The Skywalk Memorial, designed by Bowman Bowman Novick Inc., will provide a special place to honor the 114 victims of the tragic event of July 17, 1981 at the Hyatt Hotel. Occupying a site within Hospital Hill Park, the memorial consists of a plaza encircled by low stone walls and plantings with a sculpture by Kansas City artist Rita Blitt that serves as the focal point. Radiating bands of pavement-embedded fiber optic lighting emanate from the base of the sculpture pedestal; each point of light representing the hundreds of lives deeply affected by the tragedy including the lost and injured, the heroic emergency responders and medical caregivers, and their loved ones. The design of the Memorial is meant to symbolize the rippling effect of the disaster, similar to that of the surface waves that occur when a stone hits still water. Mass plantings of ornamental grasses and the graceful form of the sculpture; inspired by the artist’s love of music and dance, help to reiterate this theme.
