Progress
The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Committee began working in late 2001 on development of the memorial to honor Fire Fighters Paul Brotherton, Timothy Jackson, Jeremiah Lucey, James “Jay” Lyons, Joseph McGuirk, and Lt. Thomas Spencer. The committee was formed to select the site of the memorial; to establish a process for community participation and awareness in the design and development of the memorial; and to raise money for the memorial’s construction and maintenance.
Since its formation, the committee:
- Chose in October 2002 an almost seven-acre site off Grove Street next to Worcester Fire Department headquarters and Salisbury Pond near Institute Park for the memorial.
- Set as guidelines that the memorial include:
- A monument to the six fire fighters.
- A bridge connecting the memorial site to Institute Park across Salisbury Pond.
- A timeline of the tragic fire and its aftermath.
- Tributes to others who fought the fire and to other Worcester fire fighters who died in the line of duty before Dec. 3, 1999, or who die in the line of duty after that date.
- Formally named the site for the memorial as “Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Park 5-1438, December 3, 1999.” The numbers 5-1438 stand for the five alarms and the Fire Department code for the location of the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire.
- Obtained approval in November 2003 from the City of Worcester for the right to use the Grove Street site for the memorial.
- Conducted a two-stage open national design competition, beginning in March 2004, to determine the design for the memorial. Proposals were sought from thousands of design professionals from throughout the United States. A total of 158 design entries from 30 states across the United States were judged by a jury of nationally known design professionals, firefighters, public officials, and arts advocates. Five finalists were selected in July 2004. In September 2004, the jury chose the winner and four runners-up among the five finalists. The 158 original entries and the five finalists’ designs were put on public display during the jury review, and the five finalists’ designs also were displayed at Worcester City Hall and Worcester Public Library.
Announced September 27, 2004, that first place in its design competition had been awarded to Gala Simon Associates Inc. of Watertown, Mass. Gala Simon’s memorial design features six encircled columns leaning toward each other; at night shafts of light from the tops of the columns meet at a common point.- Honored Gala Simon and the four other finalists at an awards ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Worcester on November 23, 2004. All of the finalists were presented with plaques and monetary prizes for their work.
- Launched a national fundraising campaign in 2005 to build the memorial and its park and to set up an endowment for its future maintenance.
If you are interested in helping us build the memorial and memorial park, find out how you can help.
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Last modified: Apr 15, 2005, 11:12 EDT