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CLEVELAND — The Mount Pleasant neighborhood now features a memorial garden for the victims of serial killer Anthony Sowell.
The Garden of Eleven Angels opened this weekend, providing a source of both closure and remembrance for the victims of Sowell and the surrounding community.
Several organizations, including Western Reserve Land Conservancy, led a years-long effort to acquire Sowell’s Imperial Avenue house, demolish it and replace it with a community garden. The Garden of Eleven Angels is spread over eight parcels. Construction on the site started in July.
“This beautiful garden will be a living memorial to the Eleven Angels whose lives were so brutally taken,” said Joy Johnson, executive director at Burton, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. “It’s been years in the making, and we now have some closure and healing for this community. And to have that healing centered on a beautiful green space and memorial that will be here for generations is a tremendous success.”
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Sowell’s actual home was demolished in 2011. Western Reserve Land Conservancy joined a plan to establish a memorial at the site in 2016. Two vacant parcels adjacent to Sowell’s home were acquired and then built-into garden plans.
“The Garden of Eleven Angels is a very special project for all of us at the Land Conservancy,” said Matt Zone, senior vice president at Western Reserve Land Conservancy. “We are all proud to have played a role in this. Partnering with the families, the contractors, the residents, and the community made this project stronger. Now that it is finally complete, we hope the Imperial Avenue residents and the families of the 11 Angels will be able to enjoy this garden for many years to come.”
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