West Hollywood is set to host a pre-construction community meeting to provide updates on STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which will be located at West Hollywood Park adjacent to N. San Vicente Boulevard and the West Hollywood Library. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. Community members who are unable to attend in person are encouraged to join virtually via Zoom.
STORIES: The AIDS Monument is a collaborative effort between the City of West Hollywood and the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM). The project aims to memorialize the devastation caused by HIV/AIDS, honor the stories of courageous activists, caregivers, and community leaders, and raise awareness about the history and stigma associated with living with HIV/AIDS. The monument will serve as an iconic public art installation and a memorial site in West Hollywood Park along N. San Vicente Boulevard.
Designed by artist Daniel Tobin, the monument will feature a plaza, a donor wall, vertical bronze “traces” with narrative text, integrated lighting reminiscent of a candlelight vigil, and a podium facing N. San Vicente Boulevard. Set in the heart of West Hollywood, the monument will capture the community’s activism and the personal stories of those impacted by HIV/AIDS.
As the City of West Hollywood prepares to bring the monument to life, all interested parties are invited to stay connected and engaged through every step of the process. This project, symbolizing a beacon of remembrance and hope, is not just a structure but a movement reflecting our collective history and future aspirations in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For project details and updates, please visit the “Engage WeHo” project page for The AIDS Monument at [engage.weho.org/aidsmonument](https://engage.weho.org/aidsmonument).
The onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s had a significant impact in West Hollywood. The disease’s elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City. The City of West Hollywood was one of the first government entities to provide social services grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. The City also sponsored one of the first AIDS awareness campaigns in the country in October 1985, and its response to the AIDS crisis has been recognized as a model for other cities, nationally and globally.
The City of West Hollywood actively participates in developing programs that raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The City has a goal to become an “HIV Zero” city and is currently implementing its HIV Zero Initiative. Along with the Monument project, the City’s ongoing programs continue to commemorate the lives of those who were lost, such as World AIDS Day programming and the AIDS Memorial Walk.
While I appreciate the design and am glad they were able to value-engineer it, I do question where this memorial is placed. It is an odd choice that on one side is a public road and the other a kids’ play area.
Neither of these “neighbors” provide a place to reflect in peace.
I thought this project was way over budget. How did they close the gap?
By not providing any social or healthcare services for HIV positive residents in supportive housing.
It looks like someone pulled out a bunch of straws to choose who would design the AIDS memorial, but then someone accidentally thought this was the actual design and they went with it. We’re called the “Creative City,” and gay people are some of the most creative people around, but this just looks like sticks in the ground. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
It looks like french fries.