On November 28th, 1942, the Cocoanut Grove nightclub fire took the lives of 490 people and sent hundreds of injured to major Boston hospitals. It was the worst civilian loss of life in the United States since the attack on Pearl Harbor and today is still the second deadliest building fire in American history.
As a result of the fire’s magnitude and the investigations that followed, the Cocoanut Grove fire led to life-saving medical advances in burn treatment, overhauled building codes, and improved fire safety regulations that have saved countless lives over many generations.
There was, however, no memorial to honor those 490 victims beyond a small metal plaque.
The Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee, a registered 501(c)(3) non profit organization, was established in 2015 to help Boston recognize this historic event, allow future generations to learn from it, and to support fire and public safety education.
Our objective is to create a memorial that preserves and honors the memory of the victims, survivors, first responders and medical professionals. All involved in the committee are volunteers and we hope you will help us create a lasting tribute to the victims who perished and commemorate this tragedy.
Dr. Ken Marshall, a prominent plastic surgeon, and I lived on the same street in Watertown and were friends and fellow Harvard alumni. On Saturday afternoon, December 8, 2012, Ken and I were at S&A Cigar store watching a football game and discussing one of our favorite topics, Boston. Ken mentioned that his Irish immigrant mother was a nurse at Boston City Hospital on the night of the Cocoanut Grove Fire. I asked Ken if he had ever visited the site of the infamous nightclub and he told me he wasn’t quite sure where it was located.
So I took him to 17 Piedmont Street, the former site of the
club, then a parking lot. I showed Ken the commemorative plaque sponsored by the Bay Village Neighborhood Associationand made by Tony Marra, the Grove’s youngest employee who escaped the fire and became a metal smith. The plaque, dedicated in 1993 to mark the 50th anniversary of the fire, was placed in the sidewalk in line with Grove’s main entrance through the revolving door. We read the word “Phoenix out of the Ashes” engraved on the plaque and noticed bouquets left from the November 28 anniversary. We then walked along Piedmont to the rear of Revere Hotel where the Bostonian Society placed a plaque to honor the fire’s 490 victims. It was then that Ken asked me, “Is that it?” and I replied, “That’s it.” He responded, “There should be more.” I agreed and that started our quest “for more.”
We soon discovered a developer had purchased the two small parking lots on the Grove site and were building a dozen condos, so we were too late to install a memorial on the actual site. That just made us more determined to “do more.”
We recruited individuals who agreed that a much larger memorial needed to be erected and located in an area accessible to the general public so everyone may learn about Boston’s most tragic event and itsimpact on medicine, public safety and law.
That location became Statler Park, just a short walk from 17 Piedmont Street in Bay Village. But it was a long process to get there.
The Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee was formed and granted non-profit status in 2015. In 2013, we successfully petitioned the City of Boston to re-name Shawmut Street Extension, which ran through the former site, to Cocoanut Grove Lane. The dedication of the street attracted over 500 people, including three fire survivors. In 2017, we hosted a 75th anniversary event and again had three survivors and some 500 family members attending.
Meanwhile, we worked on securing funding and selecting a memorial design. We are thankful for the support of former Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Mayor Marty Walsh and the current Mayor Michelle Wu. Our design team, RE:siteStudio and Metalabs, came up with a moving and historically appropriate design to honor the 490 victims. In 2024, we had a ground breaking ceremony at Statler Park. The memorial is scheduled to be dedicated in September of 2026.
Each day we hear from another family with ties to the
Cocoanut Grove, who are thankful for our efforts to honor the victims, survivors, first responders, brave citizens and medical professionals. Please support the Cocoanut Grove Memorial Committee to ensure the lessons of the Cocoanut Grove are not forgotten.
Our design is guided by the words of Tony Marra, the youngest survivor of the 1942 tragedy: “Phoenix out of the Ashes.” Originally referencing the revolutionary advances in fire safety and burn medicine that emerged from the disaster, this phrase serves as our primary metaphor for resilience and transformation.
The memorial centerpieces are three sculptural arches—a reconstitution of the original Cocoanut Grove entrance. Here, they are reimagined as symbolic thresholds, marking the transition from mourning to healing. Traditionally designed to bear heavy loads, these arches represent Boston’s collective strength in carrying the weight of grief across generations.
The structure blends traditional stonework with contemporary parametric design. Stacked linear granite pieces, engraved with the names of the 490 lives lost, form a memorial wall that gradates in density. As the wall rises, the granite dissipates into a clear, laminated glass summit—a visual representation of spirit rising from shadow.
By elevating the arch—a form historically reserved for military heroism—the design honors the courage of the victims, the survivors, and the first responders. This “in-process” gesture of sculptural growth ensures that while the site is rooted in history, its message of renewal remains definitively contemporary.
The Cocoanut Grove Memorial at Statler Park is open to the public 24 hours a day. The Memorial is a few blocks from the original location of the Cocoanut Grove club, which was at 17 Piedmont Street.
City of Boston Arts Commission
City of Boston Community Preservation
The Edward Browne Fund
The George Henderson Foundation
The Shawmut Street Trust
National Fire Protection Association
Massachusetts Charitable Fire Association
Cocoanut Grove Families
Families & Friends of the Cocoanut Grove Memorial
International Association of Fire Fighters
Henry Lee Fund
The Massachusetts House of Representatives
UL Solutions Enterprise
Johnson Controls