Proposed New Lexington Memorial for the Semiquincentennial

L E A R N   A B O U T   L E X I N G T O N

Public viewing will take place on January 25th

I n 2022, Howard Wolk, a former resident, offered to fund the entire cost of a monument in honor of the 250th anniversary of the battle of Lexington. The Select Board’s charge for the Semiquincentennial celebration had alluded to a monument, but a new monument was not expected. Wolk wanted to give substantial seed money towards a memorial “to symbolize his love and appreciation for growing up in town and for what Lexington stands for,” according to Lex250 committee member Bebe Fallick.

The Lex 250 commission agreed that this was something they supported but had no idea how to manage the project. So, it hired the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to visualize, discuss and plan for a public commemorative art piece to be unveiled as part of the 250th celebration. During a community stakeholders meeting, people shared their reflections on how the memorial should reflect Lexington’s revolutionary history and the vision and values that should be included in the Town’s call for artists. A planning committee developed the criteria for the proposed commemorative sculpture to be sited on one of two designated areas on Belfry Hill.

A separate selection committee was formed to review the artists’ submissions. Its members selected four finalists to send in detailed drawings of their proposed work, and held a public viewing at Cary Hall.

The committee selected Miriam Gusevich’s vision of an allegorical garden and sculptural reenactment, stating that it met their criteria. Called “The Path to Liberty,” it was inclusive, timely, universal, and the most engaging. The proposed memorial and its pavilion welcome all to learn, honor our heroes, reflect on liberty and sacrifice, debate and exercise our democracy.

Miriam Gusevich, an urban designer, has a lifelong interest in the stories told by landscapes. The winner of several awards for her art, she describes her art as celebrating sites of joy and bringing light to sites of sorrow. In her artist statement, she said, “I believe art and memory can bring transformation and renewal, knowledge of our shared past, and nurture faith in a common future. These civic actions bind people to places and affirm life and love.”

When the Select Board rejected her design because it spanned both designated areas in Belfry Hill, the project went back to the drawing board. A new working group consisting of Barry Cunha, Bebe Fallick, Matthew Siegel, Kathy Jacobs, Howard, Miriam, and her project manager Larry Borins, formed to respond to the Select Board’s objections.

Miriam worked with Eden Dutcher, the landscape architect for the Battle Green plan, which includes the lower belfry area, and Dave Pinsonneault of DPW to incorporate the design within the landscaping. To address some of concerns, the committee moved the project further back from Massachusetts Avenue, Clarke Street, and the abutting resident and reduced the distance between its elements. The proposed site is a small plaza, which is a gateway leading to the Belfry, a pivot to the larger fan-like landscape that includes the Battle Green, marking the historic path of the British soldiers against the patriots from Cambridge to Lexington, and then to Concord.

Ultimately, the working group determined that Miriam’s memorial conveys a universal timeless message about the meaning of democracy and the courage it took for so few to stand up to so many that April morning. It is meant for people to reflect about what democracy is, what sacrifices were taken to ensure it, and whether liberty can be achieved by other means.

Barry Cunha, says, “the working group feels this monument is an important adjunct to the telling of not only the story of Lexington, but to everyone who supports freedom and democracy. It will add another layer to our story of why Lexington is named the ‘Birthplace of American Liberty.’ The monument provides an invitation, symbolically located between the Minute Man statue and the Belfry, labeled ‘The Path to Liberty.’ It offers a location for people to contemplate and reflect on the significance of not only that moment in time when a small band of Patriots was willing to risk their lives in defense of their freedom and liberties, but resonates to this day and hopefully for all time. Immigrants to this country have prayed on that message to escape from either political, religious, or personal persecution, or just to create the opportunity for their families to live in ‘The land of the free’. The message is timeless, and inclusive for all regardless of gender, age or nationality.” 

PUBLIC VIEWING OF PROPOSED MEMORIAL

On Saturday, January 25, from 2pm – 4pm, a public viewing will take place in the LexArts building, 130 Waltham Street in Lexington.