DANVERS, MA -- North Shore residents over 40 remember it: the metal sculpture of a Liberty Tree that was the centerpiece of the Liberty Tree Mall when it opened in 1972. It was the place your parents told you to meet at a pre-determined in the days before they could send you a text message to tell you they were done with their shopping. It was beautiful or it was ugly, depending on your personal taste in art.
And then it was gone. No one is exactly sure when the tree was removed from the mall, and there is even less certainty on where it went.
The mall's current manager said it may have been taken down as early as 1988. Lauren Dalis of Simon Property Group, which operates the mall, said she's been with the company for 15 years and it was gone "long before" she started.
Dalis said Simon still gets one or two queries each year from people each year asking what happened to the tree, so she wasn't surprised when she was told there was a new discussion mourning the tree on a Facebook group for Danvers residents.
"Unfortunately, the management team and management companies have changed hands since [it was removed] and we are not sure exactly what happened to it," she said. "I'm sure someone must know, but I have yet to find that individual."
Historic Landmark
The mall sits on land that is about half a mile from the location of the local version of Boston's Liberty tree. Construction on the mall started in 1969. It original anchors -- and again, something people under 40 are unlikely to remeber -- were Lechmere and Ann & Hope. The tree sat outside of the mall for much of the three years the mall was under construction before being moved to its center court for its February 21, 1972 grand opening.
Albert Surman designed the Liberty tree sculpture, and it had been featured in the New England Pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Following his death in 2010, Surman's son, Barry told the Boston Globe was composed of thousands of metal tubes and multicolored glass leaves. Before being moved to Danvers the tree was displayed on Boston Common.
Vandals damaged the tree while it was on Boston Common, so it had to be refurbished before it was moved to the mall. The Globe's obituary for Surman claims the tree was there until 1992, but Barry Surman told the newspaper at the time no one in his family knows what became of it?
Do you know what happened to the Liberty tree? Help us solve the mystery by contacting Dave Copeland at dave.copeland@patch.com or 617-433-7851.
Never miss another local news story: Get free local news alerts right to your inbox.
Photo by Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Danvers, MA Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.