CB 2 holds first AIDS Memorial Park Planning Session

Among the numerous resident suggestions and concerns that arose at the initial AIDS Memorial Park planning session on April 25 was the importance of making certain that both the park and the memorial are properly integrated. "The memorial should enhance the park but not overshadow it," said Tom Molner of the preservation group Protect the Village Historic District as he commented at the first of three public sessions sponsored by Community Board No. 2's parks committee. The sessions are set up to gather input on the proposed triangle park and AIDS memorial across from the former St. Vincent's Hospital site, the future site of a Rudin condo and medical facility development. The public sessions, which include participation from Rudin Management and the AIDS Memorial Park Coalition, will look at designs for a 16,000-square-foot park, including a 1,600-square-foot memorial to the AIDS epidemic as well as the former hospital that many have described as "ground zero" for HIV patients. Molner also pointed to Abingdon Square and Strawberry Fields as memorials that are well integrated into their surrounding areas. Yet another village resident suggested that the names of those lost to the disease should be incorporated in some way into the memorial. "A memorial means something when you see the name of a person you lost," the resident said. One resident made the point that many people died from the disease alone or in secret. "It may be difficult to put the names of people on the memorial because many victims were unknown, largely due to the stigma of the disease," he said. Other residents agreed saying that there should be a "balance" between personal impact and the disease in general. According to CB 2, Brooklyn-based design firm Studio a+I, the firm that submitted the winning concept in the AIDS Memorial Park Coalition design contest that was ultimately rejected by Rudin Management, will now design the AIDS Memorial and work with Rudin's landscape architect Rick Parisi of MPFP to integrate the memorial into the park. The construction of the triangle park, bordered by Greenwich Avenue, Seventh Avenue and West 12th Street, will be paid for by Rudin as part of the St. Vincent's Redevelopment Project. Kate Turley, principal of the City and Country School on 12th Street, pushed for an educational component for children as part of the memorial. "There should be a part of the memorial where kids can go and learn all about the epidemic and those who passed away," she said. A handout from CB 2 suggested that the memorial's commemorative priorities should celebrate the community's heroic response to the crisis; honor the thousands who died by celebrating life; recognize the ongoing nature of the epidemic and inspire additional learning about the crisis. Meanwhile, community design priorities for the memorial should invite reflection with comfortable seating and a water feature; maximize landscaping; incorporate contemporary aesthetics respectful of the historic district and be physically integrated into the park. Upcoming design meetings on the Triangle Park and AIDS Memorial will take place on May 30 and another on June 27. CB 2's Landmarks and Parks committees will examine designs from the three public sessions on July 9 and make a recommendation to the full board, which will vote on a final design on July 19.