Construction well underway for interactive LGBTQ monument in Greenwich Village
Rendering by Anthony Goicolea via Gov. Cuomo’s office
A monument to the LGBTQ community is taking shape in Hudson River Park along the Greenwich Village waterfront. Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo chose Brooklyn-based artist Anthony Goicolea to design the monument, aimed at honoring both the LGBT rights movement and the victims of the 2016 Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. Although the Hudson River Park Trust told 6sqft an opening date of the installation isn’t known yet, Urban Omnibus reported the monument is expected to be completed this month, coinciding with Pride Month.
The monument features nine modified boulders bisected in places with a clear, laminated glass with refractory components to create a prism. When light hits the prism, rainbows, a symbol of LGBT pride, will form on the grass and surrounding areas. The monument, arranged in a circle, invites visitors to sit, talk and enjoy the Hudson River views.
In an interview with Urban Omnibus, Goicolea said he wanted his design to be something “that straddles the line between being beautiful and playful and celebratory while also solemn and peaceful.”
He added: “Really the stones are simply the pedestals for the true memorial, which is the people that are sitting there. They can be sitting by themselves but with other people in this arranged format, so, alone, but not alone. Alone together.”
Current view of the monument site
In 2016, Cuomo formed a 10-member LGBT Memorial Commission in the wake of the Orlando tragedy to create a memorial honoring all victims of hate and violence. The commission issued a request for proposals and selected Goicolea a year later.
“From Stonewall to marriage equality, New York has always been a beacon for justice and we will never waiver in our commitment to the LGBT community and to creating a more just and inclusive society,” Cuomo said in a statement last June. “This new monument will stand up for those values for generations to come.”
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