Field of Empty Chairs

Field of Empty Chairs. The Field of Empty Chairs is the central symbolic element of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, commemorating the 168 individuals killed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. Designed by the Butzer Design Partnership, the installation consists of 168 individual bronze and stone chairs arranged in nine rows, representing the floors of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building where the victims worked or were visiting. Dedicated in 2000, it serves as a profound place for reflection and remembrance within the larger memorial landscape.

Description and Design

The memorial consists of 168 unique chairs fabricated from bronze, glass, and granite, each set on a translucent glass base that is illuminated at night. The chairs are arranged in nine rows corresponding to the nine floors of the federal building, with each chair's position indicating the floor on which the victim was located. Nineteen smaller chairs represent the children who perished in the building's daycare center. The design team, led by architects Hans-Ekkehard Butzer and Torrey Butzer, won an international competition overseen by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation. The chairs face the Reflecting Pool, another key feature of the memorial, creating a solemn and ordered vista.

History and Dedication

The memorial was created following the unprecedented domestic terrorist attack carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. The Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997 established the memorial as a unit of the National Park Service, and the design was selected from 624 entries in a global competition. The dedication ceremony on April 19, 2000, was attended by President Bill Clinton, along with survivors, family members, and rescue workers from the Oklahoma City Fire Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The anniversary of the bombing is marked annually at the site with a reading of names and moments of silence at 9:02 AM, the time of the explosion.

Symbolism and Memorial Function

Each empty chair symbolizes an individual life abruptly taken, with the collective field representing the profound absence left by the tragedy. The illuminated bases signify hope and the enduring memory of the victims. The arrangement fosters a deeply personal connection, as visitors often seek out specific chairs corresponding to loved ones. The memorial's overarching themes, encapsulated in the mission statement "We Come Here to Remember," are further expressed through the Gates of Time monument and the Survivor Tree. It functions not only as a grave marker for those whose remains were recovered but as a national symbol of resilience against violence.

Location and Site Context

The Field of Empty Chairs is situated on the former footprint of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. The 3.3-acre memorial park is bounded by Northwest Fifth Street and Robinson Avenue, with the chairs placed on the grassy slope where the building's north wall once stood. The site is directly adjacent to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, which is housed in the former Journal Record Building. The entire precinct is managed through a partnership involving the National Park Service, the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, and the City of Oklahoma City.

Related Memorials and Influence

The design's powerful use of empty chairs as a symbol of loss has influenced other memorials, such as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, which features voids where the World Trade Center towers stood. The Columbine Memorial in Colorado also incorporates benches for each victim. The Oklahoma City memorial is often studied alongside other sites of national trauma, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Its establishment also spurred the creation of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, highlighting its role in promoting education and prevention.

Category:Monuments and memorials in Oklahoma Category:National Memorials of the United States Category:Oklahoma City