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Free Traveling Guides » States » Oklahoma » DestinationsOklahoma City National Memorial
The Oklahoma City National Memorial, situated in the downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is the largest memorial in the United States. It was constructed on October 9, 1997, on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was demolished in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. The Memorial honors the survivors, rescuers, and victims of the ’95 bombing. This magnificent National Memorial has also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. At present, the Memorial is managed by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. The major landmark near the memorial is the old Journal Record Building, which houses the Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and the National Memorial Museum.
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial encompasses an area of nearly 3.3 acres (0.013 sq-km) and comprises of as many as eleven different segments. These segments include the Gates of Time, the Reflecting Pool, Field of Empty Chairs, Survivor’s Chapel, the Survivor Tree, the Memorial Fence, the Rescuers’ Orchard, Children’s Area, And Jesus Wept, Journal Record Building, and the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Plaza. The formal entrances to the Memorial are marked by the monumental twin bronze gates, popularly known as the Gates of Time. The Reflecting Pool, on the other hand, is a thin layer of water that flows east to west over polished black granite. It runs down the center of the Memorial on the Fifth Street. Another major attraction at the Oklahoma City National Memorial is the Field of Empty Chairs, which features 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from bronze, glass, and stone. The name of a bombing victim is etched in the glass base of each chair. Interestingly, these chairs are grouped precisely according to the blast pattern.
The Survivor’s Chapel is the only remaining portion of the Murrah Building and is inscribed with the names of over 800 people, who survived the bomb blast. The Memorial Fence is a 10 ft (3.05 m) tall chain link fence built to prevent any damage to the site. The Rescuers’ Orchard at the Memorial is well-known for its Amur maple, Bosque Elm, Oklahoma redbuds, and Chinese Pistache. The Children’s Area features over 5, 000 hand-painted tiles, which were made by children and sent to the City after the 1995 bombing. The Oklahoma City National Memorial is one of its kind and a retreat for those who are in search of serenity and comfort. The Memorial and Museum is a great learning experience and is well-worth visiting.
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