Bajnotti and Carrie Brown lived an extravagant life, traveling between Europe, Russia and America while pursuing his diplomatic career and her love of art and music. Then Carrie Brown died in the pandemic of 1892. After Carrie’s death, Paolo was determined that she would always be remembered in her hometown. He returned to Providence and to make certain she was never forgotten, he set out with an ambitious agenda. He would create not one or even two grand memorials. He would not stop at three or even four. His goal was monumental – he would create 5 lasting memorials to their love.
He managed to build the Carrie Clock Tower at Brown University, the Carrie Brown Fountain on Kennedy Plaza, the bronze statue of the Pancratist in Roger Williams Park. He commissioned Tiffany to create a stained glass window in her memory; it’s still on display.
Bajnotti designed each memorial to tell a piece of their epic love story.
If built today the cost of these memorials would likely exceed $25,000,000.
The fifth and final memorial to Carrie Brown was never realized.
It involved a bequest to Providence creating an annual gift of money so a young couple could marry and know the joy shared by Paolo and Carrie. The bequest “to a 20 year old woman of high virtue” was turned down by the city because city officials said they were afraid it would be difficult to find such a woman annually in Providence.
Paolo carved “Love is Strong as Death” on the Carrie Tower – only time will tell if that is true.
