Saturday, March 28, 2009

Museum Campus : Gold Star Families Memorial and Park




The Gold Star Families Memorial and Park is located along Lake Michigan on the east side of Soldier Field. It is nearly five acres extending from McFetridge Drive on the North to Waldron Drive on the South. The Chicago Police Memorial Foundation ensured that the design of the park would be as exceptional as the men and women it honors.

REF: Chicago Police Memorial Foundation .. click here ...




North Entrance .. ... Both the North and South entrances to the park include identical features. Each entrance is showcased by two large rectangular panes, which have a rising checkerboard pattern. These panels are turned on their axis so as to symbolize doors swung open. Upon passing through there doors, visitors have a real sensation of leaving the hustle and buslte of the city behind, as they are welcomed into the "Finest Law Enforcement Memorial in the Nation."


Living Sacrifice... Just prior to entering the Sacrifice Space from the North visitors come upon the "Living Sacrifice" space. This is an area dedicated to Officers who have been castrophically injured while protecting the city and it's citizens. This space honors these brave men and women and their families who by the way they deal with tremendous adversity continue to inspire us each and every day.






Virtue and Value Nodes...
In keeping with the fitting message that "It is not how these Officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived," four nodes or spaces greet visitors entering the park from the North. Each of these nodes identifies a different virtue or value of a Chicago Police Officer. There are individual nodes, designated to represent the noble traits of Honor, Courage, Family, and Service. These nodes are all connected by a thin blueline. The line signifies the protection that Officers provide, separating a civil society from chaos. Donar brick pavers are available in each node.

* I wish I could take some aerial photos, to showcase the structural planning of this beautiful memorial.

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