Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism and Special Events Boston Art Commission

100 Public Artworks: Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the Financial District and the North End

1. Lief Eriksson by Anne Whitney

This life-size bronze statue memorializes Lief Eriksson, the Norse explorer believed to be the first European to set foot on North America. Originally sited to overlook the Charles River, Eriksson stands atop a boulder and shields his eyes as if surveying unfamiliar terrain. Two bronze plaques on the sculpture’s base show Eriksson and his crew landing on a rocky shore and, later, sharing the story of their discovery. When Boston philanthropist Eben N. Horsford commissioned the statue, some people believed that Eriksson and his crew landed on the shore of Massachusetts and founded their settlement, called Vinland, here. However, most scholars now consider Vinland to be located on the Canadian coast.

This piece was created by a notable Boston sculptor, Anne Whitney. Several of her pieces can be found around the city. Whitney was a fascinating and rebellious figure for her time: not only did she excel in the typically ‘masculine’ medium of large-scale sculpture, she also never married and instead lived with a female partner.

2. Ayer Mansion Mosaics by Louis Comfort Tiffany

At first glance, the Ayer Mansion seems to be a typical Back Bay residence. Look more closely, though, and you can see unique elements decorating the mansion’s façade. Both inside and outside, the Ayer Mansion is ornamented with colorful mosaics and windows created by the famed interior designer Louis Comfort Tiffany. It is one of only three houses known to contain Tiffany’s interior designs in their original site.

Although Tiffany is known as a quintessential American artist, he looked to many other cultures for inspiration for his work. He traveled extensively throughout Europe and North Africa and developed a particular interest in Moorish and Islamic art. The designs Tiffany would create throughout his career combine centuries-old motifs and techniques with unique innovations. For instance, Tiffany developed new methods of making glass, and he found that placing foil behind his glass mosaics would make them reflect more light and deepen their color.

3. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento by Ivette Compagnion

As president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento promoted the development of public education in his country. Sarmiento was greatly influenced by the ideas of his friend Horace Mann, an educational reformer and former member of the Massachusetts Senate, whom Sarmiento met during his travels to the United States. (A statue of Mann appears later in the Walk.) To commemorate their friendship and cooperation, the Argentine government presented this work as a gift to the City of Boston in 1973. Although the figure does not feature a dramatic pose, its bronze surface is highly textured, creating a play of light and shadow upon the surface that enlivens Sarmiento’s form. With a slightly furrowed brow, he appears to be in a state of deliberation.

4. Quest Eternal by Donald De Lue

Twisted in a dramatic pose, this 27-foot tall male figure reaches toward the sky. The muscular nude brings to mind ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, as well as the work of Renaissance-era artists, who often looked to classical art to inspire their choice of subject matter and style. Here, the sculpture also fits in with the modern urban landscape and parallels the bold verticality of the neighboring Prudential Tower, completed three years before the sculpture’s installation. Despite the work’s enormous size and weight of five tons, it was cast in one piece at a foundry in Italy. In contrast, many large sculptures are cast in multiple parts and then welded together.

5. Boston Women’s Memorial by Meredith Bergmann

Developed by the City of Boston’s Women’s Commission with the support of First Lady Angela Menino, this memorial incorporates three bronze sculptures of important women in history. The first, Abigail Adams, served as confidant and advisor to her husband, President John Adams, and was a strong advocate of women’s rights. The second, poet Phillis Wheatley, became the first published African- American after being kidnapped from her family and enslaved as a child in Senegal and then sold as property to a couple in Massachusetts. The final figure is abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone, known for being the first woman to keep her own last name after marriage and one of the first American women to earn a college degree – which she personally funded.

Sculptor Meredith Gang Bergmann modeled the figures in dynamic poses that invite viewer interaction. Unlike many of the large commemorative sculptures dotting Commonwealth Avenue, they are not perched upon high pedestals but instead stand at street level. By resisting the typically detached quality of commemorative sculpture, Bergmann pays a fitting tribute to these women and their revolutionary ideas.

6. Samuel Eliot Morison by Penelope Jencks

Dressed in a windbreaker and simple cap and seated casually upon a rock, this bronze figure looks almost indistinguishable from any tourist visiting the Boston shore on a cloudy weekend. In fact, it is the likeness of Harvard professor Samuel Eliot Morison, the foremost American naval historian of the twentieth century. Morison won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Christopher Columbus and personally sailed several of the routes Columbus is believed to have followed. However, Morison also evoked controversy by authoring a textbook with insensitive comments about slavery. With her unpretentious depiction, sculptor Penelope Jencks downplays Morison’s roles as professor and provocateur and emphasizes his passion for the sea.

7. William Lloyd Garrison by Olin Levi Warner

This sculpture honors William Lloyd Garrison, the committed abolitionist and publisher of the anti- slavery newspaper The Liberator, who was nearly lynched by a Boston mob in 1835. Fifty years later, a group of prominent citizens, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, presented this sculpture to the city. Garrison was born in Newburyport, MA and began writing critiques of slavery while working as an apprentice to a newspaper printer. As a writer, editor, and speaker, Garrison became well known for his fiery, uncompromising rhetoric, which this depiction emphasizes. The imposing figure is equipped with quills and an ink stand, and he crumples a paper in his right hand. Garrison sits upon a base inscribed with phrases from his first editorial in The Liberator: “I am in earnest,” “I will not equivocate,” “I will be heard.”

8. Vendome Fire Memorial by Ted Clausen and Peter White

In 1972, a tragic fire at the Hotel Vendome claimed the lives of nine firefighters, who were killed when a section of the burning building collapsed. Erected twenty-five years later, this granite and bronze structure honors those firefighters and marks the hotel’s former location. Its unadorned, modern design focuses our attention on the absence of the deceased men, symbolized by a helmet and a jacket draped over the curved wall. The memorial’s form developed through creative dialogue between the artists and the fireman who proposed the piece. Names of the nine men and an account of the events on the day of the fire are etched into the wall, along with quotations from firefighters reflecting on their vocation.

9. Art and Science by Bela Lyon Pratt

These two seated allegorical female figures—one representing Art, holding a palette and a paintbrush, and the other representing Science, holding a sphere—welcome visitors to the entrance of the Boston Public Library. The sculptures were created by Bela Lyon Pratt after his mentor Augustus Saint-Gaudens died, leaving his design for the library incomplete. Inside the building, more art awaits, including a cycle of murals by renowned American painter John Singer Sargent.

10. Henry and Paint by Deborah Butterfield

These semi-abstract horse sculptures by Deborah Butterfield allude to the history of the Neiman Marcus department store. In 1907, two competing department store owners, Herbert Marcus Sr. and A. Harris, teamed up to open a new department store in Dallas. The horses evoke both the Texan landscape and the retailers’ partnership. Butterfield is especially well known for her sculptures of horses, which she has been creating since the early 1980s.

11. Kahlil Gibran Memorial by Kahlil Gibran (Godson of subject)

The Lebanese-American artist, writer, and philosopher Kahlil Gibran immigrated to the United States in 1895, at the age of 12. While living in Boston, he wrote and illustrated his most famous book, The Prophet, a poetic treatise on such topics as family, religion, and death. Gibran’s relative and godson—also named Kahlil and himself a celebrated local artist—designed this memorial to honor his relative and placed it near the Boston Public Library, where the elder Gibran did much of his research and writing. The sculptor portrays his cousin as a youthful and reflective man in a pose that brings to mind depictions of philosophers and theologians throughout the centuries. Sculptures by the younger Gibran can be found in public spaces and museums throughout the country.

12. Boston Marathon Memorial by Mark Flannery, Robert Shure and Robert Lamb

Situated in Copley Square, adjacent to the finish line of the Boston Marathon, this memorial celebrates the race’s 100th running. At first, the memorial might be easy to miss: instead of rising up vertically, like most of the sculptures this tour highlights, the memorial consists primarily of granite patterns set into the ground. The central medallion traces the marathon’s course from the suburb of Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay, and an elevation map shows off its notoriously difficult hills. Around this central medallion are inscribed the names of the marathon’s winners, including Bobbi Gibb. Initially disguised as a man, she first ran the marathon in 1966 when women, thought to not be physiologically capable, were not yet allowed to enter the race. Depictions of the diverse runners of the Boston Marathon are captured in bronze reliefs on posts around the medallion.

13. John Singleton Copley by Lewis Cohen

A statue of the painter John Singleton Copley fittingly presides over the public square named after him. Copley was the most prominent painter in colonial America, and his work gave pause to those who considered the colonies unrefined in comparison to the cities of Europe. In fact, Copley became well known on both sides of the Atlantic and was elected into England’s prestigious Royal Academy of Arts, an elite association of artists. As a portrait painter, Copley aimed to capture the personalities of his wealthy and influential subjects, and he often depicted them among objects or furnishings that revealed their interests and tastes. Here, sculptor Lewis Cohen follows the great master’s example and shows Copley holding paintbrushes and a palette.

14. The Tortoise and the Hare by Nancy Schön

Through a reference to one of Aesop’s fables, local sculptor Nancy Schön pays tribute to all Boston Marathon participants, who come from a variety of backgrounds and run for many different reasons, including charity fundraising. In contrast to the official marathon memorial installed by the Boston Athletic Association, Schön’s oversized characters emphasize the effort, not the outcome, and remind us that “slow and steady wins the race.”

15. Phillips Brooks by Augustus Saint Gaudens, Frances Grimes, Stanford White, and Charles Folen McKim

As Rector of Trinity Church, Phillips Brooks oversaw the construction of one of Boston’s greatest architectural landmarks. Trinity Church was founded in 1733, but a fire in 1872 destroyed the original building, allowing Brooks to commission this iconic Romanesque-style structure. In this work, the sculptors depict him as a man of great moral and physical stature, and as an impassioned speaker. The cloaked figure of Christ stands behind Brooks and places a hand on his left shoulder, lending him additional authority. Augustus Saint-Gaudens and his assistant Frances Grimes designed the sculpture while the notable architects Stanford White and Charles McKim designed the domed niche. Such collaboration between artists and architects is common in the realm of public art, where works often blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and landscape design.

16. Patrick Andrew Collins by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson and Henry Hudson Kitson

This bust commemorates the second Irish-born mayor of Boston, who died unexpectedly while in office. Collins immigrated to the US at the age of four and lived most of his life in Boston. His love for both his native land and his adopted country is shown through the two allegorical figures flanking the granite base. One wears a crown of laurel leaves and holds a shield, representing Liberty; the other wears a crown of shamrocks and holds a harp, symbolizing Erin, or Ireland. The inscription below reminds us of Collins’ achievements following a modest upbringing: “upholsterer from 15 to 23,” he went on to receive a law degree from Harvard and pursue a political career.

17. General John Glover by Martin Milmore

During the Revolutionary War, General John Glover used the skills he developed as a fisherman in Marblehead, MA, to lead the first “amphibious” regiment, predecessor of the modern-day Marines. The regiment sailed in to rescue Washington and his troops after the disastrous Battle of Long Island, thereby sparing them further casualties. They also ferried Washington and his men across the icy Delaware River to facilitate a surprise attack on the British at Trenton.

Here, the well-known Boston sculptor Martin Milmore has depicted Glover as a youthful and confident military leader. That aura of invincibility is sadly ironic, too; Milmore’s promising career was cut short when he died at age of 38. He is buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Jamaica Plain, where a bronze relief by Daniel Chester French commemorates him.

18. Alexander Hamilton by William Rimmer

Born in the British West Indies in 1757, Hamilton became one of the primary architects of the American government. He served as an aide to Washington during the Revolutionary War, participated in the Continental Congress, signed the Constitution, and was appointed the first Secretary of the Treasury under President Washington. Most importantly, Hamilton helped to secure the future of the new United States by creating a unified economy and a national bank. As an advocate of strong federal government, Hamilton made more than a few enemies among his fellow politicians, including Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Some ridiculed him as a monarchist, claiming that he intended to impose a strict, centralized rule on the American people. Among Hamilton’s many personal and political opponents was Vice President Aaron Burr. After challenging Hamilton to a duel, Burr killed him with a shot to the abdomen.

This sculpture by William Rimmer shows Hamilton with cloth draped over his Colonial-era outfit. The heavy folds of drapery bring to mind depictions of Greek and Roman leaders in ancient statuary. Through this anachronistic touch, Rimmer evoked the first democratic-style governments in ancient Greece, thereby emphasizing Hamilton’s formative role in the newly emerging American democracy. Interestingly, Rimmer was a physician before devoting himself to art. He did not use a model to create the statue, but instead employed his unique knowledge of human anatomy to chisel Hamilton’s body from a block of granite. Due to Rimmer’s unusual technique, this sculpture is particularly fragile and difficult to maintain.

19. Trimbloid X by David Kibbey

This sculpture by David Kibbey exemplifies some of the core traits of Minimalist art, a movement that emerged on the American art scene during the 1960s. It is large and imposing, features a geometric design, and incorporates industrial materials—in this case, Cor-Ten steel. Although Minimalist sculpture has been criticized for aggressively dominating its surroundings and viewers, Kibbey spent much of his career working to reconcile the built environment and the natural environment. He is known not only for his art, but also for his leadership in the field of ecological design, or green building.

20. Arthur Fiedler Memorial by Ralph Helmick

Local artist Ralph Helmick created this gigantic head from 83 sheets of aluminum to commemorate Arthur Fiedler, the conductor of the Boston Pops who catapulted the orchestra to worldwide fame during his 50-year tenure. Fiedler was born in Boston and attended the Boston Latin School before moving to Austria with his musician parents. He returned to Boston in early adulthood and joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Later, as conductor of the Pops, Fiedler aimed to make classical music more accessible and popular, and his outdoor summer concerts drew crowds of up to 400,000. This sculpture is located near the Hatch Shell, where the Pops play every Fourth of July. Helmick’s innovative construction gives Fiedler’s head a sense of movement or vibration, like the strings of a violin, which Fiedler played.

21. Maurice J. Tobin by Emilius Ciampa

Born in Mission Hill, Roxbury in 1901, Maurice J. Tobin became the youngest elected Massachusetts legislator. At 25 years of age, he began his political career in the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives. He later was elected Mayor of Boston, then became Governor, and finally was appointed Secretary of Labor under President Truman. During his tenure as Mayor, Tobin authored the Fair Employment Practices Bill, prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, creed, or national origin. He also advocated for workers’ rights. Today, many Bostonians associate Tobin with the bridge named after him, which passes over Mystic River. This more personal commemoration shows Tobin dressed in a suit and clutching a briefcase, as if on his way to work. Seals representing Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the United States symbolize the three levels of government in which he served.

22. General George Smith Patton, Jr. by James Earle Fraser

This memorial honors a distinguished yet controversial military figure. During World War I, General Patton was assigned to the Tank Corps, as the US Army sought to harness the new technology of armored vehicles. He quickly became an expert on tanks, which he continued to study after the war’s end. When the US entered World War II, Patton commanded troops in North Africa and Sicily. Despite some setbacks in his career, including a reprimand for treating soldiers harshly, Patton was particularly successful as commander of the Third Army. Patton and his troops moved from France eastward, helping to avert German victory at the Battle of the Bulge and ultimately liberating the Buchenwald concentration camp on April 4, 1945.

Before creating this work, sculptor James Earle Fraser worked as an assistant to Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who is well represented on this Art Walk. Fraser has depicted Patton as a sharp and intrepid leader, strategizing as he surveys the battlefield. Patton’s heroism is shown not through a contrived pose, but through the figure’s evident dedication to his military duties.

23. General Charles Devens by Olin Levi Warner

A neighboring statue features another, earlier military leader. Born in Charlestown, MA, in 1820, General Devens was a lawyer and statesman who interrupted his political career to fight in the Civil War. During the war, he fought in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorville, and Cold Harbor, among others, earning the rank of major general. Following his military service, Devens sat on the bench of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, and he served as Attorney General under President Hayes. This statue by Olin Levi Warner (sculptor of William Lloyd Garrison) was located at the State House until 1950. Devens wears his Union Army uniform, complete with a tasseled sash that identifies his rank. A comparison of this work with the preceding statue of General Patton shows a dramatic change in military dress and gear over a period of about sixty years. The dominant style of commemorative sculpture shifted as well, with Fraser’s figure looking less idealized and more real.

24. David Ignatius Walsh by Joseph Arthur Coletti

After two statues of military heroes, we encounter a figure known for his pacifism. David Ignatius Walsh was the first Irish-Catholic governor of Massachusetts and also its first Irish-Catholic senator. As governor, Walsh fought to give women the right to vote and to reform the state’s labor compensation system. As senator—an office he held for 26 years—Walsh served on the Committee of Naval Affairs and opposed American entry into World War II. He actively participated in America First, an antiwar organization, until the attack on Pearl Harbor changed his views.

Although this sculpture appears intact, its granite base is in fact missing three bronze relief plaques depicting an eagle, the Massachusetts seal, and the Navy’s insignia. The figure’s clothes are heavily stylized, which is to say that their long, linear folds seem more decorative than representational. Above the figure is a Latin inscription that translates as “Not for self, but for country,” the motto of the US Navy and also a fitting account of Walsh’s public service.

25. George Robert White Memorial by Daniel Chester French

Standing at the edge of a fountain, this graceful angel or allegorical figure literally enacts the Biblical verse, “Cast thy bread upon the waters,” to honor one of Boston’s primary philanthropists. George Robert White earned a fortune in the pharmaceuticals business and made significant contributions to a variety of Boston institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts and Massachusetts General Hospital. Upon his death, he donated over $5 million to finance “works of public beauty and utility” throughout the City of Boston.

26. Ether Monument/Good Samaritan by John Quincy Adams Ward and Henry Van Brunt

This 40-foot-tall monument commemorates not a person, but a medical breakthrough: the use of ether as an anesthetic. The first public demonstration of ether anesthesia was conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846 by Boston dentist William T.G. Morton and Doctor John Collins Warren. Morton administered the ether, and Warren then removed a tumor from an unconscious patient. Ether had enormous benefits, allowing doctors to work more closely and carefully, and giving patients a respite not only from pain, but also from the anxiety associated with surgery. Atop the monument, two figures sculpted by John Quincy Adams Ward enact a Biblical story about the relief of suffering. The Good Samaritan is shown caring for an injured stranger he met on the road.

27. Japanese Lantern by unknown artist

In 1904, Japanese art dealer Bunkio Matsuki gave this lantern as a gift to the City of Boston. Lanterns have a long association with Buddhist temples and shrines, where they have been used as votive lights since the 7th century. They were later used to decorate and light secular sites as well, especially gardens. Japanese lanterns are typically made from stone, wood, or metal, and some feature elaborate designs. This lantern is believed to date to the 16th century, but little else is known about it.

Bunkio Matsuki was born into a family of artists and temple builders in Japan. He originally trained to be a Buddhist monk but immigrated to the US in 1888, where he chose a very different profession: promoting Japanese art and culture to the American public. Matsuki managed a store in Boston specializing in Japanese art and antiques. He also worked for governments and museums to appraise and inspect art objects and published a journal called Lotus. During the early 20th century, oriental designs were considered exotic and fashionable among well-to-do Americans, and Matsuki’s Boston store certainly contributed to the trend.

28. Small Child Fountain by Mary E. Moore

This diminutive, playful figure provides a refreshing break from the many sculptures on the Public Art Walk commemorating lofty historical figures. Local sculptor Mary E. Moore has captured the unselfconsciousness of a child busily exploring the world. The child’s nudity, along with his pudgy limbs, brings to mind Renaissance depictions of putti—little winged creatures that are sometimes depicted as messengers from heaven and other times used to represent Cupid. Moore was born in Taunton, MA, and taught at Brookline’s Beaver Country Day School.

29. George Washington by Thomas Ball

This statue commemorates George Washington not as President but as the Army’s Commander-in-Chief. Long before the fight for American independence began, Washington had distinguished himself as a British colonel during the French and Indian War. He returned to civilian life when the war ended, and he only gradually came to oppose British rule. As fighting escalated between the colonial and British troops, Washington recognized the need for a unified army of resistance. He agreed to lead the newly formed Continental Army in 1775, and, fourteen years later, was unanimously elected to become the first President of the United States. Despite his popularity, Washington felt reluctant to accept the Presidency, and he voluntarily resigned after his second term. Thomas Ball’s sculpture therefore shows Washington in the role he was more comfortable assuming—that of a military leader, not a politician. He appears calm and assured, even while leading a largely untrained and ill-prepared army against one of the world’s strongest military powers.

30. Boy and Bird Fountain by Bashka Paeff and recast by Paul King Foundry

Like the nearby Small Child Fountain, this work captures a young boy’s interactions with the natural world. A bird alights in the figure’s hand, and the two creatures seem to study each other with a shared sense of curiosity. Artist Bashka Paeff was born in Russia but grew up in Boston, where she attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Throughout her life, she continued to live and work in the Boston area, as well as at the MacDowell artists’ colony in New Hampshire. She created many public works of art in New England, including a monument to sailors and soldiers in Maine. The original Boy and Bird sculpture was installed in 1934, but it was later stolen from the park and has since been replaced twice.

31. Garden of Remembrance: 9/11 Memorial by Victor Walker

Constructed on the edge of the Public Gardens to overlook the swan boats, this memorial commemorates over 200 individuals with ties to Massachusetts who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Designer and landscape architect Victor Walker surrounded the memorial with benches, plants, and flowers to evoke a sense of tranquility in a public, accessible setting. A selection from a poem by local writer Lawrence Homer encourages us to find peace in this spot. “Time touches all more gently here,” he writes. The Garden of Remembrance, completed in 2004, was funded largely through private donations, as well as a $100,000 federal grant obtained through the efforts of Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

32. William Ellery Channing by Herbert Adams

This monument to America’s foremost Unitarian minister stands across from the Arlington Street Church. William Ellery Channing ministered to this congregation from 1803 until his death in 1842, although the church was at that time located on Federal Street and named accordingly. As a Unitarian, Channing rejected the Calvinist notion of predestination and instead emphasized free will, personal responsibility, and mankind’s potential to do good. He also believed in the coexistence of religious faith and scientific reasoning. Holding a Bible and donning his ecclesiastical robes, Channing’s likeness here is poised to begin another of his famous sermons. The words inscribed on the statue’s granite base are excerpted from his 1928 oration “Likeness to God,” which stresses the innate divinity of all humans.

33. Charles Sumner by Thomas Ball

An outspoken abolitionist, this Massachusetts senator was once attacked by a rival politician on the Senate floor. In the years preceding the Civil War, Charles Sumner opposed making compromises with the South; after the war, he advocated full voting rights for Southern blacks. He also promoted penal reform and worked alongside Massachusetts politician Horace Mann to improve the public school system.

Shortly after Sumner’s death in 1874, a competition was held to design a monument to him. Boston artist Anne Whitney initially beat out a roster of well-known competitors, including Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Martin Milmore, who are both featured on this Art Walk. Nevertheless, the judges disqualified Whitney when they discovered she was a woman. Claiming that it would be improper for a woman to sculpt a man’s legs, they chose Thomas Ball’s design instead—an ironic story behind an artwork intended to honor Sumner’s fight for equality. Twenty-seven years later, Whitney cast her original design in bronze, with a few minor alterations. It is now located in Harvard Square.

34. Tadeusz Ko cuiszko by Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson

Born in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1746, Tadeusz Ko cuiszko became an American military hero during the Revolutionary War. He immigrated to the colonies in 1775, joined the Continental Army shortly thereafter, and rose to the rank of colonel and then head engineer. In this final position, he oversaw the fortification of such strategic areas as the city of Philadelphia, the Delaware River, and West Point, the site of the future military academy. Ko cuiszko was also recognized as a military hero in his homeland, where he fought against invading Russian troops in 1792.

Boston-area Polish organizations commissioned this bronze statue by local sculptor Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson to memorialize the 150th anniversary of Kosciuszko’s enlistment in the Continental Army. Kitson depicts Ko cuiszko in uniform, holding a tricorner hat in one hand and a volume of papers from West Point in the other. Over the course of her career, Kitson designed more than fifty public monuments. She was also the first female artist to receive an Honorable Mention award at the Paris Salon, a prestigious annual exhibition.

35. Colonel Thomas Cass by Richard Edwin Brooks

An Irish immigrant, Colonel Cass (1822-1862) founded the “Fighting Ninth” Regiment during the Civil War. The Ninth Regiment consisted entirely of volunteers, most of them Irish-American. Cass was killed leading his troops in battle at Malvern Hill in Virginia. Although an earlier memorial to Cass was displayed shortly after his death, it received so much criticism that Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy secured funds for a new work in the colonel’s honor. Sculptor Richard E. Brooks cast this bronze sculpture in 1899 and received gold medals for it at two World’s Fairs, the Paris Exposition of 1901 and the Buffalo Exposition of 1902.

36. Wendell Phillips by Daniel Chester French

Boston lawyer and orator Wendell Phillips was inspired to join the abolitionist cause after witnessing William Lloyd Garrison deliver an anti-slavery speech in 1835. On that occasion, he saw not only Garrison’s speech, but also his near lynching at the hands of some outraged listeners. Phillips later abandoned his legal practice to devote himself entirely to abolitionism, and like Garrison, he became known as a particularly eloquent speaker. In 1837, Phillips delivered a passionate speech at Faneuil Hall condemning the murder of the abolitionist minister Elijah Lovejoy. He also advocated for the rights of Native Americans, women, and prisoners. This statue by Daniel Chester French honors Phillips’s commitment to liberation, symbolized by the broken chain clutched in the figure’s left hand. The figure appears as an orator, and his right hand forms a fist, as if to accentuate an important remark.

37. Flagpole Base and Marvin E. Goody Memorial by William D. Austen and Joanne Goody

Eagles on this sculpted bronze flagpole base spread their wings wide to show off their lush plumage. The birds provide both a decorative motif and a symbol of American power—fitting for an object intended to support the American flag. Around the flagpole, benches are arranged in honor of Marvin Goody, former chairman of the Boston Art Commission and Friend of the Public Garden and Common, as well as an MIT faculty member.

38. Bagheera Fountain by Lilian Saarinen

Originally entitled Night, this piece’s current title is inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. One of the story’s characters, the panther Bagheera, is born into captivity but escapes. He later helps to save the life of the main character Mowgli, a human child living in the jungle. Boston-area artist Lillian Swann Saarinen shows Bagheera lunging at an eagle. In a 1980 interview, Saarinen recalled that her interest in animals went back to her early childhood, when she used to stay up late at night sketching the mice that crept around her family’s brownstone. The artist was married to architect Eero Saarinen and worked with him on The Gateway to the West, the famous arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

39. Public Garden Footbridge by Clemens Herschel and William G. Preston

In 1837, Boston politician and philanthropist Horace Gray petitioned City Council to set aside part of the Boston Common for use as a botanical park. The Public Garden has since become one of the city’s most beloved landmarks, known in particular for its picturesque lagoon. As you cross over the water and its famous swan boats, you also cross what is said to be the world’s smallest suspension bridge. A suspension bridge consists of cables linked to vertical structures, which together support the weight of the deck—the surface used for crossing. This type of structure is generally used to cover longer distances, like the Golden Gate Bridge spanning San Francisco Bay. In this setting, the bridge adds a sense of grandeur to the quaint beauty of the gardens.

40. Edward Everett Hale by Bela Lyon Pratt

The writer and Unitarian minister Edward Everett Hale came from a family with a fascinating past. His great uncle, Nathan Hale, was executed for espionage against the British during the Revolutionary War, and another uncle, Edward Everett, had a long political career in both the Massachusetts state and federal governments. Through his wife’s family, Hale was also related to Harriett Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Hale distinguished himself first as a clergyman and later as a writer. He edited the Boston Daily Advertiser as well as other periodicals, and he authored a variety of works, from historical biographies to short stories and essays. An opponent of slavery, he was also a leader in the Social Gospel movement, which advocated for social reform in areas like labor, education, and sanitation. During the last several years of his life, Hale served as Chaplain for the US Senate. This 1913 bronze statue was sculpted by Bela Lyon Pratt and was financed through publicly donated funds. Pratt has portrayed Hale as an older man in a naturalistic pose. He is not depicted preaching or writing—the activities for which he was best known—but instead seems to be enjoying a moment alone, perhaps on a slightly labored stroll through a garden.

41. Triton Babies Fountain by Anna Coleman Ladd

Born in Pennsylvania and educated in Europe, Anna Coleman Watts Ladd moved to Boston in 1905, eventually becoming one of the city’s most prolific sculptors. Her ambition was to make art more accessible to the public. These boisterous figures, named after the son of the sea god Poseidon, wrestle among spurts of water when the fountain is turned on. Ladd also engaged in more serious projects; for example, she worked with the American Red Cross to fashion masks for World War I veterans who had suffered disfiguring facial injuries. This 1922 bronze fountain was originally situated at the current site of the White Memorial across from the home of Bostonian Mrs. Boylston Beal, who donated the fountain to the public after seeing it exhibited in San Francisco. The work was relocated to its current site in 1924.

42. Make Way for Ducklings by Nancy Schön

A favorite Boston landmark, this sculpture by Nancy Schön was created in 1987 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Public Garden. It pays tribute to Robert McCloskey’s popular children book, written in 1941, about a family of ducks who make their home here. To reach the lagoon in the Public Garden, Mrs. Mallard, the mother duck, leads her babies across a series of dangerous streets assisted by a friendly police officer. Because of the story’s close association with Boston, no replicas exist in other cities, with the exception of an installation in Gorky Park in Moscow at the request of Russian First Lady Raisa Gorbachev.

43. The Founders Memorial by John Francis Paramino

Commissioned for the 300th anniversary of Boston’s founding, this piece depicts the city’s first English resident, William Blackstone, greeting colonial governor John Winthrop and his company. Blackstone is considered the first white settler to have lived in present-day Boston. Winthrop originally landed in the area of Charlestown, north of the current city center, but he relocated and joined Blackstone after finding Charlestown unsuitable for settlement.

As Winthrop and the European settlers disembark, their ship, the Arabella, floats in the background. Among the newcomers is Ann Pollard, Boston’s first white female inhabitant – here depicted as a child though she was a woman at the time of her arrival. On the left of the main scene, two Native Americans observe the Europeans’ arrival to Shawmut, renamed Boston, not yet aware of the impending devastation to their culture by the European immigrants. On the right, a female figure representing Boston looks on, accompanied by a soldier. Together, the female figure and the soldier symbolize the growth of the city and the protection of its inhabitants. Interestingly, the depiction of William Blackstone resembles James Curley, mayor of Boston at the time of the commission. The memorial’s reverse side is inscribed with quotations by Mayor Curley, John Winthrop, and William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth Colony.

44. Oneida Football Tablet by J. Howland Jones and Joseph Coletti

Did you know that the first organized football games in the United States took place on the Boston Common? The Oneida Club was founded in 1862. It is questionable how much the Oneida games resemble either modern American football or soccer; their rules and the ball they played with were quite different. The contemporary-looking soccer ball above the inscription was added in the 1990s, replacing an oblong ball that looked more like an American football. Efforts now exist to restore the ball to its original football shape.

45. Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument by Martin Milmore

Boston’s most elaborate memorial, this work serves as the City’s tribute to its citizens who fought on land and sea during the Civil War. Its design incorporates a number of abstract symbols. For example, four figures at the base of the column symbolize the cardinal directions of North, South, East, and West. Crowning the column is an allegorical female figure representing the Genius of America. Lastly, four bronze plaques located on the base show troops departing to and returning from war, while the other two pay tribute to the Navy and the Boston Sanitation Commission. Boston sculptor Martin Milmore created the monument, and Harvard president Charles W. Eliot penned the featured inscription. In honoring ordinary soldiers and sailors, rather than military leaders, this work set an important precedent adopted by the designers of subsequent memorials.

Originally, the sculpture also included four bronze figures, each placed at a corner of the monument’s base and representing Peace, the Sailor, the Muse of History, and the Soldier. These figures are in need of repair and were removed to prevent further deterioration. The memorial, among many others, is up for adoption in the Boston Art Commission’s Adopt-A-Statue program, which raises the funds needed to repair and maintain works of public art.

46. Frogs of Tadpole Playground by David Phillips

The Boston Common’s Frog Pond has been a favorite site for Boston-area families since it opened in 1894. The Mayor is said to have closed schools the day after Frog Pond opened, freeing children to visit the new attraction. The pond was renovated in 1996, and an overhaul of the adjacent playground began a few years later. Local artist David Phillip’s personified bronze frogs quickly became a Boston icon, especially among the under-10 set. What’s not to love about oversized amphibians doing human things— fishing, sulking, taking a bath?

47. Mosaics in Tadpole Playground by Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg and Marvin Rosenberg

Located next to the Frog Pond, Tadpole Playground features a vibrant mosaic that appeals to children and adults alike. The mosaic technique dates back thousands of years, to when artists first began to arrange pebbles and small stones into patterns. As the technique became more refined, artists experimented with various materials—most frequently ceramic and glass—in order to achieve certain effects. For example, ceramic tiles (called “tesserae”) are opaque and can be deeply colored, whereas glass tesserae reflect light. Cultures from all over Europe and the Middle East have used mosaics to decorate both secular and religious buildings, including synagogues and mosques. Created with glazed ceramic pieces, this contemporary work recalls the natural themes prevalent in many Islamic mosaics, but it features a more open, less geometric design.

48. Boston Massacre Monument/Crispus Attucks Monument by Robert Adolf Kraus

The Freedom Trail merges with the Black Heritage Trail on Oliver Wendell Holmes Walk in the Boston Common. Here, a monument commemorates the events of March 5, 1770, when British soldiers, later to be successfully defended by John Adams, shot down five Bostonians. Crispus Attucks is the best known of these five. He is widely hailed as a hero of the American Revolution, although little information about him can be verified. According to some reports, Attucks was of African and Native American descent and had fled to Boston after escaping his enslavers. Attucks’ grave is located in the nearby Granary Burying Ground.

At the column’s base, a bronze plaque illustrates the infamous event. Its two central figures are sculpted in high relief, meaning that parts of the figures are three-dimensional and jut out significantly from the background. You may notice that one figure’s hand is shinier than the surrounding bronze. It has been polished by visitors reaching out to touch it.

A figure representing the Spirit of the Revolution presides over the monument. She triumphantly displays a broken chain to symbolize liberty, as well as an American flag. With one foot, she steps on the crown of the British monarchy, and next to her other foot, an eagle prepares to take flight. Her exposed breast and outstretched arm evoke the main figure in Eugène Delacroix’s iconic painting Liberty Guiding the People, a powerful symbol of the French Revolution that the sculptor, Robert Kraus, would have known.

49. Declaration of Independence Tablet by John Francis Paramino

To mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, the Board of Park Commissioners allocated funds for this commemorative tablet. Although the Declaration was signed in Philadelphia, not Boston, several prominent Bostonians helped to draft and approve it, including John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine—all of whom are depicted here, and some of whom are buried in nearby cemeteries. Sculptor John Francis Paramino modeled his monument’s bronze relief on John Trumbull’s famous large-scale painting, Declaration of Independence, which was hung in the Rotunda of the Capitol building in 1826. Beneath the scene, the Declaration’s text is inscribed in a script nearly identical to that found on the original document.

50. Parkman Plaza: Learning, Religion, and Industry by Arcangelo Cascieri and Adio di Biccari

These three bronze figures, symbolizing Learning, Religion, and Industry, are dedicated to the memory of Boston philanthropist George Francis Parkman, Jr. (1823-1908), son of famed murder victim Dr. George F. Parkman. The younger Parkman’s generous contributions to the City of Boston resulted in many improvements to the Emerald Necklace, a series of parks designed by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The chain of green space snakes through several Boston neighborhoods, from Back Bay to Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

Sculptor Adio di Biccari worked with his brother-in-law, woodcarver and architect Arcangelo Cascieri, to create these three figures. Slightly smaller than life-sized, they represent Boston’s intellectual, spiritual, and industrial energy. To help us identify each figure’s significance, the artists gave them attributes: Learning clutches a book, Industry wields a jackhammer, and Religion holds no material objects but instead kneels with his palms outspread, as if in prayer. Arcangelo Casciera served as the Dean of the Boston Architectural Center from 1943 until his death in 1997.

51. Commodore John Barry by John Francis Paramino

Known as “the Father of the American Navy,” Commodore Barry commanded three ships during the Revolutionary War, including the Alliance, which won the war’s final naval battle. In 1794, President Washington asked Barry to organize a formal United States Navy, and Barry went on to serve as senior captain when an undeclared naval war with France broke out in 1798. There are two copies of this memorial in existence. The first was commissioned by the City of Boston in 1949, but it was later stolen. A replacement was installed in 1977, funded by the Henderson Foundation. The stolen plaque was eventually returned, and it is now in the collection of the USS Constitution Museum nearby in Charlestown.

52. The Brewer Fountain by Paul Lienard

Gardner Brewer purchased this fountain as a donation to the city after seeing it at a World’s Fair in Paris in 1867. The sculpture was first placed outside the Brewer home on Beacon Street and was moved to its current location a few years later. The fountain’s base features two couples from Greek mythology: the sea god Poseidon and his consort Amphitrite, and Acis and Galatea. In modern adaptations of an ancient Greek myth, Galatea is known as the statue who came to life after her sculptor, Pygmalion, fell in love with her. References to Greek and Roman myths can be found in much Neo-Classical art and architecture, which flourished during the 19th century.

The fountain has sustained much damage over the years. In 1957, one figure was torn from its base and knocked over during a treasure hunt for the key to a free automobile. Expecting to find the key somewhere in the Boston Common, eager crowds searched through the flowers and shrubs and among the park’s many statues. Since then, the Brewer Fountain has since undergone extensive repairs to the stone basin and bronze figures, as well as the interior piping system.

53. Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment by Augustus Saint-Gaudens

The famous American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens spent over a decade creating this bronze bas- relief monument, which is generally considered one of his finest works. It commemorates the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, the first volunteer regiment of African-American soldiers, active during the Civil War. The Regiment was led by white colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the son of prominent Boston abolitionists.

Shaw and his regiment are famous for their assault on Fort Wagner in 1863. Outnumbered, many of the troops, including Shaw, were killed and buried in a mass grave by Confederate soldiers. One of the soldiers who survived the assault, William H. Carney, received a Medal of Honor in recognition of his bravery. The 54th also reportedly included Frederick Douglass’ two sons and the grandson of abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

In the relief, an angel accompanies the men as they march down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863, leaving Boston to head south. She holds an olive branch, which symbolizes peace, and poppies, which symbolize death. Through this imagery, Saint-Gaudens alludes to both the soldiers’ individual fates and the North’s eventual victory. Other features of the relief are realistic, rather than symbolic. For example, each soldier’s face is markedly distinct, endowed with a unique appearance and expression. Saint-Gaudens’ respect for the soldiers is shown through his efforts to portrays them as individuals, not simply as a group. In 1982, the names of the African-American soldiers who died were added to the reverse side of the memorial.

54. Henry Cabot Lodge by Raymond Averill Porter

Historian and statesman Henry Cabot Lodge was raised in the elite society of late-nineteenth-century Boston. During a political career lasting nearly forty years, Lodge served in the state and national legislatures, becoming a main player in the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Lodge was known for his imperialist views, as he advocated annexation of the Philippines following the Spanish-American war. He also favored American involvement in World War I. When the war ended, Lodge stridently opposed President Wilson’s Fourteen Points and helped to block participation in the League of Nations, believing that the penalties imposed on Germany were too weak and would not prevent the country from once again becoming a military threat.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts commissioned this sculpture a few years after Lodge’s death. Local artist Raymond Averill Porter, a faculty member at the Boston Museum School, chose to commemorate Lodge with a likeness that appears neither impassioned nor heroic, but instead contemplative and perhaps a bit weary.

55. Anne Hutchinson by Cyrus Edwin Dallin

An early advocate for religious freedom, Anne Hutchinson moved from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634. Hutchinson’s beliefs differed in subtle yet significant ways from those of the colony’s Puritan majority. For example, she challenged the belief that women were born into a more sinful state than men, and she invited women to study the Bible on their own, without relying on the interpretations of male ministers. As a result, Hutchinson was banished for heresy in 1638 and fled to the area that would soon become Rhode Island, a colony safer for religious minorities.

The Anne Hutchinson Memorial Association and the State Federation of Women’s Clubs funded this statue, which highlights Hutchinson’s role as a spiritual guide to women—even, one could argue, as an early feminist. She looks up to the sky, Bible held to her chest, as a young girl seeks protection at her side.

56. John F. Kennedy by Isabel McIlvain

This beloved president was born in the Boston suburb of Brookline and began his political career in Massachusetts. Kennedy served first in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate after ousting incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (grandson of Henry Cabot Lodge, commemorated nearby). On January 20, 1961, Kennedy became the youngest elected president of the United States, at age 43. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, a day forever etched into American history.

This sculpture captures Kennedy’s youth and poise as he walks confidently out of the Massachusetts State House. With his arms bent and his gaze focused straight ahead, the figure appears to stride with a purpose in mind—perhaps his destination or the next task at hand. Eight maple leaves and 68 seedpods are inscribed on the pedestal, which together represent death and regeneration. The statue was dedicated on the 73rd anniversary of Kennedy’s birth. History buffs can visit many JFK-themed sites in the Boston area, including the house where he was born (now owned by the National Parks Service) and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.

57. Daniel Webster by Hiram Powers

In the decades leading up to the Civil War, Daniel Webster distinguished himself as one of the country’s foremost politicians. He first rose to prominence as an attorney and as an advocate for the New England shipping industry, which was threatened at the time by England’s efforts to interfere with American trade. Webster was elected to the House of Representatives in 1812 and to the Senate ten years later, and also served as Secretary of State under three different presidents. During the 1840s, Webster consistently worked to facilitate compromise between northern and southern states to preserve the union and prevent war. His fellow politicians recognized him as a particularly eloquent and convincing speaker.

Here, sculptor Hiram Powers has captured Webster as if he were standing before an audience, perhaps on the Senate floor. In his right hand, he holds a rolled-up scroll; his left hand rests on a fasces, a bundle of reeds surrounding an ax. During the time of the Roman Republic, fasces were carried as symbols of political power during processions and other events. Over the centuries, they have retained this association with governance, specifically with representative forms of government.

58. Horace Mann by Emma Stebbins

Draped in a long robe and clasping a book to his chest, this figure looks more like a philosopher or a preacher than a political hero. In fact, Horace Mann was both an important politician and an influential thinker whose ideas about educational reform shaped the modern American public school system.

Mann’s desire to improve public schools may have been prompted in part by his own experiences. As a child, Mann was kept busy working on his family’s farm in Franklin, MA, and he attended school only three months out of the year. But he educated himself at the local library and went on to attend Brown University, where he developed an interest in social reform and education. After graduating as valedictorian, Mann pursued a career as a lawyer and then as a politician. He left the state Senate in 1837 to serve as the first Massachusetts Secretary of Education in 1837 and worked tirelessly to bolster public schools by increasing funding, promoting legislation, and improving training for teachers. Mann ended his career in education as President of Antioch College in Ohio—one of the few institutions to accept African-American students at the time.

59. General Joseph Hooker by Daniel Chester French and Edward C. Potter

A native of Hadley, MA, General “Fighting Joe” Hooker served in the Mexican-American War and commanded the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. He obtained the post in 1863, after boldly writing to President Lincoln to complain about the incompetence of the military and to request a new commission. Hooker established himself as a dedicated and aggressive leader, as well as a capable administrator, and was deeply respected by his soldiers. After suffering a devastating defeat at the Battle of Chancellorsville against General Robert E. Lee, Hooker transferred to a new post and contributed to General Ulysses S. Grant’s victory at the Battle of Chattanooga.

Sculptors Daniel Chester French and Edward C. Potter have depicted Hooker in a traditionally heroic manner that allows viewers to literally look up the general in order to appreciate his role as a notable military leader. French created the figure of Hooker while Potter modeled the horse. This might explain why Hooker appears slightly stiff or even off-balance atop the horse. During his long career, French became one of the most important American sculptors of his era. Nearly all Americans are familiar with at least one of his works: the towering statue of President Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial.

60. Mary Dyer by Sylvia Shaw Judson

This sculpture commemorates Mary Dyer, who sacrificed her life for the right to religious freedom. Like her friend Anne Hutchinson, who is also commemorated with a sculpture on this Art Walk, Dyer challenged traditional Puritanism with her progressive beliefs. Governor John Winthrop repeatedly exiled Dyer from Massachusetts, but she returned to the colony nevertheless to visit imprisoned friends and protest her sentence. In 1660, she was hanged on the Boston Common for refusing to repent her supposedly heretical views. The sculptor Sylvia Shaw Judson — the author of The Quiet Eye: A Way of Looking at Pictures and herself a Quaker—has depicted Dyer in a reserved pose with no adornment. These qualities echo the value Quakers place on simplicity in speech, dress, and other aspects of everyday life.

61. Congregational House Bas-Reliefs by Domingo Mora

The Congregational House was built in 1898 to house various religious and secular organizations associated with the Congregational faith, a Protestant denomination that flourished in the New England colonies. Among its original tenants were a bookstore, a printing press, and educational and missionary associations. Today, the building houses the Congregational Library and Archive. A wealth of historical and religious documents can be found in its collections, including a ledger recording Benjamin Franklin’s baptism in 1706.

On the House’s exterior, four marble carvings illustrate the core values of the building’s first occupants. At the far right, a scene representing Law shows the Church members signing the Covenant. The next scene, Faith, depicts Church members holding services outdoors. This portrayal emphasizes the autonomous nature of Congregational Churches, which function independently of higher governing organizations. The third relief represents Education and portrays the founding of Harvard College by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Finally, the last relief illustrates Philanthropy. Here, missionary John Eliot is shown preaching to a group of Native Americans. The reliefs were carved by Spanish artist Domingo Mora, who also worked on the exterior of the Boston Public Library.

62. Massachusetts Fallen Firefighters Memorial by Michael Kenny

Efforts to construct a memorial to fallen firefighters began in 2000 with the formation of a non-profit association. After seven years of fundraising and planning, this memorial was unveiled. Its design features three elements: the central bronze figures, a Ring of Honor consisting of bricks inscribed with the names of deceased firefighters, and the Firefighters’ Prayer and Bell, placed to the side of the figures and ring. Sculptor Robert Shure also designed the Boston Irish Famine Memorial, located near Downtown Crossing, and a Korean War memorial in Charlestown Navy Yard.

63. Beacon Hill Monument/The Eagle copy after Charles Bulfinch

This stately column stands in the place of the city’s earliest alarm system. Shortly after arriving in Boston, the colonists erected a beacon on top of the area’s highest hill—then called Centry, or Sentinel, Hill—in order to announce any impending danger, such as fire or an attack on the settlement. According to historical records, the beacon was never used, but it eventually became a landmark. Heavy winds knocked down the original beacon in 1789, and architect Charles Bulfinch designed a new structure, consisting of a Doric brick column placed on a stone pedestal and topped with a gilded eagle. The monument you see today is a reproduction of Bulfinch’s column, which had to be removed when the top of the hill was leveled in 1811.

64. Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial by Michael Kenny

At the time of this memorial’s dedication, it was inscribed with the names of 282 Massachusetts Law Enforcement officers—including federal, state, local, and corrections officers, as well as county sheriffs— who were killed in the line of duty. Some had perished recently, others a century or more ago. At the center of the memorial, a granite badge with a black band symbolizes the officers’ dedication to protecting the public and the sacrifices they made pursuing that duty. The memorial was unveiled in 2004 with a ceremony attended by a crowd of more than 2,000.

65. Garden of Peace by Judy Kensley McKie and Catherine Melina

Built to honor victims of homicide, the Garden of Peace offers a meditative place for reflection. It consists of a dry riverbed filled with small stones, each inscribed with the name of an individual lost to violence. To experience the memorial, walk along the riverbed, which mirrors the process of grieving. At one end, a black granite stone called "Tragic Density" symbolizes the weight of loss. At the other end, a statue of birds in flight, known as "Ibis Ascending," represents the power of hope. Boston landscape architect Catherine Milena designed the Garden while local artist Judy Kensley McKee, who tragically lost her own son to street violence, created the bird sculpture.

66. Wall Drawing #1128: Vertical and Diagonal Broken Bands of Color by Sol LeWitt first drawn by: John Hogan, Denise Kupferschmidt, Sebastien Leclercq, Hidemi Nomura, Joakim Schmidt, Brandon Sullivan

Emphasizing geometry and repetitive patterns in his work, Sol LeWitt brought recognition to the Conceptual Art movement in the 1960s. Over the following years his art became both increasingly complex and increasingly playful, and around 1980 he began to incorporate bright colors in his wall drawings. As is typical of LeWitt’s work, a group of assistants executed this piece, guided by precise written instructions and diagrams from LeWitt, who wrote that the artist’s idea “becomes a machine that makes the art.” Although conceptual artists generally deemphasize the appearance of a work of art, instead highlighting the ideas that determine its form, LeWitt’s wall drawings are both conceptually driven and visually appealing, even decorative. © 2009 The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

67. Human Element by Gerald M. Sherman

As its title indicates, this semi-abstract sculpture hints at the human form. The large piece of marble evokes the form of a reclining, twisted torso, although the precise anatomical parts are hard to make out and the body incomplete. In its medium and its subject, Human Element recalls ancient Greek and Roman figurative sculptures, which were also carved from large blocks of marble. Many of these sculptures have been damaged over the centuries and are missing extremities. For this work by contemporary artist Gerald S. Sherman, the figure’s lack of arms, legs, or a head results in a clean, graceful design that brings out the natural beauty of the marble. Human Element was funded by a 1% for Art program, which encouraged developers of new buildings to devote at least 1% of the construction budget to art.

68. Thermopylae by Dimitri Hadzi

Named after the battle between Spartans and Persians in 480 BC, this quasi-abstract work integrates American sculptor Dimitri Hadzi’s interests in myth, history, and armor. Hadzi has also stated that the sculpture was inspired in part by John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage, which features the stories of eight US Senators who remained committed to their ideals despite great opposition. In general, though, Hadzi’s work is known not for its thematic content but for its craftsmanship and formal properties. Through his use of heavy bronze protrusions, and through the sculpture’s open composition, Hadzi emphasizes the contrast between dense volume and empty space. More art, including New England Elegy, an abstract mural by Robert Motherwell, can be found inside the JFK Federal Building along with Full Circle by Herbert Ferber. All three pieces were funded through a % for art program.

69. Mayor John Frederick Collins by John McCormack

This piece was created as a memorial to John Frederick Collins, Mayor of Boston from 1960 to 1968. Collins was known for revitalizing downtown Boston and building the current City Hall. In 1962, a competition was held to choose the new building’s design, and Gerhard M. Kallmann, Noel M. McKinnell, and Edward F. Knowles won with their imposing modernist structure. Their design has been a source of debate ever since its unveiling; some defend the building as an important and innovative example of Brutalist architecture while others find it ugly and unwelcoming. In creating his tribute to Collins, Boston-based artist John McCormack was inspired by the forms of City Hall’s exterior. In his words, “The grid pattern of this memorial represents the modern city with the same density and lines of the building.”

70. Nancy, A Passage of Time by Rick Lee

The Drucker family commissioned this sculpture in honor of their deceased daughter and sister, Nancy, who was killed in a car accident in 1975. They donated the piece to the city and dedicated it on May 30th, 1978, the date of Nancy’s 28th birthday. Although the sculpture might be said to resemble an open book, it is primarily abstract. The two materials used to create it—stainless steel and Cor-Ten steel—create contrast in the work’s surface as the Cor-Ten half rusts with exposure to the elements, and the stainless half resists that decay. The Cor-Ten surface, then, marks the passage of time as it corrodes, alluding to our collective mortality, while the stainless element retains its sheen, as does Nancy’s memory through this memorial.

71. King’s Chapel and Granary Burying Grounds by various artists

Located a block apart, the Granary Burying Ground and the King’s Chapel Burying Ground are two of the oldest cemeteries in Boston, dating to 1630 and 1660, respectively. Studying their weathered tombstones gives us a glimpse of how colonial-era Americans pictured death. Interestingly, many of the tombstones are decorated with secular or universally spiritual, not Christian, themes, such as skeletons, winged skulls, and hourglasses – though they specifically address concerns of death and resurrection. Some of the grave markers also feature detailed narrative scenes. Look for Joseph Tapping’s marker in the King’s Chapel cemetery, which depicts a skeleton extinguishing a candle that represents life. Is the bearded figure, a symbol for the Angel of Death, assisting or forcing the skeleton to end life? Hundreds of years later, these morbid images as well as Latin phrases reminding us to “live mindful of death” and that “time is fleeting” retain their potency.

72. City Carpet by Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg

Shaped like a hopscotch grid, this mosaic marks the original site of the Boston Latin School, the first public school in the US. The school educated many influential politicians and writers, including Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Although girls are depicted in the images of children at play, no girls were admitted to the school until the mid-19th century; the school became officially co-educational in 1972. Another mosaic by New England artist Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg is located near Frog Pond in the Boston Common.

73. Benjamin Franklin by Richard Saltonstall Greenough and Thomas Ball

Benjamin Franklin has long captured the imagination of the American people. We admire him not only for his specific accomplishments, but also for his ingenuity and his ability to excel in so many different roles: politician, writer, publisher, diplomat, scientist, and inventor. This tribute to Franklin honors his many talents and commemorates his Boston roots. It is situated at the original site of the Boston Latin School, which Franklin attended.

Richard S. Greenough’s 8-foot tall bronze figure depicts Franklin with fur trim, a tricorner hat and a cane, his less-than-ideal physique compelling nonetheless. On the base below, four bronze plaques, designed by Greenough and sculptor Thomas Ball, depict significant moments in Franklin’s life. He is shown learning to use a printing press as a boy, conducting his famous kite experiment, signing the Declaration of Independence, and signing the Treaty of Paris in 1873, which ended the Revolutionary War. The sculpture was erected to honor the 150th anniversary of Franklin’s birth and was financed with funds collected from the public. This was Thomas Ball’s first public commission, launching his long and successful career as a sculptor of public monuments.

74. Josiah Quincy by Thomas Ball

Thomas Ball created this statue of Boston politician Josiah Quincy III twelve years after receiving his first public commission of nearby Benjamin Frankin. Quincy came from a politically active family, and his father had been an outspoken opponent of British oppression in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. Ball captures this legacy through his stately portrayal of a focused yet serene leader.

During the five years he served as Mayor of Boston, Quincy expanded the Faneuil Hall marketplace—a bustling commercial center for a quickly growing city. In order to secure a large enough site, he had some of the neighboring harbor filled in with dirt. (This was not the first time the land’s topology had been changed to accommodate new buildings. See below for Ross Miller’s contemporary artwork, Harbor Shoreline, which outlines the harbor’s location during the 17th century.) Today, the entire marketplace is often referred to as Quincy Market, since one of the buildings bears the former Mayor’s name. Quincy left his post in 1829 to become the 16th president of Harvard College. This statue is placed at the site of the Old City Hall, although the building where Quincy served was replaced in 1865 with the structure that remains today.

75. Democratic Donkey by unknown artist

Also located in the courtyard of the Old City Hall is a statue of a donkey, a symbol long associated with the Democratic Party. The donkey first appeared in 1837 in a political cartoon satirizing the recently retired President Andrew Jackson, known by his opponents as a ‘jackass.’ Several decades later, cartoonist Thomas Nast popularized the donkey symbol, although he too originally intended it as an insult. Nast also helped to establish the elephant as the Republican Party mascot in a cartoon from 1874. Although the donkey had not been adopted as the official symbol of the Democratic Party, all twenty of the Democratic mayors who served at the Old City Hall used the well-known mascot.

Our sculpted donkey is depicted looking down at a pair of footprints cast in bronze. The Republican elephant is inscribed in both footprints, and a cryptic message appears below: “stand in opposition.” But who is opposing what? Is the donkey standing up against the elephant? Or has he just found evidence of a determined foe crossing his path? The message is left up to the viewer to interpret.

76. Boston Irish Famine Memorial by Robert Shure

In 1845, a quickly spreading mold began to destroy potato plants in Ireland, unleashing what we now know as the Great Famine. Many of the poor in Ireland depended on potatoes as their primary food source, and about one-eighth of the population died from hunger or disease over the following years. Those more fortunate fled the country, with over 1.5 million Irish arriving in the United States. Boston was a favored place for the Irish start their new lives.

This memorial was unveiled in June 1998 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Great Famine. The memorial includes eight narrative plaques about the Famine and two groups of figures, one deeply affected by the Famine, and the other looking healthy and well fed. Through these two opposed groups, sculptor Robert Shure has highlighted the significance of Ireland’s class structure during the Famine. Poor farmers and rural laborers were far more likely to die from hunger and disease than the urban population of white-collar workers. Considered outside of its historical context, the sculpture encourages us to reflect on similarly unjust conditions that persist today.

77. Boston Bricks by Kate Burke and Gregg Lefevre

A hidden treasure in Winthrop Lane! It’s easy to miss these bronze reliefs set into the brick road, which celebrate Boston’s past and present. Many refer to famous events, including the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Marathon. Others show characteristics associated with Boston and its residents. One depicts a Boston driver, turned into a monster behind the wheel, to illustrate the city’s reputation for nightmarish traffic.

78. Robert Burns by Henry Hudson Kitson

The foremost poet of Scotland, Robert Burns is known for his original poems as well as his adaptations of folk songs, which he wrote in the Scottish dialect. His best-known work is Auld Lang Syne, traditionally sung on New Year’s Eve. Small details and personal touches set this sculpture of Burns apart from many of the other bronze sculptures featured on the Public Art Tour. The poet is depicted on a stroll through the countryside, accompanied by a book and his Collie dog. His walking stick and well-worn shoes give the impression that he went on such excursions often. They also illustrate the pastoral themes so prevalent in his verse. Despite his youthful, sturdy appearance here, Burns died at the age of 37 from a heart condition he may have developed during his childhood, spent working on the family farm. This statue was first placed in the Fens—an ideal site for an afternoon stroll. It was moved to Winthrop Square in 1975.

79. Bronze Panels by Paul Fjelde

Completed in 1929, the Art Deco-style building at 75 Federal Street was expanded in the 1980s, hence the building’s double address. These original bronze panels on the 1929 building’s façade depict human accomplishments in such areas as agriculture, manufacturing, and architecture. Inside, the building’s lobby is lavishly decorated, with yellow and black marble surfaces, gilded elevator doors, and coordinated light fixtures.

Art Deco design developed in France and originally featured natural motifs, such as geometrical patterns of leaves and flowers. However, as artists in other countries adopted the style, they also altered it to fit the modern and industrial urban environment. With their streamlined, linear forms and emphasis on modern technology, these panels give Art Deco a distinctly American twist.

80. Anti-Ram Bench by Fredrick Reeder

Like many contemporary works of public art, this piece changes the way that the space around it can be used. It is, essentially, a barrier, inhibiting access to the wide entranceway of 100 Federal Street. Pedestrians must move around it or slip through the narrow space between the halves of granite. The work was installed after 9/11, in part to keep motor vehicles from approaching the building.

Abstract public works like this one can be polarizing, sparking heated debates about the purpose of art and its relationship with the people who view it daily. For example, Richard Serra’s Tilted Arc of 1981—a 12-foot tall steel wall erected on Federal Plaza in New York City—was removed after local officials complained that the public found it cumbersome and depressing. Serra responded, “I don’t think it is the function of art to be pleasing.”

81. Creature Pond by Lowry Burgess, Donald Burgy, John Cataldo, Carlos Dorrien, Robert Guillemin, David Phillips, Sydney Roberts Rockefeller, William H. Wainwright, Clara Wainwright

Nine artists contributed to this whimsical sculpture, which was added to Post Office Square in 1982, during a period of extensive renovations to the site. The bronze pond is home to a variety of bronze wildlife, including ducks, frogs, and dragonflies. This celebration of nature complements the location well, since a nearby fountain is dedicated to the memory of George Thorndike Angell, founder of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

82. Immanent Circumstance by Howard Ben Tre

At lunchtime, the Norman P. Leventhal Park at Post Office Square hosts a crowd of businesspeople eager for a few minutes away from the office. Among the park’s permanent residents are two fountains designed by Rhode Island artist Howard Ben Tré. Together, they form a unified installation, composed of a 12-foot-tall circular fountain in the park’s north plaza and a an urn-like structure in the south plaza. With their minimalist, abstract designs and glass surfaces, the fountains fit in well with the contemporary buildings surrounding the square while, also evoking traditional forms: a garden gazebo and a piece of classical pottery. Ben Tré has received numerous commissions for public art, including a fountain for the Mary Baker Eddy Library, located in Back Bay.

83. Hungarian Revolution Memorial by Gyuri Hollosy

This memorial commemorates a struggle against political repression. The Hungarian Revolution began in the fall of 1956, when a group of students demonstrating in Budapest were shot at by the Soviet state police. The uprising quickly spread as Hungarians wrested control of their government from the Soviets. After delaying their response, the Soviets moved to quash the uprising and restore their rule, killing over 2,500 Hungarians in the fighting that ensued. Although the Soviets regained control of the country, their brutal response undermined the legitimacy of Soviet communism and created rifts among their European sympathizers.

Here, sculptor Gyuri Hollósy pays tribute to the heroism of Hungary’s citizens. The female figure atop the sculpture, who raises her baby toward the sky, stands on a foundation of rubble mixed with the bodies of young demonstrators. Amid the chaos, a wounded man waves the Hungarian flag. Hollósy created his sculpture from many overlapping pieces of bronze, creating a highly textured and expressive surface that enhances the emotional intensity of the scene. A plaque next to the memorial quotes John F. Kennedy praising Hungarians for their “courage, conscience, and triumph.”

The violence of 1956 prompted thousands of Hungarians to flee, some settling in the United States. In 2006, on the revolution’s fiftieth anniversary, Boston’s Hungarian community gathered around this memorial to remember the uprising and celebrate Hungary’s hard-won democracy.

84. The Old State House sculptures: Lion and Unicorn by unknown artist

Built in 1713, the Old State House was the seat of government for the Massachusetts Bay Colony before the American Revolution. These sculptures, symbols of the British Empire, were torn down and burnt in a bonfire in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony. Replicas have been in place since the building’s restoration in 1882. While the originals were wooden, the pieces you see now are made of copper. Inside, the Bostonian Society runs a museum exploring Revolutionary history.

85. Samuel Adams by Anne Whitney

This bronze sculpture is based on an earlier marble version, which Anne Whitney created for the Capitol building in Washington, DC. The City of Boston then requested a replica to be placed in front of Faneuil Hall, where Adams participated in town meetings to discuss British taxation and occupation. Despite the success of this commission, Whitney was barred from sculpting another male figure only a few years later (see Charles Sumner).

Here, Whitney has depicted Adams with arms crossed in a gesture of defiance, evoking his attitude toward British governance. Adams began his political career as a tax collector and a vocal critic of unfair taxation on the colonies. Along with John Hancock, he founded the Sons of Liberty to protest the Stamp Act and later served as a delegate to the Continental Congresses. After the Revolution, Adams remained firmly opposed to strong centralized government, even in the new nation he helped to establish.

86. Harbor Shoreline by Ross Miller

Over the past 375 years, the site we now know as Faneuil Hall has been dramatically transformed, from salty tidal marsh to harbor wharf to active urban plaza. In order to build the original Faneuil Hall, the colonists filled in parts of the surrounding water with dirt, creating additional land. The site was expanded again several decades later. Numerous sections of the city’s current land were created through landfill, including most of South Boston and the entire Back Bay. In fact, colonial Boston was less than half the size the city is now. A new public artwork in the South End entitled LandWave, will mark the narrow isthmus that once led visitors to Boston.

Local artist Ross Miller has demarcated the original Boston Harbor of 1630 by etching the old shoreline onto the present site. Also included are images of materials that might be found at the high-tide line, such as sea grass, shells, fish, and old rope. These elements have a subtle yet profound effect, bringing the geographical boundaries of the past to our feet in the present.

87. Faneuil Hall Grasshopper by Shem Drowne

This grasshopper weathervane was placed on the original Faneuil Hall market and meeting place when it was built in 1742. Although the first building no longer exists, the grasshopper has endured as a mercantile symbol and Boston icon. Shem Drowne, a Boston craftsman, made the creature from gilded copper and glass. It is believed to be modeled after a similar weathervane on the Royal Exchange in London, which may have given the grasshopper its association with trade.

88. Mayor Kevin White by Pablo Eduardo

With his jacket thrown over his shoulder and a spring in his step, former Boston mayor Kevin White appears to be in a hurry. This oversized statue depicts him walking away from City Hall and toward Quincy Market, which he renovated and expanded in the 1970s. White was one of the city’s longest- serving mayors, holding the office from 1968 to 1984. While in office, he fought to implement rent control and supported the desegregation of Boston schools. Along less serious lines, he also convinced the Rhode Island State Police to release the members of the Rolling Stones from jail so that they could make a scheduled appearance in Boston. Through his lifelike depiction, Massachusetts artist Pablo Eduardo has emphasized White’s populist appeal.

89. Mayor James Michael Curley by Lloyd Lillie

During a political career lasting 50 years, filled with peaks and valleys, James Michael Curley achieved his status as a Boston legend. He began his political career as a ward boss in the South End, then a neighborhood of Irish immigrants. Beginning in 1914, he served four terms as mayor, though none of them consecutive. In between his terms, Curley was elected to the House of Representatives and the Governor’s Office, and he also spent several months in jail for fraud. Though he never lacked enemies, Curley remained popular among his constituents, who benefited from the major public improvements he sponsored. Most notably, he renovated public spaces, created new jobs, and expanded access to healthcare and transportation.

This tribute to Curley was funded by the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund, created in 1892 to beautify the City of Boston. Local artist Lloyd Lillie won the commission with two bronze likenesses of the former mayor, one standing wearing a campaign button and one seated casually on a bench. At the statue’s unveiling, Mayor Kevin White (see above) claimed that the two statues illustrated “the duality of Curley’s appeal” as both “a man of authority and a man with a genuine concern and compassion for the public he served.” On the accompanying plaque, an inscription from Shakespeare’s Hamlet acknowledges Curley’s extraordinary personality, as well as his imperfections.

90. Arnold “Red” Auerbach by Lloyd Lillie

This statue was unveiled for the 68th birthday of Boston Celtics coach and manager Arnold “Red” Auerbach (1917-2006). As coach, Auerbach led the Celtics to nine NBA titles. He was also the first coach to draft an African-American player. Here, Auerbach is shown courtside, about to light a victory cigar. Visitors are invited to take a seat and join in the celebration. Also note the cast sneakers of famous athletes Bill Rodgers and Larry Bird nearby.

91. The Reading Circle by the American History Workshop

Until recently, a busy elevated highway cut through the center of Boston. A massive construction project nicknamed the Big Dig relocated the highway underground and created space for a new series of urban parks. Collectively known as the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, these parks opened in 2007 and 2008. The Greenway reconnects downtown Boston to the waterfront and creates a link between the North End, the Financial District, and Chinatown.

The Greenway parks abound with family-friendly elements, from a carousel and other festivities to fountains and interactive works of art. The Reading Circle, designed by the American History Workshop, provides a space for storytelling while also informing visitors about Boston’s past and its evolution. Look at the stone benches for a brief lesson about the history of transportation and shipping in the area.

92. Light Blades by Dennis Carmichael

Suggestive of the masts of tall ships or the glass surfaces of nearby office buildings, the Light Blades surround a space known as the Greenway’s Great Room, a popular place for people to congregate and relax. In the evenings, the Light Blades become one of the most colorful features of the Greenway’s Wharf District Parks, illuminating the area with various hues.

93. Harbor Fog by Ross Miller

A fusion of art and engineering, this interactive installation evokes the changing light conditions and weather patterns experienced at the ocean’s edge. It is one of two works by contemporary Boston artist Ross Miller included on the Art Walk. As you step into the boat-shaped environment, LED lights, fog machines, and sound respond to your movements. For the most dramatic viewing experience, visit in the evening during warmer months.

94. Christopher Columbus by Andrew J. Mazzola

The Christopher Columbus Park was constructed in 1974, thanks to the efforts of a non-profit group formed by residents and businesses in the North End and Waterfront areas. This tribute to the park’s namesake explorer was added a few years later. In their proximity to the North End, the statue and park emphasize Columbus’s Italian heritage. The statue created by Andrew J. Mazzola of Norwood Monumental Works is carved from Italian Carrera marble, favored by sculptors for its quality and its translucence. The marble’s porous surface has also been susceptible to vandals, some of whom view Columbus as an oppressor, not a hero.

95. Massachusetts Beirut Memorial by Schreiber Associates Landscape Architects

Also located in Christopher Columbus Park is a memorial honoring nine Massachusetts Marines who lost their lives while serving as peacekeepers in Beirut, Lebanon. On October 23, 1983, a radical terrorist group detonated bombs next to barracks housing American and French troops. Among those killed were 241 Americans. This memorial was built through the efforts of Christine Devlin, mother of fallen Marine Mike Devlin. With its circular shape and long granite bench, the memorial carves out a small space for reflection amid the bustle of the waterfront.

96. Paul Revere by Cyrus Edwin Dallin

This statue of patriotic hero Paul Revere is perhaps the most recognizable landmark in Boston. Cyrus Edwin Dallin depicts Revere on his famous “midnight ride” of 1775, alerting his fellow colonists that the British army was moving toward Lexington, MA. Dallin emphasizes the urgency and energy of Revere’s mission through the posture of both the horse and its rider. Revere attempts to keep his balance as his horse abruptly halts, rearing back slightly. Dallin’s design also seems to recognize the presence of his viewers. Walk over to Revere’s right side, and you play the role of a colonist receiving his message.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, several myths and misconceptions about Revere’s ride came to be accepted as truth. In fact, Revere did not yell “The British are coming!” so as not to be overheard by British informants, and he was only one among dozens of riders who spread the message on horseback. His midnight ride was perhaps less important to American independence than the work he did as an engraver. With his widely circulated depictions of the Boston Massacre and other events, Revere helped to incite anger towards the British and sympathy towards the colonists. Despite the myths, Revere has retained his significance as a key symbol of the energy and courage that drove colonists in their fight against imperial rule, and Dallin has placed him in this familiar role.

Although Dallin designed this sculpture for a competition in 1885, it was not cast in bronze until 1940. The statue’s installation was halted for several years, after another artist assailed Dallin’s winning submission, calling it unrealistic. In the 1930s, the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned to have the commission completed.

97. North End Library Mosaics by Tom O'Connell

The Boston Public Library’s North End Branch was designed by architect Carl Koch in the 1960s. Located in front of the building is one of the city’s newest public art projects, completed in 2009. With stone benches shaped like quotation marks and a mosaic featuring symbols found on a keyboard, artist Tom O’Connell underscores the library’s function as facilitator of dialogue in our technological age. A chess table and new plants were also added during the plaza’s restoration, making the library a more inviting and versatile space for the North End community. Although the North End is known as an Italian neighborhood today, it has been home to a variety of populations, from Native Americans to immigrant groups originating in England, Ireland, and Central and Eastern Europe.

98. Sudden Presence by Beverly Pepper

New York artist Beverly Pepper began her career as a painter, but she has become particularly well known for her monumental abstract sculptures. Her massive works, industrial in scale yet intimate still, can be found in dozens of cities throughout the United States and Europe. Using such materials as stone and metal, Pepper creates sculptures that evoke both natural and built environments, specifically the extraordinary building projects of early civilizations. For example, Sudden Presence might remind one of the Egyptian pyramids. Yet its ramp-like, planar forms also bring to mind the elevated highway, I-93, that once bisected this urban landscape. As you walk around the sculpture, its shape changes markedly, and you may find that it evokes other associations. For example, Pepper views her artwork as emotionally expressive. She once commented, “I wish to make an object that has a powerful presence, but is at the same time inwardly turned, seeming capable of intense self-absorption.”

99. Asaroton by Mags Harries

Asaroton, meaning “unswept floor,” refers to an ancient Roman floor mosaic technique. Look down to find bronze pieces embedded in the concrete, illustrating scraps left on the ground at closing time of the food market held here. After the Central Artery construction was completed near Haymarket, the work was rededicated in 2006 with new pieces, including pineapples and portabella mushrooms. Local sculptor Mags Harries created the piece.

100. New England Holocaust Memorial by Stanley Saitowitz

In the words of Jewish scholar and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel, this memorial commemorates “an era of incommensurate darkness” through the symbolism of six luminous towers, each representing a main Nazi concentration camp. Inscribed in the glass towers are numbers from 0,000,001 to 6,000,000, which evoke the infamous practice of tattooing serial numbers on camp detainees, approximately six million of whom perished. Under each tower is a six-foot deep chamber, covered by a grate, which visitors cross over as they pass through the towers. A time capsule is buried at one end of the memorial, containing names of individuals who perished in the Holocaust. Plans to create the memorial began with a group of Holocaust survivors living in the Boston area. More than 3,000 organizations and individuals were involved in the effort.