MFA, BOSTON, EXPANSION TO REOPEN LONG-SHUT ENTRANCEWAY JUNE 20

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BOSTON (AP) — Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is reopening a long abandoned entranceway as part of a major $345 million expansion.

The entrance faces the Back Bay Fens, part of Boston’s famed series of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and known as the Emerald Necklace.

The grand entrance with its 22 Ionic columns was first opened in 1915 but was shuttered in the 1970s when the nearby parkland grew muddy and overrun with reeds.

Now, as part of the MFA’s expansion, the museum is rebuilding the entrance’s steps and landing. It’s set to officially reopen on June 20, two years ahead of schedule.