'There's A Peace To Them': Boston Marathon Bombing Monument Unveiled

When the bombs went off on Boylston Street in 2013, Paige Farrell was on her way to the marathon. When she heard what happened — what we'd all learn was a deadly domestic terrorist attack — she went back home.

On Tuesday, a block away from the finish line, Farrell stood and watched quietly as crews erected four bronze spires where one of the homemade explosives detonated. She said the spires — part of a new permanent city memorial marking what happened — offered her "a feeling of calm."

"There's a peace to them," Farrell said. "Perhaps there's an intention with that — to bring a peace to a tragedy. I think they look so beautiful. They're silencing."

Sculptor Pablo Eduardo was nearby, overseeing the monument's installation. Creating a sense of peace, he said, was indeed his intent.

The goal "was to invite people to come to this area and reflect," he said. "That's what we wanted the impact on the city to be."

The placement of the spires, which eventually will glow with lights, is the first phase of the monument dedicated to those who lost their lives in the attack, and to a scarred, but resilient city.

"I think Boston dealt with this in a Boston way," Eduardo said. "They had Boston Strong. It's such a strong community of ideals that they knew how to be nonreactive ... I hope it reflects here."

Several passersby like Farrell seemed arrested by the design. Mike Allison, wearing a Boston Strong shirt, took in the sight, reflecting. He's visiting from California.

"I think it's important," Allison, a runner who hopes to qualify for the Boston Marathon one day, said. "It's impressive that things like this continue to go on in our country. When sad things happen, the best of Americans come through."

The second phase of construction for the monument starts next week near the finish line.