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March 10, 2009

Local park getting own version of Stonehenge

By Alan Burke

MARBLEHENGE — If everything goes as planned, residents in Marblehead and Swampscott will soon build their own version of Britain's famous Stonehenge.

The "Sun Circle" won't be erected by ancient Druids, however, but by the nonprofit Clifton Improvement Association — known locally as the CIA, a neighborhood group encompassing parts of both towns.

Artist and architect Bruce Greenwald designed the monument and hopes to see his project realized at Beach Bluff Park this summer or fall.

It's the biggest artwork he's ever done, said an excited Greenwald, who donated his talents. "I've been working on this since 2004," he added. "It's been a long time coming."

At the Swampscott entrance to Marblehead, the monument will be easily visible from the beach and from Atlantic Avenue. Its monolithic stones will tower 7 feet above the ground with an additional 5 feet anchored into concrete rings below ground. The circle will be 20 feet across with a stone tablet in the middle.

"The idea is that the stones are tall enough so you want to look up," Greenwald said. "To get people to look up and understand the relationship of the beach to the sun." The seasons, the solstices, will be marked by the stones, just as they are in ancient henges.

On the other hand, Greenwald stressed, the sculpture is not intended to have religious overtones. "The word 'henge' means a ring of stones," he said. "I've always seen it as being an educational sculpture."

"You will learn about the procession of the sunrise and sunset," agreed Lynn Nadeau, president of the CIA. "It will be wonderful." The property is not public, but belongs to her group. While the park is situated in Swampscott, the nearby parking lot is in Marblehead.

The stones and the installation will cost in the vicinity of $70,000 and the CIA is still in the process of raising the last of that sum. Landscape designer Lauren Lautner is helping to form the setting for the stones, which are slated to go up once work ends, late next month, on replacing the seawall washed away in April 2007.

"The sculpture will be nestled into the dunes," Nadeau said. "It's a park really for peace and quiet." The property has been used as a natural, tranquil setting for weddings and other ceremonies in the past, and Nadeau has no qualms regarding the likelihood that this unique sculpture will attract lots of people.

"You put something out there for the public," agreed Greenwald, "and everyone can use it."

Added a delighted Nadeau, "A vision we've been working on for years will be a reality."

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Local park getting own version of Stonehenge
by By Alan Burke , , Tue Mar 10, 2009, 10:02 AM EDT
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