City eyes a new finishing touch

Near the Back Bay finish line of Boston's famous marathon, there's a 3-foot-high tortoise and hare statue, inscribed ''in tribute to runners from all over the world," and a 15-foot granite medallion with a map of the 26.2-mile route. But the Boston City Council wants more than that, and is pushing the idea of a much larger monument to one of the nation's most famous road races, one that will really grab attention.

They're talking something that will stand out, attract tourists, and become a must for vacation snapshots.

''You go to the Boston Children's Museum, and they have that Hood bottle of milk," said Councilor Paul J. Scapicchio, who introduced a measure to hold hearings and review ideas. ''You go to Yankee Stadium, and they have the huge baseball bat."

The concept would have to be approved by the Boston Art Commission, but it has already won enthusiastic support from other city councilors, who say it is about time that Boston made a bigger effort to herald one of its most prestigious events, if for no other reason than the extra tourist dollars they say it would draw.

But not everyone is so sure. Community groups, including the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay and Friends of Copley Square, say that the square is already too crowded and that adding a monument is redundant.

''In some of these more fragile parks, which Copley Square is, it's difficult to keep putting more and more things in them and trying to maintain them," said Margaret Pokorny of the Friends of Copley Square. ''It is disruptive to the park."

The idea for something more prominent came from Charles Monahan, 66, a Charlestown resident who ran in two Boston Marathons, most recently last year.

''Boston is the center of the running world for that weekend," Monahan said. ''We barely have squat to acknowledge it. If you want your picture taken with your grandkids, you have to lie down on the concrete. How much sense does that make?"

City councilors say he's right. To immortalize the marathon with a commemorative bronze statue would allow tourists and runners to take more pictures and potentially make the city more money, Scapicchio said. The city made more than $60 million from the marathon last year. At hearings, which are yet to be scheduled, he plans to ask artists for ideas.

Sarah Hutt, the art commission's director, said that without a more definitive plan she couldn't comment.

''I have no idea if they're talking about something equivalent of George Washington or something in the sidewalk," she said. ''I know there's something already in the sidewalk, but nothing has come before the art commission."

Copley's centennial monument, placed in 1996, represents the 100th year of the marathon. The medallion has a map of the course and the names of all official male and female champions -- from open, masters, and wheelchair classes -- since the race began in 1897.

The tortoise and hare monument for the marathon was installed in 1993, sponsored by the Friends of Copley Square.

In Newton, there's the ''Young at Heart" statue of legendary marathoner Johnny Kelley, who completed a record 61 Boston Marathons and won two.

Monahan remembers standing on the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Washington Street as a child and cheering Kelley on. Since then, Monahan has run in marathons on six continents, including Antarctica. None, he said, have the prestige and respect of Boston's.

Guy Morse -- executive director for the Boston Athletic Association, which hosts the annual event -- said it was too early to tell whether another marathon monument is necessary, but it depends on the placement and style of the statue. It would be the community's decision, he said.

Pokorny, of the Friends of Copley Square, said installing more statues and monuments in the park would limit space for residents and tourists. Already, she said, there's a ticket kiosk and the John Singleton Copley statue.

When that statue was installed a few years ago, city workers had to figure out how to excavate around tree roots and dig a hole deep enough for the statue to be stable.

Nancy Schön of Newton, who created the ''Tortoise and Hare" monument, said it doesn't make sense to her, either. She made the monument specifically for the marathon, steering away from gender and race to represent the wide spectrum of participants by recreating Aesop's age-old fable.

''I don't see the point," said Schön, who also created the ''Make Way For Ducklings" statues in the Public Garden. ''I think it's just duplicating what you've got already."

Russell Nichols can be reached at rnichols@globe.com.