From left: Melissa Weiner Janfaza, Betsy Nabel, J. Linzee Coolidge and Brandon Earp pose with the BWH time capsule following the ceremony.

In November 2012, BWH embarked on a multi-year celebration to honor the hospital’s rich history and look ahead to its exciting future. BWH marked the 180th anniversary of the Boston Lying-In in 2012 and continued with the centennials of the Peter Bent Brigham and Robert Breck Brigham Hospitals in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The celebration included milestones, such as Research Day and Time Capsule Tuesday, and many more gatherings and events.

On Sept. 29, the BWH community came together in Bornstein Amphitheater to mark the official closing of the BluePrint celebration and get a sneak peek at some of the contents of the BWH time capsule, a tradition begun by BWH’s predecessors at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in 1963.

“BluePrint has really been about celebrating our institution’s DNA, which has carried us through the decades so well and will continue to guide us into the future,” said BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD. “It has been an amazing set of celebrations. From small gatherings to multi-disciplinary festivities, our Brigham community has come together in a truly remarkable way.”

Before sealing the time capsule to be opened in 2063, BWH archivist Catherine Pate talked about some of the items it contains, including a BWH flag, a knee implant and description of its relevance, and “organs on a chip,” from the lab of Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, BWH Biomedical Engineering.

During the closing ceremony, J. Linzee Coolidge, the former trustee of Peter Bent Brigham Hospital who was entrusted with safely escorting the 1963 time capsule through the years, passed the responsibility on to today’s two youngest trustees, Brandon Earp, MD, chief of Orthopedics at BWFH, and Melissa Weiner Janfaza.

Following the ceremony, BWHers were invited to attend a Fall Festival in the new Thea and James M. Stoneman Centennial Park at 15 Francis St.

BWHers enjoy the first Fall Festival in Stoneman Centennial Park.

Fall Festival Delights Senses

The smell of sweet apple cider, freshly popped popcorn and caramel candy apples wafted throughout the air as BWHers came together to enjoy BWH’s Fall Festival and spend time in the Stoneman Centennial Park.

Waiting in line for a seasonal treat outside on the lawn, patient liaison Dina Mattaliano looked around the park and said how wonderful it felt to spend time in a new space that is so open and inviting.

While listening to the tunes from the live band Easy Street, Thoracic Surgery staffers Elizabeth Reed, Mauricio Perez Martinez and Katlin Peoples said they can’t wait to spend more time in the park, which they call their “backyard” since it is close to where their offices are located.

“This is a really phenomenal day,” said Reed. “It’s so great to see so many people out here enjoying themselves.”

Martinez said he wished that a fall festival-type event could take place every week at BWH: “I’m enjoying this wonderful sense of community out here today.”

Jeffrey Medoff, research assistant, BWH Department of Medicine, enjoyed the refreshing feeling of stepping onto the green grass in the park for the first time. He said the festival was a nice opportunity to mingle with other BWHers and added how great it was to see BWH taking care of its staff in this way.

View a photo gallery of the events.