Tucson, Arizona

Chee Salette in collaboration with client Pima County Facilities Management erect The January 8th Memorial — a monument to honor the victims of the senseless attack during a “Congress on your Corner” event in Tuscon on January 8, 2011 when a lone gunman shot nineteen people who were peacefully assembled on a Saturday morning to meet their Representative, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Six people died and thirteen were seriously injured including Ms. Giffords who was shot in the head. This senseless act was an attack on the democratic process and the first time in history that a member of the House of Representatives was the target of an assassination attempt.

Dedicated exactly ten years later, the January 8 Memorial is an embrace. In a single gesture, its landforms become healing arms protecting the inner memorial where the story of January 8, 2011 is told.

Carved into the landscape of El Presidio Park, the birthplace of Tucson, the Memorial is a place where citizens gather to reflect and honor those who gave their lives on that day in pursuit of a better democracy.

It is also a place that celebrates the remarkable expression of solidarity demonstrated by the people of Tucson in the aftermath of the tragedy, a sense of community that still resonates today.

The monumental project has been awarded a 2021 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The Memorial is located on Tucson’s Civic Axis, adjacent to the Old Pima County Courthouse, the revered architectural icon of Tucson built almost one hundred years ago.

Its presence at the foot of the historic building marks the fact that the violence perpetrated on January 8th interfered with fundamental values of freedom of expression and self-government.

Its position on the path used daily by many citizens and visitors ensures that the Memorial is part of the everyday experience of Tucson.

Coming from the city, through the courtyard of the historic Courthouse and through its ornate gate, visitors enter the Memorial as a gateway to El Presidio Park.

From the park, the Memorial landforms are seen rising gently from the earth, framing the façade of the Courthouse and celebrating its iconic presence.

The Memorial forms a ceremonial forecourt to the Courthouse as it faces El Presidio Park, echoing the historic cloister facing the street.

From the bridge that traverses the Memorial, visitors look across the reflecting pools with a concentric field of black stones seen under the reflection of the tiled Courthouse dome above.

Visitors then gently descend into the Memorial space, while the Memorial wall rises from the earth, slowly slopes outward and opens to the sky, as the noise of the city recedes and the rejuvenating sound of cascading water emerges, creating an intimate space for remembrance and contemplation.

Surrounding you, symbols inspired by petroglyphs left by the Hohokam in the Sonoran Desert tell the story of January 8.

They are carved into this collective wall of memories, forming constellations that speak of the people who died, survived and responded on that day. This iconography gives the visitors a deep, personal sense of who they were, and still are.

At night, the symbols of the Memorial glow softly, a remembrance of the candlelight vigils that illuminated the evenings following the tragic day.

In the surrounding gardens, the earthforms of the Living Wall protect the Memorial. A manifestation of healing, it is an organic landscape of stone and plants of the Sonoran Desert woven in a pattern that evokes ancient baskets and celebrates how the Tucson community came together in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Its colorful texture complements the architecture of the Courthouse and contrasts with the near-white abstract spirituality of the inner wall.

Around the path surrounding the Living Wall, which is lined with thirty-two lanterns each lighting a unique symbol of the history of Tucson, are six gardens dedicated to the six victims.

Meandering through, visitors encounter six Ironwood trees, plants, boulders and wildlife evoking the spirit of the people who perished. Among the gardens are thirteen Palo Brea trees, one for each survivor.

Project: January 8th Memorial
Architects: Chee Salette
Client: Pima County Facilities Management
Contractor: Chasse Building Team