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Wrangell Mariners' Memorial08-04-25 | News

Wrangell Mariners' Memorial

Wrangell, Alaska
by Keziah Olsen, LASN

Wrangell is a small fishing community with a long dream of having a mariners' memorial: a simple and elegant sacred space, rich in symbolism, where the community can tell its story, exercise compassion, and assist the grieving process. Those lost at sea are memorialized on four sculptural steel walls, their forms and gentle curves reflecting the hulls of ships. The pavilion is a lighthouse to aid mariners on their way home. These graceful forms shape the space and allow people to grieve and remember on their terms, alone or as a part of events like the blessing of the fleet. A key design success is the sculptural form balancing the blank spaces needed for the ongoing addition of names without feeling like it is waiting for them. The memorial received an Alaska Chapter ASLA 2025 General Design Award of Excellence.

Team List
Corvus Design - Prime and Landscape Architecture

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Wrangell Mariners' Memorial Committee - Oversight, Fund Raising, Construction Management
PND Engineers - Structural and Civil Engineering
Northwind Architects - Architect
Morris Engineering Group - Electrical
The many local volunteers and contractors who donated time and materials to the community-built construction of the project.

The Hardscapes Issue of Landscape Architect & Specifier News saw many firms submit their projects for feature consideration. This project was not chosen for a Feature in the issue, but we at LandscapeArchitect.com thought the project deserved to be showcased online.

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