Although an event like Remembrance Day is not really a cityscape per se, I feel it is extremely important to acknowledge the day.
Earlier today I attended the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Old City Hall. The sombre event was exceedingly well attended and the rain actually held off until later in the afternoon.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
They were young, as we are young, They served, giving freely of themselves. To them, we pledge, amid the winds of time, To carry their torch and never forget. We will remember them.
7th Regimental Band, Royal Canadian Artillery Band, under the direction of Lieutenant Carina LamAretha Phillip, Chief of Protocol, City of TorontoA flypast by The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The flypasts were conducted during several Remembrance Day commemorations across Canada.Remarks from the City of Toronto, presented by Mayor Olivia ChowMayor Olivia Chow places a wreathBenediction, given by Rev. John Joseph Mastandrea, Chaplain, Toronto Police ServicesAretha Phillip, Chief of Protocol, City of TorontoMarching off at the end of the service
Laying poppies on the Cenotaph, end of services
Flowers and poppies on the Cenotaph, end of service
In 2018, Paul Raff Studios installed a sculpture entitled Hours of the Day. The piece honours Ontario’s correctional workers who have fallen in the line of duty.
The “sheets” are actual sculptural representations of the angles of the sun as it moves over the hours of the day, month, season and year, forming a kind of a three-dimensional sundial.
The sculptor of the piece – Paul Raff – remarks that:
…one doesn’t need to read the time with it, but what it does do is speak to the theme of time, which to me was the most important and essential theme in recognizing the vital role that correctional workers play in the health of our society. It is this contribution, of the hours of service, that we felt needed to be articulated in the sculptural form.
The geometry of the sculpture is derived from a very specific and elaborate computer program which tracks the angles of the sun throughout the day.
What I love about [the sculpture is that with its very accurate, high tech, three-dimensional mapping, it actually strikes a remarkably unique figure that offers a lot of visual richness. It looks different from every angle, unfolding for pedestrians as they commute past it, looking different on their way to work than on their way home. It looks different at different times of the day, and in different light.
The sculpture is situated by Queen’s Park Crescent East, near the Legislative Assembly:
Beaty Boulevard Parkette is a long, finger-like patch of grassy, manicured land situated near the intersection of Queen Street West, King Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue:
Beaty Boulevard Parkette is the former location of the Sunnyside Railway Station, located at this King/Queen/Roncesvalles intersection. The Sunnyside Railway Station operated passenger service from 1910 until 1971.
The Sunnyside Station in 1915 (City of Toronto Archives)
The station was built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1910 and was well-placed, with access to nearby streetcars and the Sunnyside Amusement Park.
GO Transit began service in May 1967 and took over CN’s Toronto to Hamilton route. While CN’s Hamilton train had stopped at Sunnyside, GO’s Lakeshore West line bypassed the station resulting in a significant drop in its use. CN closed the station in 1971 and its buildings were demolished in 1973.
The Katyń Monument
Beaty Boulevard Parkette is home to the Katyń Monument, which commemorates the 1940 Katyń massacre in Poland:
“In remembrance of fifteen thousand Polish prisoners of war who vanished in 1940 from the camps in USSR at Kozelsk, Ostashkov, Starobelsk. Of these over four thousand were later discovered in mass graves at Katyn, near Smolensk, murdered by the Soviet state security police.”
Made of bronze and erected in 1980, the monument was created by artist Tadeusz Janowski. The monument’s location here is quite appropriate in this, a largely Eastern European, neighbourhood.
“In remembrance of fifteen thousand Polish prisoners of war who vanished in 1940 from the camps in USSR at Kozelsk, Ostashkov, Starobelsk. Of these over four thousand were later discovered in mass graves at Katyn, near Smolensk, murdered by the Soviet state security police.”
But what was the Katyn massacre you may ask? The Katyn Massacre was a series of mass executions of nearly 22,000 Polish military officers and intelligentsia prisoners of war carried out by the Soviet Union, specifically the NKVD (“People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs”, the Soviet secret police) in April and May 1940. Though the killings also occurred in the Kalinin and Kharkiv prisons and elsewhere, the massacre is named after the Katyn forest, where some of the mass graves were first discovered by German Nazi forces (Source: Wikipedia).
The Smolensk Tragedy
Also in Beaty Boulevard Parkette is a secondary monument related to the Katyn Massacre. The inscription on the plaque for this memorial reads:
In memory of the 96 person Polish delegation headed by the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczynski, who all died tragically in a plane crash at Smolensk, on April 10, 2010, en route to the official commemoration ceremony of the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre. Without the Katyn Massacre there would have been no Smolensk tragedy.
Canadian Polish Congress, April 10, 2011
Memorial For Perished Polish Soldiers & Civilians
A few feet away from the last two monuments there is a third: this is the Memorial For Perished Polish Soldiers & Civilians:
The plaque on the memorial reads:
1940-2000
In Memoriam… Lest We Forget
May the tragic death of tens of thousands of Polish citizens in Soviet forced labour camps, political prisons and execution sites, always remind the world that freedom is bought with great sacrifice.
Dedicated to the memory of over one million seven hundred thousand Polish soldiers and civilians arrested in eastern Poland by the Soviet Secret Police (NKVD) in 1940-1941, for the only reason that they were Polish citizens and were departed to the far reaches of the Soviet Union (Siberia), where many were executed or died of hunger, cold, disease and exhaustion during World War II.
Alliance of the Polish eastern provinces in Toronto, February 10, 2000
Stay tuned for the second part of this post – a look at Budapest Park, which is on the other side of Lakeshore Boulevard West beside Lake Ontario.
This post is based on an event from thirteen years ago, so I guess it qualifies for my so-called From The Vaults series.
A Bit Of Background
Everyone who has a pulse is familiar with the name Jack Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011). Jack served as the leader of the NDP from 2003 to 2011 and was leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. Previous to that he sat on Toronto City Council, occasionally holding the title of Acting Mayor or Deputy Mayor of Toronto during his tenure as City Councillor. Jack was also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Toronto-Danforth riding from 2004 until his death.
Jack rose to prominence in Toronto municipal politics, where he was one of the most prominent left-wing voices on the City and Metropolitan Toronto Councils, championing many progressive causes. In 1991, he ran for Mayor, losing to June Rowlands. Returning to Council, he rose to become head of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 2003, he was elected leader of the NDP.
Under Jack Layton’s leadership, support for the NDP increased in each election. The party’s popular vote almost doubled in the 2004 election, which gave the NDP the balance of power in Paul Martin’s minority government.
Jack died on August 22, 2011, after being diagnosed with cancer. He was survived by his wife of 23 years – our current Mayor – Olivia Chow.
Remembering Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
In the week before the funeral, Jack’s body was laid in state at Parliament Hill at the House of Commons foyer in Ottawa, then in repose at Toronto City Hall.
On August 26, 2011 a huge memorial for Jack was held in Nathan Phillips Square, outside Toronto City hall. It is from this memorial that my following pictures originate. It was a low-key but very powerful event; the love and respect for this man was clearly on display everywhere in the Square that evening:
Messages to Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
A miniature Jack in Nathan Phillips Square
A cluster of mourners pay their respect, Nathan Phillips Square
Flowers, candles and prayers
An outpouring of love and appreciation for Jack, Nathan Phillips Square
Our flag flies at half-mast in honour of Jack Layton
More messages
Leaving a message for Jack
There were plenty of supportive orange shirts that evening...
Keeping guard outside City Hall. Jack laid in Repose inside City Hall.
The queue outside City Hall for viewing Jack in Repose and paying respects
Seemingly out of nowhere hordes of cyclists appeared and began constantly ringing their bike bells, then bursting into applause to honour Jack. Jack and Olivia were avid cyclists and could be seen riding their bikes in many places throughout Toronto.
Interment
Jack Layton’s ashes were scattered in three places: Cote St. Charles United Church in Hudson, Quebec where he was raised; on Toronto Island, where he was married; and at the Toronto Necropolis, near where he lived.
Here is Jack’s bronze bust atop a red granite pillar at the Toronto Necropolis:
Leaving A Legacy
For those interested, here is a CBC timeline of Jack Layton’s accomplishments
The Victory Peace Monument is located in Coronation Park, 711 Lakeshore Boulevard West, just beside Lake Ontario. Victory Peace was unveiled on November 14, 1995, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, built in honour of those who died.
Designed by John McEwan, a Toronto-born artist, the structure is made up of two bronze arcs that sit on the ground quite close to the lake. When looking at the monument from afar, it appears as though the arcs form the sides of a boat’s bow. You can see the lake peeking through an opening between the two arcs, as if you’re on the boat headed through the water. The other opening faces inland.
The powerful words SACRIFICE and HOPE are part of the monument, within engravings of maple leaves.
The words for “peace” in multiple languages are engraved on the plaques on the ground.
A plaque sits at the monument that says, in both English and French: “A tribute to all Canadians at home and overseas who served their nation with courage, hope and sacrifice during World War II”
A sombre Remembrance Day ceremony took place today around the Cenotaph at Old City Hall, 60 Queen Street West.
The City focused this year’s events around the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement that brought about the end of the Korean War. Other milestones honoured today were the 75th anniversary of Canadian participation in peacekeeping missions for the United Nations and the centennials of the Naval Reserve of Canada and HMCS York, a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve Division in Toronto.
The ceremonies began at 10:45 AM, starting with the singing of our national anthem, a reading of In Flanders Fields, a two-minute silence at 11:00, and a trumpeteer playing The Last Post:
A fly-past by the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association (CHAA)Mayor Chow delivered her Remembrance Day messageThe laying of wreaths on the CenotaphThe ceremony concluded with people leaving their poppies on the CenotaphA special “Toronto Remembers” presentation on Queen Street West, outside Old City Hall
Video of today’s ceremony at Old City Hall can be found here.
Other locations for today’s Remembrance Day ceremonies were:
Scarborough War Memorial: 2190 Kingston Road
East York Civic Centre – Memorial Gardens: 850 Coxwell Avenue
York Cemetery – Cenotaph: 160 Beecroft Road
York Civic Centre Cenotaph: 2700 Eglinton Avenue West
Etobicoke Civic Centre – Cenotaph: 399 The West Mall
Fort York National Historic Site: 100 Garrison Road
At 10 Niagara Street, on the corner of Portland Street and Niagara, sits Victoria Memorial Square:
Victoria Memorial Square is a park and former cemetery. It was established in 1793 as the burial place for those affiliated with the nearby Toronto Garrison (Fort York). It was the first cemetery to be used by European settlers in what would become the city of Toronto. Originally known as St. John’s Square, the park today is part of Fort York National Historic Site.
The Old Soldier War of 1812 Memorial
This monument in the Square is entitled The Old Soldier, and was erected by the British Army and Navy Veterans’ Association. It was erected to honour the dead of the War of 1812, on this site of an old burial ground used between 1794 and 1863 for soldiers and their families from nearby Fort York.
The memorial was designed and constructed by Walter Seymour Allward. He designed a bronze half-length figure of an old one-armed soldier in the uniform of 1812 holding his military cap, the George IV medal on his chest and the end of one empty sleeve pinned up.
The memorial’s cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1902. The cornerstone featured a time capsule, including newspapers, coins, and other documents of the day. Veterans of several wars were on hand for the ceremony, including those who had served in the Crimean War, Second Opium War, Indian Rebellion of 1857, Second Anglo-Afghan War, Fenian Raids, North-West Rebellion, and the South African War. The official unveiling was on July 5, 1907, after nearly 20 years of planning and fundraising.
Inscriptions On The Memorial
DEFENCE OF YORK (NOW TORONTO)
IN MEMORY OF OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN WHO WERE KILLED OR DIED OF WOUNDS IN THE FOLLOWING REGIMENTS OR COMPANIES OF REGIMENTS ENGAGED IN THE DEFENCE OF YORK (TORONTO).
APRIL 27TH 1813
ROYAL ARTILLERY ROYAL NAVAL ARTIFICES 8th REGIMENT (OF FOOT) ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND REGIMENT CLENGARY FENCIBLES MILITIA INCORPORATED MILITIA
IN MEMORY OF OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN WHO WERE KILLED, DIED OF WOUNDS AND DISEASE, IN THE FOLLOWING REGIMENTS OR COMPANIES OF REGIMENTS ENGAGED DURING THE WAR OF 1812-1815 UPON THE WESTERN CANADIAN FRONTIER, WEST OF KINGSTON.
Royal Artillery – Royal Engineers 19th Dracoons 41st Regiment 100th Regiment 1st Regiment 49th Regiment 103rd Regiment 6th Regiment 82nd Regiment 103th Regiment 8th Regiment 89th Regiment Royal Veteran Rect. Royal Newfoundland Rect. Prov. Dracoons Militia Wattsville Rect. Militia Canadian Fencibles Simcoe Militia Clencary Fencibles Militia York Rangers Militia 1st Norfolk Militia Coloured Corps & Indians
“Dead in Battle – Dead in the field” More than his life can a soldier yield? His blood has burnished his sabre bright To his memory, honour: To him, good night”
This monument is to perpetuate the memory and deeds of the officers, non-commissioned officers and men who gave their lives in the defence of Canada in the War of 1812-15 and is erected by the British Army and Navy Veterans residing in Toronto. Aided by generous subscriptions from the British Army and Navy, and the citizens of Canada.
July 1st 1902
BATTLE FIELDS
RIVER CANARD BEAVER DAMS BLACK ROCK CHATEAUGUAY CHRYSLER FARM DETROIT FORT NIAGARA FORT ERIE YORK FORT GEORGE LUNDY’S LANE THAMES STONY CREEK
Surviving Headstones from the Military Burial Ground
The park is Toronto’s oldest cemetery. The downtown site was used as a burial ground for nearly seventy years, from 1794 to 1863. During that time, it saw hundreds of burials, including many soldiers from the War of 1812.
The park was created by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe shortly after the establishment of the Garrison at York and the founding of the town. Simcoe’s infant daughter, Katherine, was one of the first to be buried at the cemetery which was closed in 1863 when it was deemed to be full.
The cemetery was converted to a park in the 1880s. Its grave sites were levelled, paths were established, and the 17 surviving headstones gathered along the park’s western edge:
Historical Photos
1885 – Military burying grounds, today’s Victoria Memorial Square (Toronto Public Library r-2851)1913 – Looking northwest from Portland Street. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 372, Subseries 52, Item 192.1950 – City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1257
It was a sunny Sunday (finally!) this past weekend, so I opted for a little wander through Queen’s Park to shoot a few of the statues, monuments and memorials there.
Tribute to Salome Bey, Canada’s Queen of the Blues
Not in Queen’s Park but this utility box on my way there caught my eye. In front of 2 Grosvenor Street, west of Yonge Street is “Tribute to Salome Bey, Canada’s Queen of the Blues” by Adrian Hayles, mounted in 2021. If the style looks familiar, this DJ/artist/muralist has done numerous murals in the city. In 2016, Adrian took 8 weeks to paint a 22 storey Downtown Yonge BIA music mural on the north wall of 423 Yonge Street, just south of College Street. The next year, he painted the south wall of the same building, continuing the musical theme. Adrian also painted a substantial mural on Reggae Lane in the Oakwood Avenue/Eglinton Avenue West area.
Hours of the Day Monument Whitney Plaza, 23 Queens Park Crescent East
In 2018, Paul Raff Studios designed a sculpture flanked by granite benches as a way to honour the passage of time, reflecting the hours of service by correctional workers in the justice system, as well as in their communities. Each year, a Ceremony of Remembrance acknowledges correctional workers who have paid the ultimate price in their service.
Ontario Police Memorial Whitney Plaza, 23 Queen’s Park Crescent East
In 2000, two bronze statues featuring a 1950’s male officer and modern era female office were unveiled atop a 30,000 pound granite pedestal base. There are 8 cascading granite walls known as the “Wall of Honour” that recognize the names of Ontario Police Officers who died in the line of duty.
Lieutenant-Colonel John Graves Simcoe Monument
Lieutenant-Colonel John Graves Simcoe 1752-1806, First Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, 1791-1796. Founder of the City of Toronto July 30th 1793.
Northwest Rebellion Monument
By Walter S. Allward. The monument commemorates the Northwest Rebellion of 1894-1896.
Ontario Veteran’s Memorial Queen’s Park, 100 Wellesley Street West
In 2006, a black granite wall was designed by the landscape architect Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg to recognize the service of Canada’s military. It measures 8′ 6″ high and 100′ long. The wall features Canada’s military actions since 1867 and words from poet Jane Urquhart and military historian Professor Jack Granatstein.
Afghanistan Memorial Queen’s Park, 100 Wellesley Street West
Adjacent to the Ontario Veteran’s Memorial, a companion memorial was installed in 2020 to recognize the 40,000+ Canadian soldiers who served in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. One part is a bronze ribbon inspired by the Afghanistan mountains. Another part is a piece of granite from an Inukshuk built by Canadian soldiers at Kandahar Airfield.
Danger
Someone at Queen’s Park has a sense of humour
Robert Raikes
This bronze statue of Robert Raikes was executed by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1930. Raikes was often regarded as being the founder of Sunday schools. This statue was first erected in Great Britain in July 1880 and replicas where installed in Gloucester (1929) and then in Toronto.
Dr. Norman Bethune 1890-1939
Dr. Bethune was a Canadian surgeon who graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School. He first gained fame as a doctor for the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War, and then for providing medical services to the communist-led Eighth Army during the second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930’s.
The statue shows Dr. Bethune seated, dressed in a doctor’s apron, taking field notes. The following quote is inscribed on his apron: “I am content. I am doing what I want to do. Why shouldn’t I be happy – see what my riches consist of. First I have important work that fully occupies every minute of my time… I am needed.” At the bottom of the statue is inscribed, in English and Cantonese: “The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto proudly celebrates its shared history with Dr. Norman Bethune and China, and its ongoing research and education collaborations with China.”
Cannons at the Legislative Assembly
At the entrance to the Legislature there are two Russian cannons that were captured by the British during the Crimean war and sent to Toronto as a gift.
Queen Victoria Monument Queen’s Park, 100 Wellesley Street West
Installed in 1902, this bronze statue of Queen Victoria on a stone pedestal was designed by Mario Raggi.
Post One Monument Queen’s Park, 100 Wellesley Street West
To celebrate Canada’s centennial in 1967, a bronze map of the country was installed. It features surveyor tools and a time capsule to be opened in 2067.
Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion Monument
This monument to the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, erected on the grounds of the Ontario provincial legislature in Toronto in 1995, was the first to commemorate Canadian involvement in International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War. Approximately 1500 Canadians volunteered to fight for the Republican cause, many out of ideological motives and class convictions underpinned by the experience of the Great Depression. They were often forced to make the long and arduous journey to Spain independently, since in 1937 the Canadian government had forbidden the involvement of its citizens in the Spanish Civil War through the passing of the Foreign Enlistment Act. Initially a number volunteered with the American Abraham Lincoln Brigade, but the substantial number of Canadian volunteers would ultimately lead to the formation of a separate battalion, named after two leaders of the unsuccessful Canadian rebellions against the British Crown in 1837-38.
Makeshift Memorial
Pairs of shoes have been placed in front of Queen’s Park as part of a makeshift memorial in response to the discovery of 215 children whose remains were found at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Plaque: King George V’s Silver Jubilee
Installed in 1935, this plaque commemorates the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Time and tide have taken its toll on the inscription and it’s difficult to see, but the text reads: “This tree was planted by James Simpson, Esq., Mayor of Toronto, on the occasion of the celebration of the Twenty-Fifth anniversary of the accession of King George the Fifth to the throne. May 6th 1935”.
Whatever…
Mural outside the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus at Queen’s Park Crescent and College Street.
On the waterfront, behind the Canada Malting Co. towers on Eireann Quay, sits Ireland Park. The Park commemorates the Irish Famine migrants who arrived on Toronto’s shores between 1846 and 1849.
An Unfortunate End
During 1847 alone, at the peak of Ireland’s Great Famine, some 38,500 Irish men, women and children landed at Dr. Reese’s Wharf in Toronto, then a city of about 20,000. Weak from hunger and stricken with illness aboard overcrowded sailing ships, approximately 20% of those who embarked upon the long voyage perished at sea or shortly after their arrival at sites along the St. Lawrence River, including the quarantine station at Grosse Île, Québec.
Within months of the migrants reaching Toronto, the city recorded 1,186 fatalities due to contagious disease, including the deaths of compassionate local clergymen, government officials, and medical workers who came to the migrants’ aid. Their names are inscribed upon the park’s sculptural memorial columns, which are composed of limestone from Kilkenny, Ireland:
Memorial ColumnsThe Fatalities
The Park Opens
Ireland Park was opened on June 21, 2007, by Mary McAleese, President of Ireland and Robert G. Kearns, Founder of Canada Ireland Foundation. The park was designed by Jonathan M. Kearns, Kearns Mancini Architects.
Arrival
Situated within the park are five bronze sculptures commemorating the migrants’ arrival in Canada. The sculptures are collectively known as Arrival, created by Irish sculptor Rowan Gillespie:
Departure
The Arrival sculptures form a companion group to seven bronze sculptures, entitled Departure (image below), situated on the banks of the River Liffey in Dublin.
Departure Banks of River Liffey, Dublin, Ireland (Image in Public Domain)
The Toronto AIDS Memorial, designed by Patrick Fahn, is located in Barbara Hall Park (formerly Cawthra Square Park), on Church Street above Wellesley, next to The 519 Church Street Community Centre in the heart of Toronto’s gay community.
Michael Lynch (1944-1991) – a poet, journalist, professor of English at the University of Toronto and a man who was active in groups such as Gay Fathers of Toronto and the Toronto Centre for Lesbian and Gay Studies – had the idea to create an AIDS Memorial in Toronto. On Lesbian and Gay Pride Day in 1988 a temporary Memorial in Cawthra Square Park displayed about 200 names. I well remember that temporary Memorial and how moving it was that year.
A committee from the Community Centre, with one member of Toronto City Council added, began deliberations in 1988 and proposed that a permanent AIDS Memorial be created. Patrick Fahn won the competition for the design of the Memorial, and it was completed and dedicated during Pride Week 1993.
Once the permanent Memorial was built, the task of collecting names, arranging for engraving, and upkeep of the Memorial pillars, plaques and lighting, was delegated to The 519 Community Centre by the Committee. Since there are a limited number of panels, the font size was reduced in 1996, and older plaques are re-engraved periodically to create room.
Within a garden, 14 triangular precast concrete pillars, each 2.25 meters high, are placed 1.6 meters apart in a long, very gently rising arc, paralleled by a narrow stone path. A low triangular concrete podium is placed in front of the garden.
As planted trees and shrubs have grown, the Memorial pillars and path have become an increasingly private space. The pillars represent a connection between earth and the spiritual realm. At the foot of each pillar a Precambrian crystalline boulder is placed. Signifying steadfastness in the face of tragedy, the boulders complement the message of hope represented by the pillars.
Engraved on stainless-steel plaques affixed to the pillars are the names of those who have died from AIDS in a given year. There are currently 2700 names in total. Every year during Pride Toronto, names of persons who have died from AIDS that year are read out in a short ceremony, and have their names added to the plaque for that year. If new information comes in, names are also added to the plaques for earlier years. Requests for names to be engraved are accepted from spouses, friends and family members. Each year during June’s Pride Week, a committee representing AIDS Service Organizations presents the AIDS Candlelight Vigil.
AIDS Candlelight Vigil at the AIDS Memorial
The AIDS Memorial has a processional feel. Memorial ceremonies for individuals are held there, and flowers and keepsakes are left to be collected or cleaned up.
In 1995 this poem, by Shoshanna Jey Addley, was appended to the first pillar of the Memorial (photo below). It reads:
Circles of Stone:
To Those Unnamed
We stand at this place; among earth and stone, branch and birch-
In darkness and in light, through sun and storm, rain and trees,
leaves and breezes: Life and Death
Our strength, though withered and sapped, regenerates here.
Each name on each standing stone remarks thousand fold
upon those unremarked from sea to sea; pole to pole.
The earth would quake with the strength of our memories
flood with the loss of our tears, and in tandem; We exist.
How tall these stones have to grow?
How wide? How all-encompassing, how awesome?
To announce this radical interruption of humanity.
These standing stones might sprout like high rises,
watered by lovers left behind.
Further stones planted, the last meets the first; A circle is formed.
Its volume gains inhabitants. Admitting entrance without discrimination.
The world mourns while we embrace the lives and the times,
Whether a name is engraved in steel or sand, in heart or in mind;
In flesh or in form; we will remember.
And mark the day we have no further need for such
Circles of Stone.
The first pillar of the Memorial, containing the poems “Cry” and “Circles of Stone”Fourteen pillars in a gentle arc comprise the MemorialA flower in winter for remembranceMemorial stone of Dr. Edward KamskiLives lost in 1993, one of the worst years of the crisisCurrently the last pillar of the Memorial The deaths in the last few years are very few and far between, and there are no plaques beyond 2021
For me, a visit to the AIDS Memorial is a sombre, sobering experience, and causes me to remember times past. So very many young men lost in their prime; a whole generation wiped out. At least their names and lives will be forever remembered in this dignified Memorial.
This is such a lovely part of the city. I love how they fixed up that square and the fountain…