WREATHS TO BE LAID AT BENAROYA HALL’S GARDEN OF REMEMBERANCE ON MEMORIAL DAY TO HONOR FALLEN VETERANS IN PLACE OF CEREMONY
IN-PERSON CEREMONY CANCELED TO REDUCE COVID-19 SPREAD
Seattle, WA – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the customary Memorial Day ceremony at Benaroya Hall’s Garden of Remembrance will be replaced by the laying of wreaths this year. The event has been held in years past to honor Washington State citizens who fell in service to the country since Memorial Day of the prior year. The names of the fallen are engraved on the granite walls of the Garden of Remembrance. There are no new names to be added to the wall this year.
Wreaths will be placed at the Garden of Remembrance on Memorial Day by representatives of the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Benaroya Hall to commemorate those who gave their lives in service. Families and individuals are welcome to leave flowers and other tokens in private ceremony during the day. Observing social distancing guidelines in accordance with public health recommendations is strongly encouraged for those who choose to be present.
GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE
The Garden of Remembrance is an official state memorial to more than 8,000 Washington State citizens who have given their
lives in the service of our country since 1941, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the post-Vietnam conflicts. Every year on Memorial Day, families are invited to gather at the Garden to honor their fallen loved ones. Some bring photos and other mementos to leave at the wall while others create “rubbings” of the names with pencil and paper.
The Garden of Remembrance is a half-acre, L-shaped space designed by late world-renowned landscape architect Robert Murase and lies along the south and west sides of Benaroya Hall. Memorial walls of granite, lined by slender reflecting pools, are oriented so that the names face the western sun. In addition to the walls, excerpts from poems honor veterans who died in our nation’s wars; lines from letters remind us of the personal connections with home that each name represents. The reflecting pools
honor those missing in action, and a fountain honors those who died in peacetime and other national service. The golden oak tree that centers the Garden symbolizes remembrance of the cycle of life and honors the fallen and their families. The Garden was dedicated on July 4, 1998.
BENAROYA HALL
Benaroya Hall, home of Seattle Symphony, is located at 200 University Street in downtown Seattle on a city block between
Second and Third avenues and Union and University streets. The Garden of Remembrance is easily accessible by public transportation. A 430-space parking garage, accessible from Second Avenue, is housed within Benaroya Hall.
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