A vision forms into a design...... Timothy J. Wall AIA, an architect and member of the planning committee, talks about the Memorial Garden he designed for the Angel of Hope Statue.

"I have been asked to describe the design of the memorial garden. While I would
like to be able to tell you that there is a deep symbolism that the design is
based on, I can’t. There were, however, a number of guiding factors that led
to the plan. First and foremost is the statue. Everything here leads to the statue and early on we decided that the statue would be at the end of the garden, rather than a central element, so that groups and individuals could gather in front of the statue, rather than around it. Tied with that was the decision that this memorial would be large enough for groups to gather in, just like all of us today.

Second, was a sense of enclosure and privacy to give the grieving parent a
secure place to mourn. This led to the use of the ellipse, which wraps around the area, much like enclosing arms. The walls are low, to give separation from the public park, but also the security of being visible to the public.

Then there is the path. There is not a straight path from the parking lot to the statue. It starts narrow and as it curves there is a transition from outside to inside. Within the walls it continues to curve and the path widens until it opens up to face the statue.

Finally, there are elements that make this more than just a statue in a park. The flowers in the planter and the flowering dogwoods bring color and new life to the garden. It is by choice that they are along the path leading to the statue. The benches provide a place to sit and reflect, to spend some time. And again, it is by choice that the benches are in the lawn area along the wall, to give some sense of separation even within the garden for private thoughts. And the memorial bricks will give us all ownership and a presence here.

There is some symbolism that can be seen in the design. Looking at the plan one might see a child in a parent’s arms, an angel, or even a womb. But these are for the visitor to see only if they wish, and offer the chance to discover something not immediately obvious.

The materials are simple. The statue base will be Indiana limestone. Here there is some intentional symbolism. The base is made up of two steps and a top block. The bottom step is rough, the middle step is less rough and the top block is smooth. This transition symbolizes changes in our grief, from the rough beginning, transitioning to smoothness and healing that only time provides, and the angel of hope on top."

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