1 October Memorial Competition

The Memorial Park, proposed by the OLIN-led design team, honors the victims and entire Las Vegas community affected by the mass shooting tragedy that unfolded on October 1, 2017, claiming the lives of 58 individuals at the Route 91 country music festival. Our design was developed through great deliberation, deep reflection, and direct community engagement with survivors, family members, law enforcement, emergency responders, and the Route 91 family. The Memorial Park holds space for art to help reflect, grieve, and foster hope. It holds space for the native habitats of Las Vegas to foster tranquility and offer respite amidst one of the most intense urban experiences in the world.

The plan for the park is centered around a procession towards healing–its form inspired by the shape of the sound wave extracted from “God Bless America,” the song attendees sang together that night. The design proposes 15 larger-than-life bronze cast horses, one for each of the 58 victims’ US home states and Canada. The sculptures invite visitors to interact, touch and walk amongst them. Two foals are set away from the main procession, offering a space for children to interact and giving them an opportunity to understand, grieve, and to be comforted by the horses.

The edges of the Memorial Park are thickened by plantings inspired by the native vegetation of the Mojave Desert, providing shade and welcoming birds and butterflies. The plantings carefully frame views of the sky while simultaneously blocking sightlines of surrounding resort buildings. Small alcoves with curated benches and boulders line the linear procession, allowing for moments of pause, reflection, and remembrance.

At the heart of the park —the Springs— the sound wave pattern dissipates, and the paving breaks apart to uncover sacred ground where native plants spring forth, signifying the presence of water and the life it represents. The horses gather and appear to bend down for a drink. Layered wood benches hug the space, defining a place for visitors to also gather and look forward—together—toward hope.

Location
Las Vegas, NV

Owner
Clark County Nevada Commission

Status
Completed 2023

OLIN Team
Jessica M. Henson, Partner-in-Charge
Trevor Lee, Partner
Chi-Tsai Liu, Project Manager
Joanna Karaman, Senior Landscape Architect
Madison Murray, Project Coordinator
Abbey Catig, Landscape Designer
Finn Graves, Model Room Manager

Competition Team
OLIN, Lead Designer and Landscape Architect
Andy Scott, Sculptor
Hanneke Scott van-Wel, Architect and Curator
Antonio Acoustics
HLB Lighting Design
Thornton Tomasetti
GCW
Interface Engineering
Geosyntec
Dharam Consulting
Rock Solid Project Solutions
Maciej Lengiewicz, Digital Media
Miguel Horn, Fabrication