Finishing Touches Put On Boston Marathon Bombings Memorial
BOSTON (CBS) – The finishing touches were put on the Boston Marathon Bombings memorial on Boylston Street Monday morning.
A collection of stones representing the victims were placed at the two bombing sites, officially completing the long-awaited memorial.
The stone for 29-year-old Krystal Campbell now stands in front of Marathon Sports where the first bomb went off. The stones for 8-year-old Martin Richard and 23 year old Lingzi Lu are fused together at the site of the second blast up the street, where they were both killed on April 15, 2013.
Each piece of stone comes from somewhere meaningful, according to the artist who created the tribute, Pablo Eduardo. He worked with the families to design the tributes.
"Krystle Campbell's was sourced out of Spectacle Island where she volunteered with children and where she was very happy. The stone for Lingzi came out of Boston University Bridge where she was attending school and the stone for Martin Richard was sourced out of Franklin Park in Dorchester where he's from," said Patrick Brophy, the Chief of Operations for the city of Boston.
Though the stones are in separate places, they are meant to fit like a puzzle.
Bronze statues installed at the sites last month have 18-foot glass light poles, as well as intertwined granite pillars that represent the victims. The bronze represents strength and the glass is for fragility.
Bronze-plated bricks honor the two police officers who died in connection with the manhunt for the bombers.
Completion of the memorial took about four years. It cost about $2 million. Right now, there is no word on whether there will be an official unveiling ceremony.
Lingzi Lu's family came to Boston from China to see the finished memorial.
"I hope that we give people just a little quietness so they can come into this space and reflect a little," Eduardo said.
"I feel like I'm shaking inside. I love the city and I love Boston and the people of Boston and I think its going to bring everyone together," marathon volunteer Sandy Silbert told WBZ-TV.
