrance, a new building for > offices, a gift shop, a cafe, and visitor center, and build a glass > walkway between the buildings. > > The decision follows reviews by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, > the Boston Landmarks Commission, and the Massachusetts Historical > Commission, all of which supported the Gardner. The high court's > ruling did not please one community group, the Friends of Mission > Hill, which has opposed the plans to knock down the carriage house. > > Alison Pultinas, a member of the group, said she is now concerned > that the economy will stall the project after the carriage house > gets knocked down. > > "We are just apprehensive that we might end up with a hole in the > ground," Pultinas said. > > It's been more than four years since director Anne Hawley announced > that the museum, which opened in 1903, would undergo its first major > expansion. The Gardner has hired Italian architect Renzo Piano to > create a multistory building on the museum's Fenway site that would > be connected to the ornate building that Gardner, a Boston > socialite, designed, modeling it after a Venetian palace. > > At the time, Hawley estimated the project would cost at least $60 > million and would be finished by 2010. Since then, officials of the > museum have backed off providing details on the potential cost and > timeline. > > "We do not intend to break ground or move forward with the project > until we are confident we've met our fund-raising goals," said > museum spokeswoman Katherine Armstrong. > > > Lois Brynes, Principal DeepTime Associates P.O. Box 58 Rockport, MA 01966 USA [log in to unmask] land 978 546-8574 air 978 290-3029 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).