When tourists are asked what comes to mind when they think of Boston, attractions like the Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, Old Ironsides, and the Old North Church often top the list. But as a native Bostonian, my landmark of choice holds a bit less historical gravitas. Every day, as I walk the Sugar Bowl of Southie, I spy its rounded outline across the Harbor. My one and only.
The Boston Gas Tank.
As in “the traffic is backed up all the way to the Tank,” WBZ’s all too familiar radio call to legions of frustrated motorists on I-93.
The hulking Dorchester monolith has been keeping an eye on the Southeast Expressway for decades now. But it went from a random utility company’s storage unit to “the Tank” in 1971. That was the year Eli Goldston, president of the then Boston Gas Company, commissioned a middle-aged ex-nun to create a piece of art for his facility. Her multi-colored paint stripes instantly struck a cultural nerve. The “Rainbow Swash” was born.
At just eighteen years old, Frances Elizabeth Kent joined the Order of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1936. Upon entering the convent, she took the name Sister Mary Corita. It wasn’t long before everyone referred to her simply as Corita, the name she would eventually make famous.
Her new community was known both for its progressive views and for an appreciation of the arts. This made for a perfect fit for the young nun…
