A design has been chosen for the Las Vegas mass shooting memorial.
The 1 October Memorial Committee (10MC) has recommended a proposal featuring 58 pillars of light to represent those who died.
JCJ Architecture’s concept was picked from five finalists by the Clark County Commission-appointed board.
The deadliest mass shooting in American history happened on October 1, 2017, when Stephen Paddock, a 64-year-old man from Mesquite, Nevada, opened fire on the crowd attending the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip.
The shooting claimed the lives of 58 and left hundreds more injured.
The 10MC was tasked with gathering input from the public and developing recommendations for the permanent memorial.
Their other stated goal was “to honor the many heroes who inspired the nation with their bravery and all those whose lives were changed forever, and to celebrate resiliency and compassion of our community.”
“The JCJ Architecture team is extremely humbled that the 1 October Committee has expressed a preference for our design proposal on the Las Vegas Memorial,” said the designers.
“As members of this community ourselves, we deeply appreciate what an important milestone this is, and to have our design concept ranked highly is especially meaningful to us.
“Engaging in this design process as a team, on behalf of the city we call home, has been a wonderful, and, at times, an emotional experience.
“We look forward to continuing to do impactful work in support of Las Vegas and hope to have the opportunity to create a place that brings the community together around remembrance, reflection, and healing.”
JCJ Design Principal Derek Sola added: “This validation from the committee is extremely humbling. This design concept is one that obviously became very emotional for all of us, and to have that acknowledged by the committee and the broader community is the greatest recognition we could ask for.”
JCJ explained the memorial will serve as a place for individuals to reflect, grieve, and remember those who lost their lives.
They say they drew inspiration from candlelight vigils and the expression of vertical shafts of light.
“We developed a concept of the “58 Candles” located at the heart of the memorial, honoring the 58 victims,” they said.
When viewed from above, the memorial will be seen as an infinity symbol representing the concept of perpetuity and limitlessness.
A 58ft tall tower of light will be highly visible from anywhere along the southern Las Vegas Strip. The prominent structure of colored glass rises from the center of the memorial in two intertwining spirals that taper up to the sky.
An area called The Surround is a 1,600-square-foot circular chamber that conveys the concept of infinite space through an expression of 22,000 points of light, the number of attendees at the concert.
“Being a concertgoer with an audience of 22,000 people can be an exhilarating and memorable experience,” said JCJ.
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
Edited by Priscilla Jepchumba and Judy J. Rotich
