As the community prepares to honor the two-year anniversary of the Buffalo mass shooting on Tuesday, state and local leaders revealed the final design for the 5/14 memorial on Monday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, Rep. Tim Kennedy and members of the 5/14 Memorial Commission unveiled renderings of the memorial to the public for the first time. The final design has 10 interconnected pillars that feature the names and photos of each of the 10 victims who lost their lives during the racist attack at the Tops supermarket on Buffalo's Jefferson Avenue in 2022. The design also includes a new building that is slated to be a location for education, exhibitions, community activities and events, according to Gov. Hochul.
The design is called "Seeing Us" by artists Jin Young Song and Douglass Alligood. Song is an associate professor of architecture at the University at Buffalo. Alligood works for world-renowned design company Bjarke Ingels Group.
The design was chosen after a series of public meetings and surveys where members of the community were able to share their thoughts on what it should look like. Song and Alligood said their conversations with leaders and family members of people impacted by the shooting helped them find meaning in their design.
"The performance of the design we wanted to achieve is that this is a site and place where we invite community members so that we are standing together," said Song.
During Monday's news conference, the governor also said the state is investing an additional $4.1 million in funding, which brings the total amount contributed to the project by the state of New York to $5 million. Mayor Brown announced the creation of the 5/14 Memorial Fundraising Committee to raise the remaining money needed to break ground on the memorial. The total cost of the project is expected to reach nearly $15 million.
A location for the memorial has not been identified yet.