Esplanade's Eliot Memorial Project Could Be Finished by Year's End

The project to revitalize the Esplanade's Eliot Memorial could be finished within six months, according to organizers.

The Esplanade Association and Massachusetts Department of Conservation Recreation opened the bidding on the project Wednesday and will continue to accept proposals until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10.

The project is expected to take between three to six months and is advertised on the Commonwealth Procurement and Solicitation System (Comm-PASS), the official procurement record system for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Executive Departments. 

"(It) will transform the Eliot Memorial into a lush and inviting gathering spot for park visitors and also serves as a landscape demonstration area for enhanced park maintenance," the Esplanade Association says on its website. The revitalization effort will improve the ecology of the area's trees, shrubs and lawn as well as improve the entrance to Community Boating by reconstructing pathways, adding seating and installing new planting beds, according to the group.

In December 2011, an anonymous donor gave $1 million to renovate the memorial. The gift was in memory of Francis W. Hatch, Jr., a late state legislator. The Esplanade Association has also received grants from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Partnership Grant Program, Porpoise Fund, Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Fund and Garden Club of the Back Bay, as well as gifts from other individuals.