The silver-colored unicorn atop the Old State House in Boston’s Financial District is getting a cash donation to pay for a facelift.
Mary Moore
Reporter – Boston Business Journal
The Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund has given $20,000 to help pay for the $50,000 cost of restoring the historic unicorn that sits on Boston’s Old State House.
The original unicorn and a gold-leafed lion, which also adorns the Old State House, symbolize British rule and were torn down in 1776 by patriots who had listened to the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony.
In the early 20th century, the Bostonian Society, which manages the Old State House, replaced the originals with a lion and unicorn, which have been regilded and repainted twice. In particularly poor condition, the unicorn will be coated with palladium leaf, which is silver in color and more durable than the aluminum veneer that now coats it.
The donation from the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund comes as the Bostonian Society is trying to raise $3 million – and possibly as much as $10 million – for renovations and new programming at the Old State House, which celebrates its 300th anniversary next year. Refurbishing the unicorn is one of a long list of projects the Bostonian Society plans to undertake once the money is raised, from brickwork to a grand new entrance and modernized exhibits inside the Old State House museum.
Under the terms of the Browne Fund grant, the restoration work must be completed by August 2013, according to a press release from the Bostonian Society.
Non-Profits, Philanthropy, Higher Education
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