Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The 5/14 Memorial Commission announced on Wednesday the three finalists chosen by members of the commission for the design concept of a memorial that will honor the 10 lives lost in the racially motivated mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue on May 14, 2022.
The second phase of the 5/14 Memorial design process is underway, which requires the three finalists to complete an RFP that calls for them to create a final design with cost estimations and specifications outlined by the commission.
Some of the requirements for the final design include park-like landscape, at least one fully-enclosed building, interpretive, artistic or educational structures, and designated areas for temporary and permanent art installations.
The public input provided during this process has also been taken into account with the design concepts, and will be implemented in the final designs.
The three finalists for the 5/14 Memorial designs include:
- Watts Architecture and Engineers, a locally Black-owned business;
- Jin Young Song (Associate Professor at the UB School of Architecture) and Douglass Alligood;
- Beehyyve, L3 - An architecture, design and urban planning collective.
The finalists will receive a $10,000 stipend each to refine their work and create a three-dimensional simulation of their design. The funding for the stipend is derived from the funds generated during the 5/14 Remembrance Weekend in 2023, which totaled $30,000.
More than 20 design concepts were submitted to the 5/14 Memorial Commission during their Request for Submission period.
Over the last few weeks, Commission Chair Rev. Mark Blue and other members of the Commission have been meeting, fully engaged with activities related to the RFS and reviewing the design submissions. They have also conducted interviews with the design finalists and extensive interviews with the 5/14 family members.
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Rev. Blue says there will eventually be a public hearing that will have the final rendering presented for the memorial, but adds the Commission wants to remain careful for the families and the community.