Kip Tiernan Memorial
Fun Facts about the Kip Tiernan Memorial
On Dartmouth Street, between the Boylston Street and Newbury Street, is a special memorial to one of Boston's community activist Kip Tiernan.
Four things I Learned about Kip Tiernan
- Kip Tiernan was born on June 17, 1926 in West Haven, Connecticut. She moved to Boston in the 1940s to work as a writer.
- In 1974, She opened Rosie's Place - the first shelter for homeless women in the United States.
- In 1981, She founded the Greater Boston Food Bank - an organization to help create Easter Massachusetts hunger-free.
- Kip Tiernan died on July 2, 2011 in the South End of Boston.
Nine Things I Learned about the Kip Tiernan Memorial
- The memorial title is "Passages"
- According to Rosie Place, The three arches represent personal growth and raising awareness to issues. On each of the arches are quotes by Kip Tiernan.
- The memorial height is 14-feet
- The design won against 50 other architects who submitted bids.
- The Boston Art Commission Approved the design on March 22, 2016.
- The words of Kip Tiernan were chosen by a team at Rosie's Place. They represent Kip, the Person, Justice, Hope, Faith, Compassion and Risk/Challenges.
- The memorial was complete self funded by private donations. It's estimated the memorial cost $150,000.
- The memorial opening was on Saturday, October 6, 2018, and the public was encouraged to attend. Boston Mayor Walsh did the official dedication.
- The Kip Tiernan Monument is only the fourth memorial to honor a women in Boston.
Sample of the Quotes on the monument
Cui Bono? Who sets the terms of the debate around poverty and homelessness? Who decides who gets the condo and who gets the cardboard box?
The pain of being homeless- the endless waiting in welfare offices, the thoughtless dismissal, the terror of the streets the endlessness of the long, dreary days, especially Sundays. The burdensome struggle to carry every you own with you, the desperation of loneliness, the fear when the sun goes down, the dining cold of a careless February afternoon. The longing to have just five minutes alone with your kid for just one night, the distant memory of shared moments of joy and peace a long, long time ago. These are all real thing that happens to real people.
All words are taken from Kip Tiernan's writings.