Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial

The Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial – located on Beacon Street, at the edge of the Boston Common – is recognized as a national historic landmark and remains an important symbol of the struggle for civil rights in the United States. 

Over time, the memorial suffered from weathering and pollution, and the bronze surface of the sculpture became discolored and corroded. In 2015, while working on the Memorial, stone conservators alerted that the monument’s brick core had become deteriorated from water penetration over time, making it vulnerable to seismic events. 

Allegrone Masonry was awarded as the self-performing masonry contractor and general contractor for the project.  The project involved cleaning the bronze surface of the sculpture, repairing cracks and other damage, and restoring the bronze to match its original appearance. A system called “cathodic protection” has been installed into the concrete deck to protect the plaza substructure. An electric current is used to draw corrosion to sacrificial metal instead of the steel support beams, thus shielding the beams from corrosion.