WESTERVILLE, OHIO | SITE PLANNING & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

The city of Westerville lost two community members on February 10th, 2018. After responding to a call, Officers Anthony Morelli and Eric Joering were fatally shot, leaving the community mourning. Immediately after their passing, the people of Westerville called for a memorial space to celebrate and honor their lives.

Prior to this tragic event, the city had begun to envision expanding their existing First Responders Park to accommodate larger events, especially their annual 9/11 memorial celebration which centers around C-40, a piece of steel bestowed from the World Trade Center. Along with C-40, the park is home to The Crossing, a memorial statue in honor of David Theisen, a local firefighter who perished battling a fire in 1998. In the days following the loss of Morelli and Joering, the park became a gathering space for residents and surrounding communities to pay their respects and thus became a natural location for the city to locate the memorial its residents needed.

Westerville established a committee of community members representing the four branches of emergency services; Police, Fire/EMS, Dispatch, and Chaplain Corps, to oversee the park’s expansion. The committee sought a design solution which honors each branch, provides memorial to fallen officers, includes the existing memorial statue, all without moving C-40.

After studying other memorials and commemorative parks with the committee, we drew common inspiration from nature’s embrace. For the new vision of the park, a neutral palette was chosen to unify the features of the park. Textures were carefully chosen to provide a decidedly less polished approach to the monuments and memorials, tying them back to nature. Rock-faced and thermal finished granite soften the stones appearance, while vegetation surrounds much of the monuments where a plaza typically would. Four granite markers honoring each branch emerge from the raised berm, grounding them within the landscape as more natural rock formations. Split-chisel granite forms the backdrop for the new memorial fountain wall, displaying the names of fallen heroes. The cascading water beckons visitors to interact with the monument and washes away the sound of passing traffic and nearby conversations. The fountain wall is hugged by one of two gently ascending stone walls which frame the park. The second wall sets the backdrop for the C-40 steel, anchoring it to the site. The generous curve of each wall invites visitors into the park. The pewter-gray stone creates a softly textured backdrop for each memorial feature. The curved walls function to mitigate the impact of the adjacent parking lot and street on the senses, while unifying the memorials. A relaxed landscape of grasses, sedges and a variety of shade trees cradles the park’s features. An emphasis on creating dappled light, movement, and delicate plant textures helps establish a relaxed feeling and serene atmosphere. The informal planting encourages people to sit, reflect and find comfort below the canopy of four specimen oaks.

The park is to be a backdrop for each visitor to find meaning, solace, and remember those who respond first every day.