Officers Memorial

In 1984, Congress approved the three-acre site of Judiciary Square in Washington D.C. for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (NLEOM). Eight years of planning and fundraising later, the memorial has been completed. Engraved on the blue-gray marble walls throughout the site are the names of over 12,500 officers who have died in the line of duty. It is the spirit of these officers which is honored and protected by two elliptical rows of matching linden trees and a park setting with more than 120 large-caliper trees. This memorial is a tribute not only to the ones who have served, but to those who have developed it.

The landscape architect, Jim Urban, served as a technical resource as well as an integral part of the design team. He worked with the architecture firm of Davis Buckley on several aspects of the project including drainage, irrigation, soils, grading and even down to a steam intercept line. An extensive drainage system needed to be installed, 4900 c.y. of a lightweight specialty soil mix had to be placed and several miles of pipe were laid. Included in that was the steam intercept line to prevent the trees from being "cooked" if a line should ever break.

From the landscape design and installation perspective, what is most impressive about the site is what you cannot see. In explanation, this entire memorial is built over a metro stop. One of the greatest challenges this project posed was to overcome the intensive damage done through previous site activities. As such, the site had to be excavated to 3' and a whole new hydrology had to be developed. Six different kinds of principal soil details became important as well. Jim Urban commented "One thing the profession could learn from this project is the designing of correct soils. Soil is an amorphous product and it is important to make it right."

Once the soil was placed, then precision grading was required. A grid of stringlines was installed to ensure that lawn areas had an identical sweep to the marble walls and were still able to drain properly. This was an extremely demanding project which required not only sound knowledge, but coordination and communication. From start to finish NLEOM was completed in five months. LASN