Highland Park council holds listening session on permanent Place of Remembrance; historic-landmark status complicates design options

Mayor Rory opened a Committee of the Whole meeting on Feb. 23, 2026, to receive recommendations and public input on a proposed permanent Place of Remembrance. The mayor recited project objectives — to create an accessible public place for reflection and solace, to honor community resilience, and to pay tribute to those injured and killed — and the council observed a moment of silence for community members named during the meeting.

Emily, the project lead, introduced consultants from Altogether and SWA and described the session as a listening and ideation meeting. Christian Gist of Altogether summarized the project timeline: a January 2026 kickoff, listening and discovery through March, an internal survey and concept development, schematic design, design development and construction administration, with the project schedule extending through September 2027. Ben Waldo of SWA and Olivia Pinner presented physical mood boards illustrating a range of options for movement, materials, plantings, color palettes and lighting.

Across a sustained round of council feedback and public comment, respondents emphasized several consistent design priorities: subtlety rather than overt memorialization in Port Clinton Square; ensuring the Rose Garden and Port Clinton provide complementary but distinct experiences (one more private and reflective, the other able to sustain everyday vibrancy); and designing in ways that allow multiple cultural traditions to find resonance. Council members and attendees used words such as “peaceful,” “reflective,” “welcoming,” “inclusive” and “resilient” to describe the emotional tone they want the place to convey. Several council members said the design should allow personal interpretation rather than prescribing a single ritual or reading of the site.

Several speakers raised that Highland Park is a diverse community and that cultural traditions (including Latino and Jewish practices mentioned in the session) should be considered in the design without substituting explicit ethnic iconography. The consultants said plaques and bilingual text (English and Spanish) are possible components to help reflect linguistic diversity.

Staff reviewed the Rose Garden’s history and landmark status: Laurel Park and the Rose Garden were developed from land acquired in 1930; the Gardeners Memorial and the Rose Garden were designed and later designated a local landmark in 1992. Staff advised the council that certain physical elements of the Rose Garden are identified as historic and that those elements could constrain design choices if they are retained. Corporation counsel and staff noted the Historic Preservation Commission has a primary role in any change to landmark status or interpretation of what the designation protects.

The council debated options without taking a final vote. Some members urged creative approaches to reconcile preservation and memorial objectives, while others emphasized deference to preservation law and the Historic Preservation Commission’s role. To clarify options and constraints, the council asked staff to invite the Historic Preservation Commission to a Committee of the Whole special meeting (to be scheduled soon, separate from the next regular council meeting) so the HPC can discuss how designation criteria, the 1992 application, and any potential modifications might affect memorial design. Staff also said schematic designs will be returned to the council and that ongoing victim and public engagement will continue as the consultants move from listening to schematic design.

The listening-session format meant staff and consultants did not present final designs or action items to adopt at this meeting. Instead, the council’s next procedural steps are to (1) hold a special meeting with the Historic Preservation Commission to examine designation constraints and possible modifications; (2) continue community engagement through the consultant process; and (3) review schematic designs when ready. The design team said the engagement summary will be nonidentifying and incorporate public feedback into subsequent concept work.

What’s next: staff will poll members and arrange a special Committee of the Whole meeting with the Historic Preservation Commission; schematic designs will return for council review after the consultants process community input and produce concept drawings.