Retail or Re-tell?: The Case of the Salem Tercentenary Memorial

Abstract

In 1992, a memorial was constructed in Salem, Massachusetts to commemorate the tragic events that, 300 years earlier, led to the murder of 20 people. Prior to the establishment of this memorial, few places in Salem offered a serious inquiry into the witch-hunt. The Salem Tercentenary Memorial transforms the tourist experience by offering a counterbalance to the intense commercialism that permeates a tour of Salem. It points to the fact that a newly designed place can weave historic authenticity into place. The award-winning design by Seattle area architect James Cutler and artist Maggie Smith serves as a model. It enables the tourist to link place to historic events and to connect past events to contemporary society.1