Worcester Firefighters Memorial Design Competition

[Neil_H_Donahue]

Worcester Design Competition Opened


The Worcester Firefighters Memorial


WORCESTER, Mass. -- A national competition to select a memorial design to honor the six Worcester firefighters who died in a warehouse fire here in December 1999 begins this month, officially launching plans to create a primary memorial in a memorial park.

The design competition is the first public step toward construction of the memorial and the memorial park next to Worcester Fire Department headquarters off Grove Street on scenic Salisbury Pond across from Institute Park.

The competition is expected to attract designs from artists, architects, environmental designers, landscape architects and urban designers.

Those entering will compete in two stages for a first prize of $30,000 and the opportunity to continue to develop the memorial. The first stage is open to any person, team or company registering by April 22. A jury of 11 people -- including design professionals, firefighters, public officials, celebrity philanthropists and arts advocates -- will choose the winning design.



The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Committee began working in late 2001 to establish a memorial to honor Firefighters Paul A Brotherton, Timothy P. Jackson, Jeremiah M. Lucey, James F. Lyons III, Joseph T. McGuirk and Lt. Thomas E. Spencer. The nation joined in mourning their deaths. About 30,000 firefighters and 10,000 civilians attended their memorial service. It was believed to have been the largest memorial service for firefighters killed in the line of duty. Firefighters from across the country and from other countries joined scores of prominent officials, including President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

Our committee hopes to see the best designs coming from a range of talented designers from around the country who will compete as a way to pay tribute to these six firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice,Michael J. Donoghue, chairman of the Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Committee, said. We have approached this project from day one with the theme A Time to Honor Our Own. We know of no better way to do so than with a competition that delivers the highest and best design for this memorial. Our fallen heroes deserve no less.

Kenneth W. Paolini, executive director of Design Competitions International of Boston and senior adviser to the memorial committee, said the scope and special nature of the firefighters memorial should draw substantial interest from established design professionals and from young designers throughout the United States and possibly abroad.

This project is earmarked by the strongest community pride, respect and commitment to succeed in constructing an outstanding memorial for these six firefighters who gave their lives in the line of duty and service, Paolini said. The design community can help achieve that goal by offering their talent and best ideas to the competition challenge.

The primary memorial and the memorial park are estimated to cost $3 million to $5 million. Fund-raising efforts, expected to be announced formally in the spring, will include raising money to build the memorial and memorial park and to endow its future maintenance costs.

The memorial committee has adopted guidelines for the memorial and memorial park that include the design of a primary memorial; a bridge connecting the memorial site to Institute Park across Salisbury Pond; a timeline chronology of the tragic fire and its aftermath; and tributes to others, including those who fought the fire, and to other Worcester firefighters who might perish in the line of duty after Dec. 3, 1999, or who died before Dec. 3, 1999.

The design competition is being announced and advertised in professional design magazines, journals and newspapers. A total of 10,000 invitations to compete have been sent to design schools, designers and design companies around the country. Those entering the competition have until April 22 to register. Registrants must send a $75 nonrefundable check made payable to WFFM Design Competition to Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Inc., 34 Glennie St., Worcester, MA 01605.

The public will have opportunities to see the designs and comment on them at various stages of the competition.

The competition jury will select the winners of the second stage, including the first-place winner, $30,000; second place, $8,000; third place, $5,000; and fourth and fifth place, $1,000 each plus commendations for design excellence. Only the first-place winner will have the opportunity to continue to develop the project.

An announcement about members of the design jury is expected to be made soon.

Link below for more info.
http://www.fallen-heroes.org/Competition/

[Neil_H_Donahue]

Friday, July 9, 2004

Shaping a fallen heroes memory

5 finalists for design of firefighter memorial to be chosen Monday

Richard Nangle
T&G STAFF
rnangle@telegram.com

WORCESTER- Lights shining into the night sky; variations on the number six in columns, bronze ladders or lifelike oversized sculptures; a meditative walking path or maze; even a bridge that spans a portion of Salisbury Pond.

The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial could incorporate any or all or none of these on its 7-acre site. The memorial committee will announce five finalists Monday out of 160 entries.

Many of the people who viewed the entries yesterday at WPI's Alden Hall used words such as overwhelming and awe-inspiring to describe the proposals and said the jurors have a daunting task.

"I can't believe it. I can't imagine picking," said Frank P. Raffa, president of the local firefighters union.

The entries featured timelines of the events leading to the deaths of six firefighters at the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. on Dec. 3, 1999. One proposal featured a fountain representing a firefighter's hose and water. Others suggested archways, and one focused on a tower with six windows at the top but no entrance.

Still another entry included an obelisk to display a history of the park along with the tribute to the dead firefighters. Many incorporated the duality of the firefighter as individual and as member of a tightly knit group.





One entry featured 15-foot-high lifelike sculptures of Firefighters Paul A. Brotherton, Jeremiah M. Lucey and Joseph T. McGuirk, and Lts. Timothy P. Jackson, James F. "Jay" Lyons III and Thomas E. Spencer.

"It's going to be very difficult to choose just one," said Lt. Jackson's wife, Mary. "I want it to be a place of quiet reflection and never to be forgotten."

"I'm glad I'm not a juror," she added.

Robert McCarthy, a juror who is president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts, said he was surprised at the sheer volume of entries.

"They reached out to the whole architectural world for this competition," he said.

Indeed, entries were received from across the country. The memorial committee advertised in local newspapers and architectural trade journals.

Juror Wellington Reiter, dean of the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Arizona State University, said he was pleasantly surprised by the volume of entries and the quality.

"It's good to see a roomful of them," he said. "Twenty percent of them are going to be within the realm of possibility and worthy of serious consideration."

Mr. Reiter, who lived in Boston for 20 years, designed the Wright Brothers memorial in North Carolina.

He said he favors designs both specific and abstract. But he acknowledged that other judges, particularly those closer to the events and the firefighters who died, might have other criteria in mind.

As an example, Mr. Reiter said the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C., is an outstanding work both for the design and the inclusion of the names of every American killed in the Vietnam War.

On Monday the memorial committee will announce the five finalists, and in September a winner will be chosen.

The memorial will be built at Salisbury Pond across from Institute Park at a cost of up to $5 million. In addition, Institute Park will be undergoing a facelift to complement the memorial.

An 11-member jury studied the proposals yesterday and will continue its deliberations today.

The design includes the memorial itself and the park that surrounds it. A nearby football field will be left intact and refurbished. The site is adjacent to the Worcester Fire Department headquarters off Grove Street.

The winning designer will earn a $30,000 prize and the opportunity to continue to develop the project. The second-place finisher will receive $8,000; third place, $5,000; and fourth and fifth place, $1,000 each.

Perhaps the best-known member of the jury, Worcester-bred comedian Denis Leary, was unable to attend the judging. Mr. Leary is president of the Leary Firefighters Foundation, which has sponsored annual celebrity charity hockey games featuring National Hockey League stars since the 1999 fire.

Michael J. Donoghue, president of the memorial committee, said the quality of the entries indicates that the participating architects were well-read on their subject.

"Everyone who has come in and seen this says one thing," he said. "It's world-class."

State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, noted there are always people who don't like the final design of a memorial. Many people, he recalled, criticized the Vietnam Memorial shortly after the finalist was chosen.

"And somebody won't like this one, whatever it is," he said. "But I think it will stand the test of time."

Richard Nangle can be reached by e-mail at rnangle@telegram.com.