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Arguing disturbance of Peace
By Monica Collins | May 28, 2006
The founders of a downtown memorial to homicide victims adamantly want to be left in peace. But they fear their Garden of Peace will be disrupted if Suffolk University builds a 31-story dormitory and student center just yards away.
The development could provide a windfall of mitigation money to the
debt-ridden garden. But garden adherents say they don't want Suffolk's largesse.
"It's never been about the money," says Evelyn Tobin , spokeswoman for the board of directors and one of the founders of the Garden of Peace.
"This is disrespect for sacred space, as far as we're concerned."
John Nucci , vice president for government and community relations at Suffolk, says the university will donate $700,000 to finish the garden, endow a maintenance fund, and integrate a student orientation program about violence and its consequences. ``We feel the garden is an important part of the future and we feel we're the partner that can help it exist into the future."
Situated on Somerset Street in a prime location atop Beacon Hill, across from the old Suffolk County court house and within sight of the State House, the garden stands as a repository of remembrance at the crossroads of law, commerce, and politics. The location also makes it vulnerable to the designs of its abutters. Recently, Suffolk contracted with the state Department of Capital Asset Management to buy the old MDC headquarters, adjacent to the garden, and destroy the building to make way for the new dorm and student center.
Garden organizers, saddled with a balance of $1 million owed to the state for the memorial's land, also shun an offer by Capital Asset to forgive the debt when the Suffolk deal goes through. ``I personally don't know why DCAM is inserting itself in a private mitigation discussion," says Tobin, whose daughter, Kathleen Dempsey , was murdered in Lexington in 1992 .
Nucci says the agency can afford to erase the Garden of Peace debt once Suffolk pays it for the old MDC building. He declines to say what the price will be.
This latest episode is another challenging chapter for the Garden of Peace, which is funded primarily by the families of murder victims whose names are etched on river stones inside the space. According to Tobin, there are 500 stones bearing names of victims with ties to Massachusetts and enough embedded stones to bear the weight of 1,000 more. Families are asked to contribute $200 for a loved one's name to appear in the garden.
The impact of the river stones engraved with all those names is powerful.
Likewise, a sculpture representing hope, ``Ibis Ascending" by Judy McKie, is a graceful component. A reflective pool and waterfall, healing aspects of the symbolic plan, have not been completed, however, because of a lack of funds.
Corporate giving dried up even before the garden opened in September 2004. Political support always has been weak. At the Garden of Peace's dedication, two prominent invitees, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Governor Mitt Romney , didn't show.
Garden representatives recently met with Nikko Mendoza , Menino's deputy director of neighborhood services. ``She was cordial and listened to our concerns," says Tobin. ``The way we left it was that she was going to check with the mayor's scheduler and get a meeting set up with him."
Its organizers say they understand why corporations and politicians are reluctant to throw their support behind the memorial. ``I think homicide is a difficult subject for people," Tobin says. `` We approached a lot of companies early on in fund-raising and it became clear that corporate support wasn't going to happen."
Now, as the garden finds a potential benefactor in Suffolk, the board resolutely rejects the offer . Organizers react emotionally. They see their garden as sacred, not public, space.
In a May 10 letter to Nucci from Leonard Kesten , a lawyer representing the Garden of Peace board, the message is blunt: ``Our group has been clear with Suffolk that the project as planned is wholly unacceptable to the garden." It went on to state that the school's offer of money ``does not even form the basis for continued discussion and is rejected."
Tobin says the problems with the Suffolk project are many: Its height will block out the sunlight needed to grow landscaping plants in the garden. Students might congregate, smoke cigarettes, and, by their disregard, defile the area. Also, a student center, a major component of the Suffolk tower, would provide leisure space disrespectful of the garden's intent.
``Obnoxious activities will face the garden," Tobin says. ``The student center is directly above a loading dock. Above that, there's a fitness center, student lounge, dining hall."
During a phone interview, Nucci said the tower's design has been altered somewhat to accommodate the garden's dignity. A chapel will face the memorial, and there will be no dumpsters on the loading dock, he said, adding, ``All waste removal will be done inside the building." And an outdoor plaza to accommodate smokers and loungers will be fashioned elsewhere.
The Garden of Peace is not the only abutter decrying the Suffolk scheme. Beacon Hill residents, fearing the impact of 800 students in the neighborhood, voiced strong opposition to the plan during recent public meetings.
Yet, Nucci is confident the Suffolk tower -- scheduled to open in fall 2009 -- will be built because it is in synch with the Menino administration's call to relocate students from privately owned housing into campus dormitories. ``We're complying with city policy on this one," he says.
Monica Collins can be reached at mcollins@globe.com.
By Monica Collins | May 28, 2006
The founders of a downtown memorial to homicide victims adamantly want to be left in peace. But they fear their Garden of Peace will be disrupted if Suffolk University builds a 31-story dormitory and student center just yards away.
The development could provide a windfall of mitigation money to the
debt-ridden garden. But garden adherents say they don't want Suffolk's largesse.
"It's never been about the money," says Evelyn Tobin , spokeswoman for the board of directors and one of the founders of the Garden of Peace.
"This is disrespect for sacred space, as far as we're concerned."
John Nucci , vice president for government and community relations at Suffolk, says the university will donate $700,000 to finish the garden, endow a maintenance fund, and integrate a student orientation program about violence and its consequences. ``We feel the garden is an important part of the future and we feel we're the partner that can help it exist into the future."
Situated on Somerset Street in a prime location atop Beacon Hill, across from the old Suffolk County court house and within sight of the State House, the garden stands as a repository of remembrance at the crossroads of law, commerce, and politics. The location also makes it vulnerable to the designs of its abutters. Recently, Suffolk contracted with the state Department of Capital Asset Management to buy the old MDC headquarters, adjacent to the garden, and destroy the building to make way for the new dorm and student center.
Garden organizers, saddled with a balance of $1 million owed to the state for the memorial's land, also shun an offer by Capital Asset to forgive the debt when the Suffolk deal goes through. ``I personally don't know why DCAM is inserting itself in a private mitigation discussion," says Tobin, whose daughter, Kathleen Dempsey , was murdered in Lexington in 1992 .
Nucci says the agency can afford to erase the Garden of Peace debt once Suffolk pays it for the old MDC building. He declines to say what the price will be.
This latest episode is another challenging chapter for the Garden of Peace, which is funded primarily by the families of murder victims whose names are etched on river stones inside the space. According to Tobin, there are 500 stones bearing names of victims with ties to Massachusetts and enough embedded stones to bear the weight of 1,000 more. Families are asked to contribute $200 for a loved one's name to appear in the garden.
The impact of the river stones engraved with all those names is powerful.
Likewise, a sculpture representing hope, ``Ibis Ascending" by Judy McKie, is a graceful component. A reflective pool and waterfall, healing aspects of the symbolic plan, have not been completed, however, because of a lack of funds.
Corporate giving dried up even before the garden opened in September 2004. Political support always has been weak. At the Garden of Peace's dedication, two prominent invitees, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Governor Mitt Romney , didn't show.
Garden representatives recently met with Nikko Mendoza , Menino's deputy director of neighborhood services. ``She was cordial and listened to our concerns," says Tobin. ``The way we left it was that she was going to check with the mayor's scheduler and get a meeting set up with him."
Its organizers say they understand why corporations and politicians are reluctant to throw their support behind the memorial. ``I think homicide is a difficult subject for people," Tobin says. `` We approached a lot of companies early on in fund-raising and it became clear that corporate support wasn't going to happen."
Now, as the garden finds a potential benefactor in Suffolk, the board resolutely rejects the offer . Organizers react emotionally. They see their garden as sacred, not public, space.
In a May 10 letter to Nucci from Leonard Kesten , a lawyer representing the Garden of Peace board, the message is blunt: ``Our group has been clear with Suffolk that the project as planned is wholly unacceptable to the garden." It went on to state that the school's offer of money ``does not even form the basis for continued discussion and is rejected."
Tobin says the problems with the Suffolk project are many: Its height will block out the sunlight needed to grow landscaping plants in the garden. Students might congregate, smoke cigarettes, and, by their disregard, defile the area. Also, a student center, a major component of the Suffolk tower, would provide leisure space disrespectful of the garden's intent.
``Obnoxious activities will face the garden," Tobin says. ``The student center is directly above a loading dock. Above that, there's a fitness center, student lounge, dining hall."
During a phone interview, Nucci said the tower's design has been altered somewhat to accommodate the garden's dignity. A chapel will face the memorial, and there will be no dumpsters on the loading dock, he said, adding, ``All waste removal will be done inside the building." And an outdoor plaza to accommodate smokers and loungers will be fashioned elsewhere.
The Garden of Peace is not the only abutter decrying the Suffolk scheme. Beacon Hill residents, fearing the impact of 800 students in the neighborhood, voiced strong opposition to the plan during recent public meetings.
Yet, Nucci is confident the Suffolk tower -- scheduled to open in fall 2009 -- will be built because it is in synch with the Menino administration's call to relocate students from privately owned housing into campus dormitories. ``We're complying with city policy on this one," he says.
Monica Collins can be reached at mcollins@globe.com.
