The Garden of Peace, situated in downtown Boston, serves as a poignant memorial dedicated to victims of homicide, offering a tangible reflection of the profound impact of violence. Collaborating with Memorial to Victims of Homicide Assistance (MOVA), PAYETTE’s landscape team undertook the task of expanding the existing garden to accommodate for names of victims over the next decade, an unfortunate necessity.
The project’s inception dates back to the summer of 2020, with construction reaching completion in September 2022. The design incorporates a series of detachable brushed stainless-steel plaques along the curved path, forming a delicate sculptural edge. This design choice not only enhances the aesthetic but also ensures accessibility for loved ones to visit the engraved names.
Jim Collins, along with the landscape, fabrication and marketing teams, were honored with an invitation to the annual gathering in the garden. This event served as the reveal for the new addition and marked the resumption of the annual gathering, which had been on hiatus for nearly two years due to the challenges posed by the global pandemic. The PAYETTE team was deeply moved witnessing families engage with the space, emotionally touching the plaques and finding solace in the memorial.
The 2025 OpenLAB Boston studio work will be exhibited at Virginia Tech Monday, March 2nd through Wednesday, March 4th.
Please join us for the following events on Monday, March 2nd:
11:00am - Lecture with Parke MacDowell
1:00pm Lobby talk with Kevin Sullivan
This year’s studio identifies seven sites along the frayed edges of Boston’s Greenway. The Greenway is a one-mile-long linear park running through the heart of the city, reconnecting downtown Boston with its waterfront. Many of the parcels along its edges remain undeveloped and present mute, blank facades to the public realm. Addressing and repairing these edges through acts of infilling, layering, grafting, framing, and placemaking is the core focus of the studio—SUTURE.