Portland Fire and Rescue in partnership with Portland State University’s School of Architecture today announced the winner of a competition to design the Portland Firefighters Memorial. After an eight month, two-stage competition with input from firefighters and the general public, the selection committee members unanimously selected the design by Aaron Whelton / Whelton Architecture as the competition winner.
The Portland Firefighters Memorial will be located on the east bank of the Willamette River adjacent to Fire Station no. 21 and directly across from downtown Portland. Whelton Architecture’s design establishes two discernable experiential zones: at the ground level, low horizontal stone benches and walls are rooted into the earth; and in the sky, tall vertical lanterns gently sway overhead. These elements are organized across the memorial field in a series of parallel lines whose overall figure is greater than any one individual mark.
