- Location: Mission Hill, Boston, MA (1994)
- Client: The Mission Hill Community and the City of Boston
- Size: Main Tower, 18′ x 18′ x 8′
- Materials: Granite, glass, landscaping, trees, solar powered lighting
- Funding: Browne Fund, City of Boston, MA
- Budget: $100,000
- Photo Credits: Kathy Chapman
A Tower on a Hill
Ben’s Circular Tower is a living memorial to a child in the Mission Hill community who died. This Boston public art project was completed in 1994. The granite stones that form the Tower are recycled from a demolished railroad bridge. The Tower is sited on top of a hill that commands a dramatic view of the park.
The inside of the Tower is shaped as an amphitheater with seating around a glass rock. The glass rock is illuminated from below using solar powered lighting. After sundown the glass rock glows, giving the site a presence even at night. The site is designed as a place for storytelling and the memorial fund is paying for an active story-telling program administered by the local library.
A place for Fantasy
The gateway and circular stairs of the tower draw on the designs of castles, allowing children to feel like they are entering a fantasy place as they ascend the stairs. The sweeping view further engages children’s sense of fantasy and wonder.
