Vendome Hotel Fire, Fire Fighter Memorial - Boston, MA - Firefighter Memorials on Waymarking.com

In Boston, along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall at Dartmouth Street, there is a dark stone sculpture set in the walkway. This sculpture is a monument to the nine firefighters who lost their lives and eight firefigthers injured due to a big fire at the Vendome Hotel. However, it wasn't the fire itself, but the collapse of the building later that caused the loss of lives.

According to the web site for the memorial on cityofboston.gov, "At 2:35 PM on Saturday, June 17, 1972, Box 1571 was received at Boston Fire Alarm" for a fire at the former Hotel Vendrome at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street. Eventually four alarms were called, and it took almost three hours to put it out. Then, "...once the fire was out, the BFD commenced a routine overhaul operation. Then, at 5:28 PM, without warning, the southeast section of the building collapsed." Nine people were killed and eight injured in that event. This memorial both relates the key moments and memorializes those who lost their lives.

At the entrance to the park from Dartmouth Street, there is a small sign on the right that has a short statement about the fire and a map that shows where the hotel was. The memorial is a short distance away.

The memorial is curved, with a rough outer wall and a polished inner wall. On top is a bronze form of a firefighter coat and helmet. At the top and bottom edges of the building contain times and descriptons of key events. Along the middle of the wall are the names of firefighters.

Names:

Lieutenant Thomas J. Carroll
Lieutenant John E. Hanbury, Jr.
Fire Fighter Thomas W. Beckwith
Fire Fighter Joseph E. Boucher, Jr.
Fire Fighter Charles E. Dolan
Fire Fighter John E. Jameson
Fire Fighter Richard B. Magee
Fire Fighter Paul J. Murphy
Fire Fighter Joseph P. Saniuk

Source:

Cityofboston.gov (Vendome Hotel Fire):
(visit link)

Memorial Website: [Web Link] Physical address: Commonwealth Avenue Mall at Dartmouth Street Boston, MA United States of America 02115

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