Photo by Michael Lamb, Historic Landscape Architect, the Presidio Trust
Good news: we’ve reached another major milestone! On December 1, under a brilliant blue sky, construction on the Korean War Memorial site in the Presidio of San Francisco finally began. The Korean War veterans community, the Korean-American community, and all of our generous donors and supporters couldn’t ask for a better way to look ahead to the New Year.
Glen Angell, the Presidio Trust’s Parks Projects Construction Manager, was on-site bright and early to oversee the activity. Glen explained that this first stage in the construction process requires the trucking in, placement, and compacting of approximately 1,100 cubic yards of soil fill to create the raised base upon which the curving black granite wall, the centerpiece of the Memorial, will stand.
Presidio Trust’s Parks Projects Construction Manager Glen Angell on the right, with McGuire & Hester Site Foreman Nick Krell, Jr.
This work is being done now, before the heavy winter rains arrive, so that the site will be ready for the installation of the Memorial wall panels and other features in the spring.
KWMF Secretary John R. Stevens, Lieutenant Colonel, USMC (Ret.), came by to observe the commencement of the construction activity. He had to see this landmark event in person. It has been a long, arduous journey for John, a 94-year-old veteran of World War II as well as the Korean War, and the dedicated driving force behind this Memorial project nearly every day since 2009.
KWMF Secretary John Stevens observes the start of construction,
with Alcatraz Island visible in the background.
John was clearly pleased to see this emphatic sign of progress. “It has taken a lot of dedication, hard work, and generosity from a lot of people to bring us to this point,” he remarked. “Now let’s move forward and finish this long-overdue Memorial to a war that will no longer be forgotten.”
TWO DAYS LATER: on the left, the newly-constructed knoll upon which the Memorial wall will stand. The original ground level may be seen to the right, where the two workers are standing.
While the site preparations are underway here in San Francisco, another key element in the process will be taking place back in Minnesota at Coldspring, the natural stone fabricating firm that worked on the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The granite wall panels will be cut and shaped, and then laser-engraved with the words and images that will capture the essence of that long ago, faraway war. After that, the panels will be shipped overland to the Presidio for installation. Concurrently, the other Memorial features – the entrance walls, Memorial tiles and plaques, interpretive/informational panels, and landscaping – will be put in place.
The Presidio Trust anticipates that work on the Memorial will be completed some time in the spring of 2016. KWMF is tentatively planning to hold a gala Opening Ceremony in June. The exact date and full details will be announced in the new year.
Artist’s rendering of future Memorial by Art Zendarski