The Boston Children's Museum is renovating the iconic Hood Milk Bottle that stands outside its front doors.
The Milk Bottle will undergo a major renovation to its facade and infrastructure, with the support of HP Hood.
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"We are thrilled that the iconic Milk Bottle will be getting a much needed facelift," said Carole Charnow, the museum's president and CEO. "It has been a meeting place and beloved landmark outside Boston Children's Museum for 43 years."
The 40-foot-tall structure was built in 1934 by Arther Gagner of Taunton so he could dispense the homemade ice cream he produced. It was also one of the country's first fast-food drive-in restaurants.
The Milk Bottle stood as a landmark on Route 44 in Taunton until it was abandoned in 1967. It was left in disrepair for years until Hood purchased it, had it refurbished and donated it to the Boston Children's Museum in 1977.
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In the fall of 2006, the original top half of the bottle was sliced off and preserved to its base could be moved slightly and rebuilt on the new Milk Bottle Plaza. A renovated bottle was put back in place and officially re-dedicated by then Mayor Thomas Menino in 2007, 30 years to the day after it was first moved to Children's Wharf.
South Coast Improvement Company is the general contractor for the Milk Bottle renovations. The project is expected to take about four months to complete.
