Background

In December of 2021, Representative Aaron Michlewitz, State Representative for the 3rd Suffolk District and Chair of House Committee on Ways & Means filed House bill H4269. This bill included language “..for the Cross Street revitalization including a North End Italian immigrant memorial (the memorial) on the corner of Cross and Hanover streets coordinated through the Freedom Trail Foundation, Inc. and the Boston Arts commission”. Subsequently, and in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of the City of Boston, a volunteer Committee composed of local Italian American community leaders was formed for the purposes of supporting the public process for the creation of the memorial.

The history of Boston’s North End parallels the history of America. As lanterns hung from the Old North Church and lit our country’s way to freedom, the neighborhood itself has served as a beacon for Boston’s immigrant populations. For no group has this been more true than Italian Americans. Beginning in the 1890’s, the North End began to largely be defined by Italian Immigration. By the 1930s, more than 40,000 Italians lived in the North End.

Today, the North End is an increasingly diverse neighborhood that continues to celebrate its rich cultural heritage through Italian American Street Festivals (that are well over a century old) world class restaurants and caffes, unique mercantile shops, and boutiques in a blend of cosmopolitan elegance and old-world charm. The neighborhood is recognized as the gateway and first stop for Italian American immigrants and their descendants.

The Opportunity

The North End Italian Immigration Memorial Committee (The Committee), Boston Arts Commission, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy invites artists, architects, designers, multi-disciplinary teams and other creators to express their interest in conceiving of a memorial marking the robust and plentiful contributions of Italian Americans to the North End, the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the United States of America. The site for the memorial is the Cross Street Plaza (the Site) at the corner of Cross Street and Hanover Street. Directly across from the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and located on The Freedom Trail, The Site is the unofficial entrance to America’s first neighborhood, the North End.

The history of Boston’s North End parallels the history of America. As lanterns hung from the Old North Church and lit our country’s way to freedom, the neighborhood itself has served as a beacon for Boston’s immigrant populations. For no group has this been more true than Italian Americans. Beginning in the 1890’s, the North End began to largely be defined by Italian Immigration. By the 1930s, more than 40,000 Italians lived in the North End.

Today, the North End is an increasingly diverse neighborhood that continues to celebrate its rich cultural heritage through Italian American Street Festivals (that are well over a century old) world class restaurants and caffes, unique mercantile shops, and boutiques in a blend of cosmopolitan elegance and old-world charm. The neighborhood is recognized as the gateway and first stop for Italian American immigrants and their descendants. The installation should recognize this and serve as a memorial/marker for all Italian Americans of Massachusetts.

The Committee invites submissions from individuals or teams practiced in traditional memorials and/or other public art. This Request for Qualifications (RFQ) invites artists, designers, and design teams to submit required materials for consideration. The anticipated timeline for completion of the memorial is summer 2027. Upon review of all submissions, the Committee will invite finalists for interviews with the Committee, and meetings with other community leaders and stakeholders. Finalists will then be invited to submit formal proposals to be considered for the memorial. The Committee estimates the total budget for the memorial at approximately $3 Million Dollars for this project inclusive of artist fees, materials, fabrication, construction costs and maintenance funds.

Themes

The Committee has chosen the name: Mani Forti: A Journey of Love, Progress & Promise that seeks to highlight the unique contributions of Italian American immigrants through a sculpture/installation using traditional materials of granite, marble, bronze and similar materials. Proposals should complement the character of the neighborhood in both design and theme.

There is an existing memorial in the neighborhood referencing the “journey” of these brave immigrants. This new memorial should focus on the eventual settlement in the neighborhood and the new lives these immigrants and their descendants built. The installation should show the progress that the several generations of Italian Americans built through hard work, grit, dedication and love in their new home: The North End. While being placed in the North End, the installation will serve as the official memorial to the Italian Immigrant/ Italian American.

The Committee prefers to focus on the actual immigrant, as people, and the work that they performed to build a community. An installation that highlights the diversity of skill and commitment to creating a community/village that values hard work, family and tradition and the progress that they and their descendants realized:

People: Butchers, Masons, Grocers, Fishermen/Fishmonger, Seamstress, Police, Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, Homemakers, Priests, Nuns, Scholars, Military Service, Lawyers/Judges, Political Leaders, Public Servants, Fruit Peddlers, Wine Makers/Importers, Coaches.

Events/Life: Sunday Dinner, Festivals, Daily Errands, Neighborhood Shopping (carrying bundles) May Procession, Bocce, Little League, St Leonard Church/Sacred Heart Church, School Life, Playground life: Stick Ball, Buck Buck, Errors, Pimple Ball.