On June 17 2015, five clergy and four church members were gunned down during Bible study by a 21 year old white supremacist in Charleston, South Carolina. Five individuals, including two children, miraculously escaped death during the massacre at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which left people across the city and country reeling in despair, wondering how to go forward.

In the wake of the devastation, the faith of the Emanuel Nine, their families and the survivors illuminated the way: it would be by the amazing grace of God.Today the church grounds have been reimagined to build the Emanuel Nine Memorial, a national memorial honoring the five survivors and remembering the nine slain. This will be a place of contemplation, communion and conversation, a catalyst for a culture that stands up against the stains of violence and racism.

Following the selection of Michael Arad’s essay on forgiveness in 2017, the development of the project took off hand in hand with inputs from the community and congregation. The fundraising efforts for the project continue to this day on their official website. The design process began by reframing the church grounds to create a sacred space for a memorial and a garden space to honor the survivors. The Memorial Courtyard was designed in honor of the spirit and fellowship of the Emanuel Nine as a space for the congregation and the community. It encourages positive change, while also creating a space to reflect in quiet contemplation. This coming together is enhanced through the creation of two curved benches facing each other with a fountain at their center honoring the nine victims.

An opening between the two benches widens towards the entrance, welcoming people to enter and join in community. The high backs of the benches arc up and around, like sheltering wings. They provide a sense of enclosure, and like a pair of arms, cradle visitors inside this space. The opening between the fellowship benches towards the back of the Memorial Courtyard reveals a cross above a simple altar, offering visitors a more intimate and quiet place to linger in thought and prayer.

From the Contemplation Basin, a pathway leads to a new Survivors’ Garden dedicated to life and resiliency. A newly landscaped churchyard will enhance the daily life of the Church and its members. A lawn surrounded by six stone benches and five trees symbolizing the five survivors – the sixth signifying that the church is also a survivor.

Project Team:

Architecture: Handel Architects (Michael Arad, David Margolis, Valeria Flores) Structural Engineer: Guy Nordenson Associates Civil Engineer: Thomas & Hutton Fabrication and installation: Quarra Stone Company Mechanical Engineer (MEP): Altieri Sebor & Wieber Landscape Architect: DesignWorks Lighting Design: Fisher Marantz & Stone Graphic and website design: Pentagram, Morcos Key, WithProjects

All drawings and photos by me unless stated otherwise. Renderings by DBOX.

- From 2019-2021: geometry refinement and structural development along with marble sourcing. Project broke ground in late 2023, stone installation to begin mid April 2025 -