A Public Garden with a Mission: Living AIDS Memorial Garden

By Lynda DeWitt

Sandwiched between a highway and a busy street, one block from the state Capitol and next door to a fast-food restaurant, the Living AIDS Memorial Garden is an urban oasis.

"We wanted to create a peaceful place for people to come and remember lost family members and friends," said garden co-founder Carl Maxwell. "We named it the Living AIDS Memorial Garden because the garden is a living entity. Every year, the flowers return even though many people remembered here will not."

On land the city of Charleston leases from the state, volunteers armed with funds from private donations began working on the garden in 1998. The property, bisected by a brick walkway, has a wildflower garden on one side and a rose garden on the other.

"The wildflower garden is full of perennials that bloom in succession throughout the growing season," said co-founder Bruce Severino. "It starts with daffodils and tulips, moves to irises and then to day lilies and black-eyed Susans. In the fall, we have mums."

The rose garden has 25 shrubs, all different varieties, including the cultivars 'Peace' and 'Tropicana.' A fragrant yellow rose, 'Peace' is one of the most popular roses grown today. Smuggled out of France during World War II, it was introduced worldwide after the war. A vigorous grower, bright orange 'Tropicana' was introduced in 1960 for its unique color.

Two one-ton pink granite boulders are hard to miss. One, at the center of the garden, bears a bronze plaque from the Charleston AIDS Network. The other boulder, placed at the entrance of the garden, bears the founders' mission statement. Their goal, it reads, is "to establish and maintain a garden in memory of those who have died of AIDS, to provide a place of reflection for those who are living with AIDS and for those who are survivors."

"This is not just a garden," said Severino. "It's an AIDS awareness project."

Donors can have names and other information imprinted on one of the 1,300 bricks that make up the meandering walkway.

"When you see a name that you recognize, there's a moment of tenderness," said John Hicks, president of the local neighborhood association. "But a name on a brick isn't necessarily a victim of AIDS. Friends, too, donate money to honor victims and to show their support of the garden."

People can also show their support by dedicating an existing tree or purchasing a new tree in honor of someone. Three Japanese zelkova trees, a blue spruce, a hemlock and a birch currently stand on the property. Two weeping cherries will be planted this summer.

"Currently the garden is maintained by volunteers," said Severino, one of the many active garden keepers. "Our goal right now is to raise money for an irrigation system and to fund an endowment to ensure that the garden is professionally maintained in perpetuity."

Though a fence keeps people from walking through the flower beds, no gate surrounds the garden. It is always open and at night, two village-type lampposts provide illumination.

"The garden is used extensively," said Severino. "There are tables and benches, so people come here and eat. This is very much an urban park."

"We don't have a lot of public gardens in the city," said Hicks. "So this fulfills a need for a tranquil, peaceful place for the community. It's definitely a meditation garden. When you walk in, you feel encapsulated by the serenity. It's a very compelling place - even in winter."

- Lynda DeWitt

Living AIDS Memorial Garden
Washington Street East and Sidney Avenue
East End of Charleston, W.Va.
304-346-0246
www.livingaidsmemorialgarden.org