The Memorial
The Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Committee was created in the aftermath of the tragic fire that claimed the lives of the six Worcester firefighters in December 1999. The committee’s purpose is to establish a permanent memorial to honor the six fallen heroes. This project will help revitalize (economically and environmentally) the city of Worcester and provide an educational opportunity to all, especially children, regarding the meaning of heroism.
In 2002, the committee selected a site for the memorial and the memorial park. The site will be named Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial Park 5-1438, December 3, 1999. The numbers 5-1438 stand for the number of alarms struck and the Fire Department code for the location of the fire.
In the spring of 2004, the committee began a two-stage, national, open competition to produce a design for the memorial. In July 2004, an 11-member blue-ribbon jury selected five finalists to design the memorial and memorial park. The finalists emerged from 158 entries from 30 states.
In September 2004, the jury chose the winning design, submitted by Gala Simon Associates Inc. of Watertown, Mass. The architecture firm was awarded for its design on November 23, 2004 at the Crowne Plaza in Worcester.
Description of the Memorial Site
The site of the proposed memorial and memorial park is located next to Worcester Fire Headquarters, adjacent to Salisbury Pond, at 141 Grove Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. Each of the six fire fighters had previously trained for service at the Grove Street fire headquarters location.
The combination of busy urban activity in close proximity to a quiet and reflective historic landscape offers designers a unique site to construct a proper memorial for these six fallen heroes. The site had previously been part of historic Institute Park, donated to the City of Worcester by Stephen Salisbury III in 1887. The site offers many natural and man-made amenities, including an existing playing field, multiple views and vistas from three major roadways and substantial existing tree and shrub growth. Salisbury Pond is a quiet place, reflective and peaceful, yet it sits within the urban framework of the city close to WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute).
If you are interested in helping us build the memorial and memorial park, find out how you can help.
Aerial photo of memorial site
Recent Press Releases
- Gala Simon design selected for Worcester firefighters memorial
- First Stage Finalists, Worcester Fire Fighters Memorial National Design Competition
Commemorative Items:
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Last modified: Apr 15, 2005, 10:41 EDT