Oregon Holocaust Memorial Explained

Oregon Holocaust Memorial
Body:Oregon
Commemorates:victims of the Holocaust
Nearest Town:Portland, Oregon
Unveiled:August 29, 2004

The Oregon Holocaust Memorial is an outdoor memorial dedicated to victims of the Holocaust.[1] Located in Portland, Oregon's Washington Park, the memorial was dedicated on August 29, 2004. Owned by the American Jewish Committee and constructed by Atlas Landscape Architecture and the Walsh Construction Company, the idea for a memorial was proposed in 1994 by Alice Kern and a local group of Holocaust survivors that met through the Oregon Holocaust Resource Center.[2] [3] [4] According to Fodor's, the memorial is open daily from dawn to dusk and admission is free of charge.[5]

Design

The memorial features a stone bench with wrought iron gating around a cobblestone circle. Scattered bronzes of common objects such as shoes, glasses, and a suitcase represent items left behind by those persecuted during the Holocaust. A cobblestone walkway, with granite bars simulating railroad tracks, leads to a wall containing a history of the Holocaust as well as quotes from survivors.[1] [6] The memorial also contains a "soil vault panel", which covers soil and ash from six extermination camps of the Holocaust (Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bełżec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Treblinka, and Sobibor) brought back by local residents.[3] [7] Engraved on the back of the wall are the names of people who died in the camps, as well as the names of their surviving relatives in Oregon and Southwest Washington.[1] [8] Author and designer John Laursen created the lettering for the memorial.[9] Other design team members included artists Tad Savinar and Paul Sutinen, landscape architects John Warner, Marianne Zarkin and Marlene Salon, and historian Marshall Lee.[10]

Construction

The total estimated cost of construction was $800,000, funded by grants and private donations.[11] The primary contractor for the project was Oregon's Walsh Construction Company. Minnesota-based Coldspring Granite Company provided granite for the memorial.[11]

History

The memorial was vandalized in 2021.[12]

See also

External links

45.5222°N -122.7036°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Oregon Holocaust Memorial. Portland Parks & Recreation. February 27, 2010. June 12, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100612091845/http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=ViewPark&PropertyID=1330. live.
  2. Web site: Oregon Holocaust Memorial. January 10, 2011. Walsh Construction Company. December 2, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101202054532/http://walshconstructionco.com/our_projects_detail.aspx?projID=63. live.
  3. News: Married Holocaust survivors share their horrific and miraculous stories. Ray. Pitz. November 4, 2010. April 20, 2013. Beaverton Valley Times. Pamplin Media Group. September 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230918221950/http://thetribonline.com/news/print_story.php?story_id=128888803907963300. live.
  4. News: Survivors honor fifth anniversary of Portland's Holocaust memorial. August 30, 2009. January 10, 2011. The Oregonian. Nicole. Dungca. September 14, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100914100842/http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/08/survivors_honor_fifth_annivers.html. live.
  5. Book: Wechter, Eric B.. Fodor's Pacific Northwest. Random House. 2008. January 10, 2011. 33. 978-1-4000-0733-2. September 18, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230918221950/https://books.google.com/books?id=hz2Tpvw_cwcC&pg=PA33. live.
  6. News: Holocaust Survivors At Memorial (3). January 10, 2011. Randy. Cox. The Oregonian. August 30, 2009. July 18, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190351/http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2009/08/holocaust_survivors_at_memoria_3.html. live.
  7. News: Holocaust Survivors At Memorial (1). August 30, 2009. January 10, 2011. Randy. Cox. The Oregonian. July 18, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190410/http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2009/08/holocaust_survivors_at_memoria_1.html. live.
  8. News: Holocaust Survivors At Memorial (4). January 10, 2011. Randy. Cox. The Oregonian. August 30, 2009. July 18, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110718190424/http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2009/08/holocaust_survivors_at_memoria_4.html. live.
  9. News: Miriam Greenstein turns Holocaust nightmares into art. Jeff. Baker. November 1, 2010. January 10, 2011. The Oregonian. November 5, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101105163228/http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2010/11/miriam_greenstein_turns_holoca.html. live.
  10. Web site: Year after unveiling, Oregon Holocaust Memorial designers revisit their work. Alison. Ryan. August 29, 2005. January 10, 2011. AllBusiness.com. October 7, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091007210557/http://www.allbusiness.com/north-america/united-states-oregon/1057972-1.html. live.
  11. News: Work begins on long delayed Oregon Holocaust Memorial. January 10, 2011. Paul. Haist. Jewish Review. July 23, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723170608/http://www.jewishreview.org/node/7736. live.
  12. Web site: 2021-05-03. Nazi swastikas scrawled across Oregon Holocaust Memorial in SW Portland. live. 2021-05-14. The Oregonian. en. 2021-05-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210514183800/https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/05/nazi-swastikas-scrawled-across-oregon-holocaust-memorial-in-sw-portland.html.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Oregon Holocaust Memorial".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.