Also this issue: Gale Warning No Love In Bloom -Daryl Gale Meet The New Boss Inky looking for better days under Amanda Bennett. -Deborah Bolling Mob Queen Latin Kings As a former Mafia mistress pursues her old flame, lawmen turn their attention to Latin gangs. -Brendan McGarvey Cheesy | Barring None? | This and That -Mary F. Patel The Bell Curve City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

June 5-11, 2003

city beat

Flame On!

General Disapproval: Neighbors are upset that the flame has been dissed. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

A monument to Revolutionary War heroes extinguished for years will burn again.

by Deborah Bolling

As the city readies Independence Mall for Fourth of July festivities beginning at the end of the month, citizens monitoring the renovation of nearby Washington Square Park are worried that their neighborhood commons, best known for its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial to a fallen hero of the American Revolution, may not be ready in time. Topping their list of concerns is the relighting of the eternal flame, the park centerpiece that has not flickered in years.

Last November, the National Park Service announced it would assume custody of the park, located at Seventh and Walnut, now that it is part of Independence National Historical Park. While Park Service spokesperson Phil Sheridan says, "We are looking forward to maintaining [Washington Square Park] and protecting it," he also admits that they've yet to assume total responsibility. Although the project began in 1998, Sheridan says the renovations mandatory for the official transfer are still underway. The extinguished flame is a major sore spot.

"I think this is just a story about the gang who couldn't shoot straight," says Kathy Cushing, a member of the Washington Square West Civic Association and 30-year neighborhood resident. "In the past two years they couldn't figure out how to make the gas line work? This is about apathy on the part of Philadelphia's city administration. They are custodians to the most historical mile in the United States. They've just been dragging their feet."

Designed by William Penn in 1682, Washington Square was one of the five original squares that comprised Philadelphia. Initially known as Southeast Square, it was renamed in 1825 to honor George Washington, the revered Revolutionary War general who became the country's first president.

Since around 1865, the city park has been managed by the Fairmount Park Commission. While patriotic memories of the Revolutionary War are heralded at the site, the park's history is actually rather sorrowful.

According to plaques along its paths, Washington Square Park was originally an auction block for the sale of slaves. In 1707, it became a potter's field for slaves and victims of diseases including smallpox. It wasn't until 1776 that fallen troops from the Revolutionary War started being buried atop the ravaged bodies that were already placed atop slave remains. After yellow fever decimated the city, the cemetery closed in 1793. Park historians say that some people at the time suspected that the graves emitted noxious vapors.

While the dousing of the eternal flame may be a tragedy for some, the irony of a faulty memoriam honoring just the soldiers, while hundreds of other bodies are interred beneath the grounds, can't be overlooked. So far, no plans exist to rededicate the flame in honor of any of the other bodies buried there.

These days, the park is shrouded in the residue of construction. While most work has been completed, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier -- erected in 1957 -- still remains cordoned off. Dirt and broken bricks lie alongside an exposed, nonfunctioning gas line. A few abandoned wreaths now amuse the squirrels that scurry along the stone casket. Watching over everything is a badly oxidized statue of General Washington. Most afternoons, the park is visited by school children, who have made a nonworking fountain a playground, and the homeless, who sleep barefoot on the benches.

Barry Bessler, chief of staff for the Fairmount Park Commission, promises that the project will be complete by the end of the month, and the eternal flame will finally be re-ignited.

"There's a permanent gas line now under construction," says Bessler, explaining that even though nearly $5 million has been invested to revitalize the park, delays are inevitable. "We've replaced the old one, which was problematic. It's been going on and off for years. With huge bureaucracies being what they are, these things take time. But I don't have any reason to believe that the work won't be completed on time."

The city is expecting thousands of tourists during its annual Welcome America! 2003 campaign. High on the list of planned events is the much-anticipated July 4 opening of the National Constitution Center, the world's first museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution. President Bush was expected at the event, but according to Mayor Street's press office, his appearance is now uncertain. (No further explanations were offered.) As for nearby Washington Square Park, everyone seems happy that the renovation -- and the return of the flame -- seems imminent.

"We are now at the point where the issue of Washington Square Park will finally be resolved," says Luz Cardenas, of the Mayor's press office. "It's great news for everyone: the residents, the business people and anyone who enjoys the park. We're absolutely delighted."

As for Kathy Cushing and others concerned about the park, the outcome remains to be seen.

"If the [eternal flame] is back on by July 4, that's fine," she says. "Philadelphia is the birthplace of America and Washington Square Park is only 100 feet from Independence Hall. If this had happened to the eternal flame at the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Arlington cemetery, we would've had such a public outcry. I think this whole thing is about poor planning and even poorer politics."