The Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation (FJMF) has rolled out the first batch of renderings for a new monument dedicated to journalists killed in the line of duty. The memorial is designed by John Ronan Architects, a Chicago office.
Renderings by John Ronan Architects show solid glass blocks at the National Mall site with direct views of the U.S. Capitol Building. The blocks are arranged in a somewhat random manner and convene into a cylindrical space centered around Remembrance Hall, the memorial’s heart.
This assembly, John Ronan Architects noted, is meant to suggest “the way seemingly disconnected facts coalesce to form a journalist’s story.” The assemblage appears different from every angle of the site, and there is no front or back of the design; this is meant to allude to the fact that journalists tell multiple sides of a story to arrive at the truth.
The designers further noted that, thanks to advancements in glass technology, this particular memorial will be the first in Washington, D.C. made almost entirely out of glass. Remembrance Hall, at the memorial’s core, will have text from the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that speaks to the important role journalists play in upholding democracy.
“The memorial will be a journey of discovery that unfolds slowly, space by space, like a story that casts the visitor in the role of investigative journalist,” John Ronan, the founder of John Ronan Architects, said in a statement. “The memorial will be an inspiring place of remembrance which celebrates the First Amendment freedoms upon which democracy is built and honors those who have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the truth.”
“We wanted an innovative design for the first public memorial in the nation’s capital to honor fallen journalists and freedom of the press and John Ronan delivered,” added Barbara Cochran, president of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation. “At a time when journalists are facing great dangers around the world, our hope is that visitors will pay their respects to the fallen and appreciate the vital role these journalists play in advancing and preserving democracy.”
The idea for a memorial indebted to fallen journalists was sparked around 2018. That year, one of the worst assaults against journalists in U.S. history took place when—in Annapolis, Maryland—five members of Capital Gazette, a subsidiary of Tribune Publishing Company, were murdered in their newsroom. And certainly, the assault on journalists continues: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) recently estimated that at least 134 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza in the last year.
FJMF was founded in 2019 by former U.S. Representative David Dreier, former chairman of Tribune Publishing Company, shortly after the grizzly Capital Gazette shooting. Then, bipartisan legislation was passed by Congress that authorized a new memorial which pays tribute to press freedom in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts issued FJMF an approval to build the memorial on the National Mall last year.
A competition to design the memorial was launched shortly after. John Ronan Architects was announced the project architect for the Fallen Journalists Memorial last March, as reported by AN. That office beat out submissions by Höweler + Yoon, NADAAA, MOS, and Hood Design Studio for the job. Pulitzer Prize–winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger led the 10-person committee that selected the winning proposal.
Moving forward, the design concept by John Ronan Architects will be presented on September 19 for review to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
On October 3, the National Capital Planning Commission will also review the concept.
