Boylston Street

The owners of the Darth Vader building at Boylston and Exeter were negotiating with two serious bidders to take over the long shuttered Morton's space when one of the parties, who owns "a nearby existing restaurant," was injured in the Boston Marathon bombings, building attorney Dennis Quilty told the Boston Licensing Board this morning.

On ArchBoston, Billski wonders what happened to the rooftop lion atop the Kensington Building on Boylston Street, which sat where the Darth Vader building now broods over the avenue. The lion's two street-level companions were relocated to the Copley Plaza, but does anybody know what happened to Lion 3? One presumes he is not prowling the rooftops of Boston, since a giant swan remains perched atop the Park Plaza.

More photos of the lion and his mates at street level.

Photo from the BPL Leslie Jones Collection. Used under this Creative Commons license.

BFD response to mystery boom. Photo by Victoria Bedford.

Around 8:50 p.m., Boston firefighters and Transit Police rushed to the area of Arlington and Boylston streets after several people reported hearing a loud explosion. Cara Terez, sitting on the Rattlesnake roof deck, tweeted:

Loud LOUD explosion.

As a precaution, the T shut Green Line service as firefighters looked around on the street and in the station for the source of the boom, but they found nothing, an inbound Green Line driver reported the tunnel between Copley and Arlington was fine and service started up about 10 minutes later.

Brian D'Amico tweets police speculate a tour bus may have had an engine backfire or two.

Boston Restaurant Talk forwards the news from Forum, scene of one of the Marathon bombings.

Around 11 p.m., L. Stephens reported workers were repainting the Marathon finish line - something they normally do right after the race ends.

SupperGuppy was on Boylston Street today when she noticed that while Chicken Man may be enigmatic, he's not unaware of current events.

Michael Ratty snagged one of the bills.

Around 1 p.m. a man in the building above Max Brenner, 745 Boylston St., began tossing $2 bills out the window, Christopher reports.

Money from heaven. Photo by Michael Ratty.

Matthew Ireland snapped the traffic on Boylston Street last night.

Also visiting Copley Square last night: Rhea Becker, who reports on the impromptu memorials that sprung up around the bombing sites:

[G]roups of people quietly huddled around one of the bombing sites; a woman painting an inspirational ‘Boston Strong’ message in a store window; and a large memorial (bouquets of flowers, stuffed animals, hand-drawn posters) that was taken off the street and placed on Copley Square for the public to view.

Copyright Matthew Ireland. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.

Stephanie Giunta captured the crowd outside Marathon Sports at lunchtime, around the time a concert was going on inside the BPL in Copley Square.

To try to lure more people back, Mayor Menino announced this afternoon that meters will be free between Arlington Street and Mass. Ave. and adjacent to the Public Garden now through Sunday.

Roving UHub photographer Bosfiddle was up at 3:30 a.m., in time to watch DPW crews remove barriers blocking Boylston at Hereford. He also spotted a new window on Marathon Sports, scene of the first bomb blast:

The FBI plans to formally turn Boylston Street in Copley Square back to the city in a ceremony at 5 p.m., the mayor's office announces:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation will present Mayor Menino with a commemorative American flag that has flown at half-staff over the Boston Marathon Finish line in a ceremony that will turn Boylston Street back over to the City of Boston.

After that, the city will start a five-step process to return the street to normal:

As this plan commences we will be respectful with all memorials and other personal effects left at the scene. The Boston Police Department will return personal items secured at the scene that have not been retained as evidence by the FBI. The items that are now part of a memorial to victims at the intersection of Boylston and Berkeley Streets will be temporarily relocated to Copley Square Park as will other items from other memorial sites around the area. As we respect the need for people to continue to express their support for the victims and our city we will place large message boards in the vicinity of the area to allow people to record their thoughts and reflections.

Moving stuff out of the medical tent.

Penny Cherubino, who took this photo, reports that just before 11 a.m.:

A caravan of Gentle Giant trucks with some Ryder and Penske rental trucks between them turned down Marlborough Street from Massachusetts Avenue.

By noon, she reports, they were in the area of the medical tent at Dartmouth.

The state has already announced the Copley ramp off the turnpike will reopen at 3 p.m.

Brian D'Amico attended an interfaith service at Boylston and Berkeley this morning.

Copyright Brian D'Amico.

Photo by Cherie L. King.

As the therapy dogs continued to be available to anybody who needed some comforting at Berkeley and Boylston this morning, these two guys offered their own cuddle therapy.

Fred Somers notes that while most of us were enjoying the Sox game or just the day, investigators were still combing Boylston Street for clues.

Neal Gaffey photographed therapy dogs walking through the crowd in the Back Bay this morning. That's Liberty and Independence in the foreground.

Brig Dauber captured the Public Garden tree that plunged to its demise across Boylston Street Friday night.

Don't.

Jed Hresko captured the scene down Boylston yesterday. Mike the Mad Biologist has more photos.

For the last week or so, people who live or work along Boylston Street have reported an annoying sulfur smell - possibly caused by construction of the street's latest big project hitting either sulfur pockets or a hellmouth.

Drew Starr tweets:

The sulfur smells bad, but isn't toxic at those levels. Cost of building in the Fens. Better after digging stops.

That can't come soon enough for folks who work in the Fenway Health building. Andrea Karis reports:

The smell is getting into the buildings. A few people went home sick today, headaches, stomach aches.

Ambulance. Photo by John Keith.

John Keith and Katie Kelly report a Boston ambulance and another vehicle collided around 1:15 p.m., sending the ambulance hurtling into the shrubbery in front of an apartment building. Kennedy reports both vehicles were pretty banged up, but nobody seemed injured.

Perez (l) and LeylandThere once was a man from Pawtucket
With fake hundreds he tried his lucket
But sharp bartender saw
The bills had a bad flaw
Now he's in jail going "fuck it!"

Dana Leyland, 29, of Pawtucket, and Felix Perez, 23, of Providence, were both arraigned today on charges of possessing counterfeit notes and uttering counterfeit currency after an alert bartender at the Charlesmark Hotel noticed the $100 bills they and a still missing accomplice allegedly used to buy two Coronas and a Hennessy were fake - and followed them across the street to Solas at the Lenox Hotel, where they were arrested, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

The Herald reports the BRA last night approved plans for a $305-million, 350-apartment complex on the site of an old McDonald's on Boylston Street.

UPDATE: A law-enforcement source and a fan say the victim in the attack was One Armed Push-Up Guy, well known outside Boylston Street bars and in the Fenway for doing one-armed pushups for a fee, like this:

Boston Police report that around 2 a.m., a guy standing in the middle of Boylston Street outside Whiskey's, 885 Boylston St., yelled "Fuck Boston and fuck your businesses!" and then turned around and punched a nearby man, who fell unconscious into the street:

Witnesses reported a cab traveling inbound on Boylston Street ran over the victim while he was unconscious in the road and dragged him under the vehicle.

The screaming puncher then ran inbound on Boylston and disappeared down Fairfield Street, police say. He's described as 30 to 32, 5'10" and clad in a dark jacket with a fur-lined hood.

The cab driver told police he did not realize he'd hit somebody and stopped only when bystanders started motioning to him. The victim was taken to Mass. General and is expected to survive, police say.

If you know the guy, contact D-4 detectives at 617-343-5619 or the anonymous tip line by calling 800-494-TIPS or texting TIP to CRIME (27463).

Jerry Remy's on Bolyston Street goes before the Boston Licensing Board next week for permission to keep its season-old roof deck open until midnight seven days a week. The restaurant currently has to start ushering guests off the roof by 11 p.m. when it's open.

The board's hearings begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in its eighth-floor hearing room at City Hall.

Jackie Bruno at NECN reports it's so cold that

A guy on Boylston St. tried printing his parking meter sticker but it's blank. Ink is frozen.

It's so cold, J. Tammaro reports from Park Street:

Sob Story Guy has changed his story to he needs a jacket at the goodwill on Harrison ave