In the unforgettable words of the A-Team’s John “Hannibal” Smith, we love it when a plan comes together — and that is exactly what is happening near St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City, the site of the city’s AIDS Memorial Park. Today marks the dedication of this striking project in Manhattan, an important new landmark that is 4 years in the making.
Architizer’s CEO Marc Kushner attended the dedication of the AIDS Memorial today.
Back in 2012, the winners of the AIDS Memorial Park Design Competition — a competition hosted right here on Architizer — were unveiled, with a collaborative team including Mateo Paiva of Studio a+i, former President of McGraw-Hill Construction Keith Fox and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer coming out victorious. Their design, a faceted canopy of gleaming white louvers, has now commenced construction at the intersection of West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue, and the team recently revealed photographs of the pavilion’s fabrication.
Rendering of the proposed AIDS Memorial pavilion; © Studio a+i
The memorial is the first of its kind in the city since the start of the AIDS crisis over 30 years ago. The new structure offers shade for people taking a moment to rest and reflect just across the road from St. Vincent’s, the location of New York’s first and largest AIDS ward. Stone benches surround a circular granite fountain, glazed with a thin layer of water that will catch the sunlight at varying times throughout the day.
Fabrication progress
The rest of the park — conceived by landscape design firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners — is characterized by soft landscaping, including new trees, a central lawn and a path bordered by several wooden benches to provide further rest stops for the public. Other members of this diverse collaboration include Robert Silman Associates — in charge of lighting design — and artist Jenny Holzer, who inscribed portions of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” on paving stones within the pavilion.
Artist Jenny Holzer’s inscriptions upon the pavilion paving stones
Nighttime rendering
You can discover more about the New York City AIDS Memorial on its official website and explore a plethora of contemporary memorial designs in this in-depth feature.