memorial II

Memorial II reimagines the relationship between a historic, Paul Cret designed monument from 1927 and the largely abandoned urban traffic island it has occupied for nearly a century. The new memorial makes two dramatic changes to the existing site conditions. First, it relocates the Cret memorial from the street edge to the center of the traffic island. In the process the Cret memorial is nestled into the sloping site to prioritize its central space over its imposing monumentality. Second, Memorial II extends the gesture of the Cret plan into an armature that organizes new activities and rituals around a larger memorial plaza open to the City.

The design process evolved from the core tenets of the following conceptual narrative developed with The Felt Hat:

The bell makes a sound that is a call to service.
The bell makes a sound that is a call to remember.
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The sound of service pierces through the cacophony of the city.
The sound to remember stays close by.
Both are urgent.
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The many,
And the one.
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The song of the fallen
Is made of the notes of the many ones.
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The bells mark time -
From the annual ritual to honor the many
To the daily intimate moments to honor the one.


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Project Team:
Range Studio (w)
The Felt Hat (w)