Boston Globe, MA
July 5 2007
City suggests several sites for Armenian memorial
By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | July 5, 2007
City officials have identified several sites — including some in
prominent downtown locations — they say would be suitable for the
Armenian Heritage Memorial Park that supporters have been campaigning
to place on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.
Possible sites include property near the old Filene’s building at
Downtown Crossing, a large site near North Station, space in the new
parks along the Charles River built as part of the Big Dig, a
location in Charlestown, and others on the South Boston Waterfront.
Despite opposition from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Mayor’s Central
Artery Completion Task Force, an advisory group, and the Rose
Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy — which is assuming
responsibility for the emerging corridor of parks — supporters of
the Armenian Heritage Foundation’s proposal have persisted in trying
to have the memorial built on the Greenway, near Christopher Columbus
Park.
One location being looked at by city officials is a triangular
property on Franklin Street, sometimes called "shoppers park," near
the Filene’s building, which is being redeveloped.
Another is on Merrimac Street, three-quarters of an acre partly owned
by the state, property that is now being used as a parking lot. The
plot, at the intersection of Staniford Street, would more than
accommodate the park, Boston Redevelopment Authority officials said.
The city also owns a wide sidewalk on two sides of the three-sided
site.
City officials who spoke about potential sites asked not to be
identified because some of the sites are controlled by other parties,
including the state and the Massachusetts Port Authority. The city
has not confirmed the sites are available. They said they are trying
to help end the standoff.
Other locations being eyed by the city include spaces on the 40 acres
of new parkland on the Boston and Cambridge sides of the Charles
River, Pier 3 in Charlestown, and land near the entrance to the
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, on Summer Street.
Officials of the Armenian group declined to offer opinions on
possible alternative sites. "We continue to focus our efforts for
Armenian Heritage Park on Parcel 13," said James Kalustian, president
of the Armenian Heritage Foundation, referring to a Greenway block.
About a year ago, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority designated the
Armenian foundation as developer of the block near Christopher
Columbus Park. Its proposal is for a memorial to the 1915 Armenian
Genocide, in which an estimated 1.5 million people died.
The design, with a large labyrinth in the pavement, benches, a water
jet, and a large sculpture that would change shapes annually, is by
Tellalian Associates Architects & Planners LLC of Boston, and has
been widely praised for its aesthetics.
The authority effectively controls development on the Greenway, which
was created after the elevated Central Artery through downtown Boston
was demolished and the highway put in tunnels.
But during 15 years of public meetings to develop plans for the
Greenway, while the Big Dig project was underway, there was a
consensus it should not be a place for memorials.
In 2000, the Legislature asked the Turnpike Authority to search for a
location for an Armenian memorial in Boston. Since then, the
authority has backed a Greenway site, because the Armenian foundation
would fund the estimated $4 million construction cost, as well as pay
for maintenance and an annual lecture series.
Features of the proposed park, which has been fully designed, include
the names of the 12 former Armenian provinces and the names of
prominent Armenian-Americans, its supporters have said.
Menino and other public officials worry a memorial park would set a
precedent for other groups that might also seek space on the
Greenway. The Greenway conservancy has called for a moratorium of at
least five years on all proposals for memorials.
From: Baghdasarian