Spectators gathered on Tuesday morning to watch city officials, archivists, and volunteers take down the temporary memorial of the Boston Marathon bombings. The crew placed the items into boxes that will be moved to the City of Boston Archives.
City officials decided last week that the time had come to remove the makeshift memorial – a collection of teddy bears, running shoes, and countless other items that has grown every day since the April 15th bombing.
The knowledge that it would soon be removed drew survivors and citizens to Boston’s Copley Square on Monday, to view the memorial one last time.
In a letter to victims and the families of those killed, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced that he is forming a Remembrance Committee to create a permanent memorial for the attacks.
“It is my hope,” Mayor Menino wrote, “that the respectful closing of the temporary memorial will help us all look to the future.”
The twin blasts near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three and injured over 260 people.