Oklahoma City National Memorial-Memorial to the Lost
On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma as well as the country, was rocked when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed in a bombing. Today the largest memorial of its type in the US is located at the site of the bombing. The Memorial was erected to honor not only the victims who perished in the bombing, but also the survivors and the rescuers.
The National Memorial was established through the Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation administers the memorial while the National Park Service assists with interpretation. Several different segments comprise the Memorial, which spans 3.3 acres. The Memorial is open daily, 24 hours per day.
One of the most visited segments of the Memorial is The Gates of Time. Dual bronze gates signify the entrance to the Outdoor Memorial and are stamped with the time that destruction of the site occurred, 9:02 a.m. The Reflecting Pool, which consists of a slab of highly polished black granite over which a slight layer of water flows, is situated where Fifth Street once ran.
Perhaps one of the most poignant parts of the Memorial is the Field of Empty Chairs. 168 chairs were hand-crafted from bronze, stone and glass to represent the 168 lives that were lost in the bombing. Arranged in nine rows, the chairs are meant to represent not only the empty chairs that will forever remain at the tables of the victims’ families but also the nine floors of the building that were destroyed. 19 much smaller chairs represent the nineteen children who were tragically killed in the blast. Three of the larger chairs also contain the names of unborn children who were killed in the bombing. Their names are listed below those of their mothers. Flowers are frequently left at the Field of Chairs.
The Survivors’ Wall represents the only original portion of the Murrah Building that is left remaining. The names of more than 800 people who survived the bombing are inscribed on the wall. On the north side of the Memorial, visitors will find the Survivor Tree, an American elm; that was the only tree to survive the blast. Records indicate the tree is more than one hundred years old. Oklahoma City National Memorial-Memorial to the Lost
On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma as well as the country, was rocked when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed in a bombing. Today the largest memorial of its type in the US is located at the site of the bombing. The Memorial was erected to honor not only the victims who perished in the bombing, but also the survivors and the rescuers.
The National Memorial was established through the Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation administers the memorial while the National Park Service assists with interpretation. Several different segments comprise the Memorial, which spans 3.3 acres. The Memorial is open daily, 24 hours per day.
One of the most visited segments of the Memorial is The Gates of Time. Dual bronze gates signify the entrance to the Outdoor Memorial and are stamped with the time that destruction of the site occurred, 9:02 a.m. The Reflecting Pool, which consists of a slab of highly polished black granite over which a slight layer of water flows, is situated where Fifth Street once ran.
Perhaps one of the most poignant parts of the Memorial is the Field of Empty Chairs. 168 chairs were hand-crafted from bronze, stone and glass to represent the 168 lives that were lost in the bombing. Arranged in nine rows, the chairs are meant to represent not only the empty chairs that will forever remain at the tables of the victims’ families but also the nine floors of the building that were destroyed. 19 much smaller chairs represent the nineteen children who were tragically killed in the blast. Three of the larger chairs also contain the names of unborn children who were killed in the bombing. Their names are listed below those of their mothers. Flowers are frequently left at the Field of Chairs.
The Survivors’ Wall represents the only original portion of the Murrah Building that is left remaining. The names of more than 800 people who survived the bombing are inscribed on the wall. On the north side of the Memorial, visitors will find the Survivor Tree, an American elm; that was the only tree to survive the blast. Records indicate the tree is more than one hundred years old.
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