At 125, Johnston Gate gets a facelift
This December, venerable Johnston Gate — the first, largest, and most elaborate of Harvard Yard’s 26 portals — will turn 125. That’s old enough to merit a springtime facelift. The landscaping project is underway now. The two bedraggled hackberry trees that once framed the gate are gone. A pair of slender juvenile red oaks will take their place. One is in already and the other will be planted on Saturday, along with a thicket of ground cover that every summer will produce lavender blossoms. A string fence will temporarily protect the new ground cover, which includes liriope, a hardy, grasslike plant that flowers in late summer. Removing the trees cost $600, which came from the College’s Lamont Fund, said project coordinator Zachary M. Gingo ’98, the senior director of operations in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office of Physical Resources and Planning. The full cost of the work, estimated at $5,000, is...