Judges begin reviewing memorial designs

Debra Maxon and her daughter, Megan, quietly examined the hundreds of possible designs for the Oklahoma City bombing memorial.

Wildlife D�cor

"This one has a sculpture of children descending into heaven, and look how they used wind chimes to represent each of the victims in this design," Debra said to her daughter. "These are simply amazing." The Maxons were among nearly 13,000 who came during the past four days to view the designs for the Oklahoma City Memorial Center. Nine judges began reviewing the 600-plus entries Tuesday. Three to five finalists will be announced April 19, the two-year anniversary of the bombing. The winner will be named July 3. The judges include six design professionals and three family members who represent the victims and survivors of the bombing. "In the first stage we are looking for a concept that best describes the memorial's mission statement, which is basically remembrance and peace," said Helene Fried, one of the advisors for the competition. After the finalists are selected, they will receive $15,000 to make the design more detailed to include a three dimensional model describing the concept and an estimated budget for construction, Fried said. The finalists must also submit a team of professional architects and engineers to implement the designs. "These designs basically reaffirm what people felt from all over the world," said Bob Johnson, chairman of the Oklahoma City Memorial Foundation. "Overall, the quality is better than we could have hoped for." The memorial center will be built on the grounds where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood. The entries, which came from around the world, ranged from modern designs with sun dials and dark shades to the traditional memorial concepts with large pillars, reflecting pools and flower gardens. David Packman of Oklahoma City said he was more than impressed by the different interpretations for the memorial site. "I can tell there was so much creativity and inspiration that went into these designs. Each one brings back the memory of the bombing in its own unique way," he said. For Oklahoma City resident George Wesley, seeing the designs made him realize the memorial will be a kind of healing for the city. "These designs have so much symbolism," he said. "They represent the kind of cleansing that we need to heal from this tragedy. I know when it is finished it will be very therapeutic for us all."

Author: Shannon King Associated Press