At night, “STORIES: The AIDS monument” will take on the appearance of a candlelight vigil. (rendering courtesy of LPA, Inc. and Daniel Tobin)

West Hollywood hosted a kick-off event on July 9 for “STORIES: The AIDS Monument,” the long-awaited HIV/AIDS memorial that has been in the works for over a decade. The official groundbreaking and construction are expected within a month, and construction will last for approximately one year.

PCL Construction Services, Inc. will erect the structure, which consists of vertical, bronze traces etched with narrative text that tells historical and personal stories of the AIDS crisis, for a cost of $9.2 million. The display is a joint effort between West Hollywood and the Foundation for the AIDS Monument and was given final approval by the City Council in May. Designed by artist Daniel Tobin, the display will include integrated lighting meant to evoke the ambiance of a candlelight vigil.

“It’s to be such a variety of experiences. It’s going to be one thing at night with the candlelight vigil and the [flickering] light effects, and it’s going to be a whole other monument during the day, when you’re walking through the field of traces and kind of stumbling across stories,” West Hollywood’s project architect Michael Barker said.

“I’m really glad that the AIDS Monument will continue the long-standing support and mission that the city has dedicated our entire history to in not only eradicating HIV/AIDS, but also commemorating and reflecting on those that we lost to this horrible disease and recommitting ourselves to the future work that we must do,” Mayor John Erickson said.

West Hollywood urban design and architecture studio manager Ric Abramson said that there has been “a huge amount of support for the monument and excitement that it’s finally happening” from city residents. The purpose of the July 9 event, he added, was to inform the community in what exactly the process would entail.

“[The construction is] actually self-contained within the park,” Abramson explained. “The contractor is going to be staging all their operations on the site itself. So, at the moment, we don’t anticipate any closed down sidewalks external to the park, adjacent to the monument, nor within the park. We don’t anticipate any blocked access to any of the park facilities.”

He added that the project is very important for the city of West Hollywood.

“It’s taken so many people working together to make it happen. And it’s very gratifying to see it finally come to fruition with a beautiful design,” Abramson said.

For up-to-date information on the monument’s progress, visit weho.org/city-government/city-manager/projects-current-on-the-boards/aids-monument.

The West Hollywood Park monument honoring victims of the HIV/AIDS crisis is expected to be completed in 2025. (rendering courtesy of LPA, Inc. and Daniel Tobin)