Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff

What: Boston Athenaeum
Where: 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston
Owner: Boston Athenaeum
Built: 1849

The Boston Athenaeum’s current exhibition features artwork of some of the city’s iconic buildings — and one that never got built.

“Frank M. Costantino: Visionary Projects” includes graphic process sketches, watercolors and pencil renderings by the Winthrop architectural illustrator. After his recent retirement, Costantino donated more than 200 drawings to the Athanaeum.

Costantino worked closely with architects Kallman McKinnel & Wood on illustrations of the Hynes Convention Center, one of the properties featured in the Beacon Hill independent library’s current exhibition. Others include the Old State House renovation, 125 High St., 222 Berkeley St. and Copley Place.

One project, an office tower at 90 Tremont St., was never completed but returns to light in the form of Costantino’s pencil sketches. Today, the Kimpton Nine Zero Hotel occupies the address.

They Said It:

“Frank is one of the last illustrators to do this work by hand, with most of the field now opting to digitally render designs. `Visionary Projects’ displays his mastery of this art, celebrating Frank’s unparalleled skill and highlighting the Athenaeum’s dedication to Boston’s artists and architects.”
— Lauren Graves, assistant curator, Boston Athenaeum

The exhibit includes renderings and process sketches illustrator Frank Costantino produced while working with architects on a number of high-profile Boston buildings. Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff