P E N T A G O N M E M O R I A L

QUICK NOTES

• DESIGNED BY: Lee & Associates

• LOCATION: Arlington, Virginia

• TYPE: Memorial

• YEAR DESIGNED: 2008

• NOTABLE DESIGN ELEMENTS: Meaningful story and custom benches

long story short

Tragedy is never easy and rarely forgotten, places of memory are significantly important in the healing process, especially when it’s a community that is grieving. This is Pentagon Memorial, located in Arlington, Virginia, where on September 11, 2001, 184 individuals lost their lives. The space is nothing short of breathtaking, mesmerizing, powerful, memorable, healing, and thoughtful.

once upon a time

I once heard Thomas Woltz describe the difference between memorial and site of memory by saying that a ‘memorial’ often captures one person through a statue which is a closed chapter and an end story, where as ‘sites of memory’ indicate that the space is open to communication, interpretation and ultimately the healing process of those remaining on earth. Pentagon Memorial is undeniably a site of memory.

The space has achieved storytelling for a moment in time that is tragic and significant, yet pays tribute to those whose lives were unfairly lost on September 11, 2001. The space is democratic, content, calm, and collected, while strong, powerful, and unforgettable. The Pentagon Memorial is heavy and light simultaneously, and bounds strangers together in a unique physical aspect of life.

Every day at 9:37am, when the plane hit the building, the pools turn off for a moment of silence, where for the remainder of the day we can hear the water running, reminding us that life goes on, but certain scars never go away. We carry on, but never forget.

Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and beliefs, every unit of memory is the same and unique at the same time. There are no differences, with an exception of direction they face, which makes them unite in a special way. It doesn’t matter the differences, similarity is that all these individuals lives were unfairly taken at a single moment. This space doesn’t discriminate, it just is. This space is human.

In a quick look, it feels as though a few hundred individuals were passing each other by and saying hello, determined to get to their destinations.

May the seamless water remind us that their stories will go on, and the length and strength of their units remind us that life is not that long after all.

In sites of memories, we may aim to create a space where we think of death, but in reality if designed well, it becomes about life itself.

B E N C H E S

One hundred and eighty four (184) airplane-inspired cantilever stone benches dedicated to each and every single person whose life was taken that day.

The benches are facing two different directions. One hundred and twenty five (125) of the markers are facing the Pentagon, while fifty nine (59) are facing away from the building. It’s the story of where the victims were, 125 were from the Pentagon, and 59 were on Flight 77. It’s a reminder that life, in any one moment, however tragic, can bond strangers together unannounced.

Each marker has a its own pool, all of which bow to a moment of silence at 9:37am every morning in memory of all those whose lives were taken that day.

L I G H T

“Where there is light, there if life”, and life is indeed incredibly present at the Pentagon Memorial. Whether shining naturally or through the benches, the transition between day and night is smooth, calm, and truthful. Whether the benches are lit from above or by themselves, they shine bright, which is how most individuals wang to be remembered in life.

Pentagon Memorial is a site of memory because it’s about life and it’s predictable beauty just as much as it is about tragedy and it’s unpredictable essence. It is a site of memory because the atmosphere is filled with

W A L L

Water is strongly present throughout City Center. A constant flow of motion each beautiful in their own given at capacity highlight entrances, transitions, and exits. Most prominently, they remind you that you’re still in the same space, in case you got lost in the incredible details like I did.

Amongst the various water elements -three precisely- throughout the space, the topography-inspired feature particularly felt like a personally awe-inspiring. The realistic showcase of a shrunken topography made into a stunning major feature is a space-giver to those seeking privacy on the other side.

The precision of phenomenal detail that has been engraved -literally- into the black granite, alongside the uniqueness of the idea becomes entertainment in the most natural way possible; following the journey of water through a mountainous stone. The surrounding stones invite you take a moment and sit and enjoy what could remove you from your surroundings easily if you just followed through.

Sources:

** All photos by author unless otherwise noted.