Sweet Auburn: The Magazine of The Friends 2020 Vol 2 | Page 28

people & happenings

GRANT NEWS :

State Award for Tower Preservation Assessment

By Anna Moir Grants & Communications Manager
hile Washington Tower has been closed during the

W COVID-19 pandemic , an architectural team has been busy at work helping us plan for its future .

The Friends of Mount Auburn received a $ 15,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund ( MCFF ) for a preservation assessment of this beloved icon , along with matching funds from a generous group of donors . This assessment is the first step toward improvements that will need to happen in the near future to ensure that we can keep it open to the public for many years to come .
A team from the award-winning architectural firm McGinley Kalsow & Associates has spent the summer and fall of 2020 working on a detailed analysis on how best to preserve the Tower . Their findings will help us plan for a full restoration .
This is the start of a multi-year process to preserve one of Mount Auburn ’ s favorite spots , so stay tuned for more details !
Thank you to all of the generous supporters who have helped make this assessment possible .
Grants :
Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund
The Landy Family Foundation
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Individuals Dennis Capps John Nogueira Simon Penni Angela Tramontano
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Built in 1854 , the 62-foot-tall Tower sits at the highest point of the Cemetery and offers some of the best views of Boston and Cambridge around .