There are some parks and public places that few may know exist, or are aware of the background. As I am rarely a visitor to the area around Holyoke City Hall, I knew little of the Korean Veterans Memorial Plaza. I was very pleased to learn more about this plaza, which I will now share.
At the dedication ceremony of the new District Courthouse at Heritage Way and Suffolk Street on January 4, 1980, Mayor Ernest Proulx announced changing Newton Place and City Hall Court into a pedestrian area free of vehicular traffic, except for police vehicles.
The project would eliminate City Hall Court, which ran alongside City Hall between High Street and Heritage Street. Newton Place, which was a short street that led from City Hall Court to Suffolk Street, was also eliminated. This would be a brick plaza, with park benches and plantings to create a comfortable park-like tone.
The project almost did not materialize due to objections over the loss of parking spaces for municipal vehicles. However, this was overcome with the additional available spaces atop the police station behind Holyoke City Hall.
Almer Huntley & Associates from Northampton was the landscape designer and oversaw the project, while Ciocca Construction Co. of Springfield was the contractor for the $155,000 project.
On March 30, 1981, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new pedestrian plaza. The project was completed in June 1981. J & W Jolly donated a turbine, which was a focal point of the plaza. The dedication ceremony was held on July 27, 1981.
On Veterans Day, November 11, 1982, the plaza was dedicated to the memory of the 24 soldiers from Holyoke who lost their lives during the Korean War. The park was renamed the Korean War Veterans Memorial Plaza. In a separate aldermanic action in 1986, the City Hall Annex building was also so renamed. In 1990, plans were formulated to allow for a direct view of Heritage Park from High Street.
In 1994, the request for proposals was advertised for the Korean War Veterans Memorial and Court Plaza renovations. The brick plaza struggled to survive the impact of snow plows and needed replacement, as did much of the original 1981 project installations.
In 1995, William P. Reimann created a 10-foot-tall sculpture for the plaza as an additional memorial for the Korean War deceased. A series of carvings depicting Holyoke's cultural heritage grace the park, including a French Cockerell and a Polish Eagle.
Veterans Day events continued at the plaza through 2006. The soldiers' memorial plaque was subsequently moved to Veterans Park, likely between 2007 and 2012. If I can obtain a definitive year, an edit will be forthcoming.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican, with publication dates and pages shown.
Soldiers' Memorial Commission, War Memorial Building, 310 Appleton Street, Holyoke, MA 01040
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