CHICAGO (WLS) — City officials, health care professionals and West Side residents gathered to officially dedicate Chicago’s COVID-19 Memorial Monument.
The new monument and surrounding park were created as a gathering place for remembrance, reflection and healing.
The memorial stands near the intersection of Polk Street, Ogden Avenue and Damen Avenue.
A once-vacant property in the heart of the Illinois Medical District has been transformed into a lasting tribute. The district was established in 1941.
The project was financed through $4.95 million in grants and other funding.
“This is your park, come often, find a moment of peace and make it your own,” said Allyson Hansen, chief executive officer and executive director of the Illinois Medical District Commission.
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For those attending the dedication, the ceremony offered a meaningful way to acknowledge a chapter defined by loss, grief and extraordinary hardship.
The monument was created to represent the community’s resilience after more than a year of work by the COVID-19 Monument Commission, a Chicago-based, volunteer-led group formed to honor people who died during the pandemic and recognize essential workers.
After an international design competition, the commission chose a concept centered on illuminated stainless steel dandelion sculptures. The installations are meant to evoke remembrance, hope and renewal.
Organizers envision the memorial monument and park as a sacred place for future generations—one that keeps the pandemic’s lessons and the lives lost from being forgotten.
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