“Light Benches” Announced as Winning Design for the Pentagon Memorial

On 03/03/2003, the United States Department of Defense announced “Light Benches” as the winning design for the Pentagon Memorial during a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Created by New York-based architects Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, the design was selected to commemorate the 184 people killed when terrorists hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and crashed it into the Pentagon on 11/09/2001. The announcement followed an international architectural competition that attracted 1,126 submissions, with six proposals advancing to the final stage. The winning design was formally presented by Terence (Terry) Riley, chairman of the Pentagon Memorial competition jury and chief curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The selection committee included architectural and design professionals, representatives of victims' families, and former government officials. The jury selected the Beckman and Kaseman proposal on 21/02/2003, and the decision received approval from Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld before its public announcement.