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District Opens Legacy Memorial Park Honoring 2009 Metro Accident Victims

Monday, June 22, 2015

Today, on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser, City Administrator Rashad M. Young, in partnership with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), the DC Department of Parks and Recreation and the DC Department of General Services (DGS), dedicated Legacy Memorial Park to honor the victims of the June 22, 2009 WMATA train accident. The park pays tribute to the nine victims who lost their lives, and the many more whose lives were altered by the collision of two southbound Metro trains between the Takoma and Fort Totten Metro stations.

“Today is a day for remembrance,” says Mayor Muriel Bowser. “As we continue to heal, Legacy Memorial Park will be a place dedicated to honor the legacy of these individuals and provide their families, friends and residents with a place of solace and remembrance.”

The park includes nine individual sculptural artworks and a scripted memorial wall, along with a lighted streetscape. The memorial wall bears a message of tribute penned by family members of those lost.

The design team, led by sculptor Barbara Liotta and architects Lucrecia Laudi and Julian Hunt of Hunt Laudi Studio, were selected through a competitive process conducted by the DCCAH and DGS who reviewed the qualifications of the artists and the finalists’ designs. The agencies chose the design team based on their thoughtful design which honored the victims and created a space for the public to enjoy. 

“The District has created a memorial with landscaping and art to give all of those affected by the tragedy a place to pause and honor those lost,” says City Administrator Rashad M. Young. “The park is a tribute to their remembrance.”
                      
Legacy Memorial Park is sited near the location of the accident at the intersection of South Dakota Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue, NE. Following today’s dedication and opening Legacy Memorial Park is now open for public use. The park will be maintained by the Department of General Services.