Ground Broken at Legacy Memorial Park in Honor of 2009 Metro Crash Victims

Rendering via DGS

From a press release:

“Mayor Vincent C. Gray broke ground [Sunday] at the site of the new Legacy Memorial Park, which will honor the nine people who perished during the 2009 Metrorail collision. Mayor Gray was joined by family representatives, members of the nearby community and congregants of Greater Saint Paul Baptist Church. The $1.8 million memorial – which will be located across the street from the church – is scheduled for completion in December.

“The Legacy Memorial Park will honor and celebrate the lives of those involved in the events of that day through reflective design and artwork,” Mayor Gray said. “This park will be a public space for mourning and connecting to the human spirit. We will never forget the nine lives lost that day, and we will forever honor the heroism of our first responders.”

The winning design team of sculptor Barbara Liotta and architects Lucrecia Laudi and Julian Hunt of Hunt Laudi Studio have created a vision for the park that creates a space for people to connect with nature’s beauty amid a setting of artistic reflection to honor the victims, emergency personnel and countless lives altered by the tragic accident. The design team was selected through a competitive process conducted in partnership by the Office of the City Administrator (OCA) and the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities (DCCAH). An Art Selection Panel convened by DCCAH, representing family members’ diverse interests and expertise, reviewed the qualifications of the artists and the finalists’ designs. Bennett Paschen Joint Venture will be the general contractor to build the memorial park.

“Through art, we can create a space and place that adds new meaning to one of the most unfortunate days in the District’s recent history. The families, as well as the public, will have room to reflect,” said DCCAH Executive Director Lionell Thomas. “The memorial incorporates both families’ and citizens’ voices.”

The park design includes nine sculptural artworks, a memorial wall with an inscription written by family of the remembered, landscaping and hardscaping, as well as the installation of new lighting and streetscape amenities.

The Legacy Memorial Park is located at the entrance of the Blair Road Community Garden in Ward 4 at the intersection of New Hampshire and South Dakota Avenues NE.”