Christmas Parade Tragedy: See The 6 Proposals To Design Waukesha's Memorial

WAUKESHA, WI — During its next meeting, the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission is scheduled to review six design proposals for memorials recognizing the 2021 Christmas Parade Tragedy.

Plans are in the works for two memorials, one on Main Street along the parade's route, and another in Grede Park. A decision on the memorial designs could be expected as early as July, with construction slated to begin in the spring of 2023, according to a schedule posted to the parade commission's website.

During the upcoming July 26 meeting, the board is scheduled to select three proposals for further public input.

An 8-year-old boy and several members of a local dance group that calls themselves "The Dancing Grannies" were among the six people killed after a person drove an SUV through the 2021 parade. More than 70 people were injured.

The smaller Main Street memorial will be one of recognition, while the larger one at Grede Park would "allow for contemplative space to accommodate all that visit," according to the commission's page on the city's website. The commission has several members, including family and friends of those killed in the parade.

A makeshift memorial that was constructed at Waukesha's Veteran's Park in the immediate wake of the tragedy was taken down in December of 2021. The commission to create a permanent memorial was soon formed.

Carmen De La Paz Proposal

One proposal is from TV personality and Waukesha resident Carmen De La Paz. The design, inspired by the "Waukesha Strong" theme and heart, would feature a nearly 8-foot-tall bronze sculpture of hands cupping a heart to Grede Park. The area would have entrances on two opposite sides of a circle defined by trees and bushes.

Page 4 of the proposal Carmen De La Paz submitted to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

Monument Warehouse Proposal

Monument Warehouse, based in Elberton, Georgia, described itself as a designer and builder of monuments in granite, marble, porcelain, bronze and steel, said its proposal. The company submitted design ideas for both the Main Street and Grede Park areas.

Monument Warehouse proposed several options, some made up of stone monuments engraved with the faces and names of those killed in the parade.

Pages 8, 18, 23 and 25 of the proposal Monument Warehouse submitted to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

Saiki Design Proposal

The proposal from Saiki Design, a landscape architecture firm based in Madison, features a stone installation on Main Street that incorporates the Waukesha Strong heart. The monument would be "a space to gather, a place to leave mementos," the proposal said.

The firm also included plans for "A Garden for Our Souls" at Grede Park, created in the memory of the victims of the parade. The garden would be organized around a path that is emblematic of the infinity sign, and provide a circuit for "walking meditation." The firm said it imagined a plaque at the park dedicating the space to the parade victims and their families.

Pages 4 and 6 of Saiki Design's proposal submitted to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

Strang Inc. Proposal

The proposal from Strang, a planning and design firm with offices in Waukesha and Madison, said it was guided to genuinely honor those impacted by the tragedy with "enduring love and dignity."

The firm's designs were inspired by a common theme that emerged among its discussions: ripples. Ripples in how the news broke through the community, and how in nature, ripples move out from the center of energy slowly returning toward calm, the proposal said.

The firm proposed a main memorial structure at Grede Park with a central plaza, a chalk wall to leave messages of remembrance, plaques to the six killed and more. On Main Street, the firm proposed placing monoliths that incorporate a ripple design alongside benches.

Pages 15 and 18 of the Strang proposal to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

Richard Taylor Proposal

A proposal from Richard Taylor, who wrote he lived in Waukesha throughout the 1980s and has strong ties to the city, would construct a forest of types.

Seven living trees would be planted as a backdrop to the memorial, a symbol of the more than 70 who were injured. Paying honor to the six killed would be six abstract tree sculptures painted in varying shades of green, the proposal said. Medallions for each person killed would contain their names, a symbol of something in their lives, their signatures and the words "Waukesha Strong." The medallions would sit atop concrete cylinders situated near the trees. A message tree would also be constructed, creating an opportunity for people to leave their own tributes.

The proposal said the message tree idea may also be fit for the memorial on Main Street.

Pages 6 and 9 of the Richard Taylor proposal submitted to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

Thrive Architects Proposal

The proposal by Thrive Architects, a firm based in downtown Waukesha since 2015, would place a concrete heart at the north end of Grede Park. The heart shape would be formed by six concrete "ribbons," each representing a person who died.

One will be able to look through the heart shape as if it were a window to see Waukesha's Main Street framed, according to the proposal. Surrounding the central heart would be dedicated trees, walking paths, gardens and seating.

"This memorial should be a reminder of the feeling of community we had when we saw the hearts in each home and business window in the weeks following the parade," the firm's proposal said.

Pages 5 and 7 from Thrive Architects' submission to the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission.

You can view each of the submissions in their entirety through the Waukesha Parade Memorial Commission's agenda online.

SEE ALSO:

• Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack: 71 New Charges Filed
• Waukesha Christmas Parade: 5 Killed Sunday Identified
• Waukesha Christmas Parade: 8-Year-Old Is 6th Victim Killed