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   Picture this: you are strolling through the Botanical Gardens on a beautiful Spring Day, unwinding from a tiresome day of classes. The wind gently caresses your face as it dances past you, and the vivid and fresh blossoms smile up at you on your journey. Then you spot a bench amongst the flower plots, extending its hand out to you with the promise of rest. You sit, grateful for the invitation. Eyes peacefully roam the exquisite landscape before you, and you feel completely, blissfully at ease. Just behind you lies a little bronze plaque affixed to the bench’s top panel, supporting you. You feel its presence and turn to it, reading its tiny inscription:

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In memory of Louis and Ester Moskowitz

These gardens brought joy and magic into their lives.

May the gardens do the same for you.

Enjoy your visit.

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Yes, you think with a smile. Yes, you feel it. You feel the magic. The joy. Louis and Ester. You remember them even after you leave, sitting in your dorm preparing for your midterm. Louis and Ester.

Louis and Ester’s dedication bench is one of many memorial benches located in the Botanical Garden. Dedication benches are a common feature in public parks, often overlooked by visitors. These deeply emotional fixtures are worthy of attention, and, hopefully, this blog will pique your curiosity and drive you to read the plaques while you frolic in the garden. 

 

History

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   Let’s start from the beginning, the origins of public memorials. Memorial benches have provided a physical space for remembrance and connection with your loved ones for centuries, dating back to early human civilizations. Ancient Egypt and Rome are notable participants in this tradition, with the Egyptians erecting monuments in gardens and the Romans in public squares. One of many Ancient Egyptian memorials is the obelisk, “a stone rectangular pillar with a tapered top forming a pyramidion, set on a base, erected to commemorate an individual or event and honor the gods,” first created during the Early Dynastic Period. The Egyptians held ceremonies at these fixtures to ward off danger, keeping the sun god safe. Meanwhile, the Romans often made altars, either square or round, made of stone, featuring ornamentations and sculptures. Altars honored the gods; thus, they were required to be built in the open air so the Romans’ sacrifices could reach heaven. Evidenced from both, memorials in ancient civilizations typically honored revered individuals, such as leaders and gods.

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   As time went on, memorials became more personalized, evolving to honor everyday individuals who positively impacted their communities. Edinburgh comes to mind, seeing as they have a large monument dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, a beloved Scottish author. Scott is actually memorialized in several locations in Scotland, from Waverly Station to Abbotsford Primary School. I visited Edinburgh in Spring 2024 and was absolutely dazzled by the Scott monument. As an English major and literature lover, I felt so emotional and happy seeing an author so cherished by his community to the point of them honoring him with an enormous monument. Memorials continued in this vein of celebrating everyday individuals into the 19th and 20th centuries, growing in prominence as more and more public parks and community spaces were established. Urbanization was rapidly intensifying, so people were creating outdoor spaces to gather and reflect in–perfect conditions for the rise of dedication benches! A grand example of this is the Andrew H. Green Memorial Bench in Central Park, erected in 1929. The bench honors Green, a key figure in designing and operating the park and making New York City into the iconic cultural metropolis we know today.

 

The Botanical Garden

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   The history and operation of dedication benches proved harder to research, so I contacted the Garden’s Assistant Director of Major Gifts, Natessa Mallalieu, for the insider scoop. Generously, Mallalieu agreed to chat with me, and we had a wonderful conversation covering the Garden’s dedication benches program. All information that follows in this section is credited to Mallalieu.

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   Unfortunately, the Botanical Garden did not keep consistent records of its dedication benches at first. The first records date back to 1990. While we may not know which bench was established first, it’s fascinating to consider the Garden’s timeline with dedication benches. Initially, dedication benches were gifted in perpetuity, meaning that the bench would remain on the grounds forever. However, presently, the Botanical Garden now only maintains the bench for 20 years. 

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   The process of building a dedication bench can take months, if not years, due to how carefully the program reviews each case. Every dedication plaque is meticulously constructed, the director and client workshopping the inscription with close attention to clarity, phrasing, impact, interpretation, and how it sounds out loud. Furthermore, the program and client must decide the plaque’s appearance–the material, font, and sealant. Once that’s all decided, there is still the process of actually building the bench, which leads me to the scary part: pricing.

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   The Botanical Garden’s “Honor & Memorial Gifts” states that Bench Dedications are “$20,000+.” What does that plus sign mean? Apparently, it means a lot. To start, a six-foot bench costs $1,575 on average. Then, the plaque costs $600, which is multiplied by 3 (or more!) due to needing to replace it over the years. Finally, maintenance costs. Mallalieu estimates that maintenance costs around $5,000, including repairs, plaque reorders, materials, and labor. On top of all that, there are more fees to cover staff salaries, organization operations, donations to the Garden, and more. Thus, the cheapest benches are $20,000, but there are only 4 or 5 currently at that price point, according to Mallalieu. A majority of them are far more expensive.

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   If these benches are so costly, how are they worth it? It’s the sentimental value. The remembrance. The solace a person can receive from having a physical space to honor their loved one, living or deceased. This is the very reason why Mallalieu loves dedication benches. In our phone conversation, she noted how powerful these benches can be–how the plaques convey so much love and emotion in so few words, how serene and comforting having a memorial in a beautiful, cherished place can be for a person remembering their loved one. Mallalieu’s favorite bench in the Garden, which she thinks “might be a unique take,” is a testament to her passion, given how it tells “a whole story.” The plaque simply reads:

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Ruth & David Stone

First Date, The New York Botanical Garden

1953

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   In only 11 words, we witness Ruth and David’s love story. A marriage blossomed from a first date in the Garden, lasting 64 years, finding enough success to afford a physical honor for their relationship. Beautiful. The Ruth and David plaque is one example of the power of these dedication benches to tell a story, rich with emotion and love, in a tiny rectangle. 

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   This is the very reason why I love reading dedication benches every time I visit the Botanical Garden. It is so wonderful to reflect and share the memories of those who manifested these fixtures, their histories entangling with my own. My favorite memorial is in the Thain Family Forest, dedicated to Lucy G. Moses, a woman who dedicated her life to the betterment of her community. Her memorial takes the form of a serene overlook next to the waterfall, and I love to sit on the stone bench there, isolated from the rest of the Garden, and reflect. I may not know Moses, but sitting there, I feel her presence, appreciate her work, and carry on her memory. 

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   Dedication benches are one of the most important, powerful forms of memorializing a cherished individual. To be able to visit and sit with your loved one in a significant, beautiful space is such a special thing. 

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   Next time you visit the Botanical Garden, please be sure to stop at a few benches you pass, resting in the memory of the person they honor. In the words of Natessa Mallalieu, “It is such a powerful thing to witness the power of love transcending time.”

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Sources

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. “Egyptian Obelisk.” World History Encyclopedia. worldhistory.org. 

Central Park Conservancy. “Andrew Haswell Green Bench.” centralparknyc.org. 

Historic Environment Scotland. “Memorialising Sir Walter Scott.” historicenvironment.scot. 

New York Botanical Garden. “Honor & Memorial Gifts.” nybg.org.

Smith, William. “Ara.” A 19th-Century Classical Encylopaedia. 

Quiring Monuments. “The Meaning and Significance of Memorial Benches.” https://www.monuments.com. 

Mark, Joshua J. “Egyptian Obelisk.” World History Encyclopedia.  worldhistory.org.