The new design for the permanent Oct. 7 memorial in Beverly Hills features a stainless steel sculpture with the names of the victims. (rendering courtesy of Jeffrey Eyster)

The Beverly Hills City Council scrapped design plans for a permanent memorial to the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel after projected costs skyrocketed from $1.5 million to $7.5-8.7 million. The city approved the original design, titled “Forty Steps to the Sky,” in 2025, and had already begun fundraising efforts, in addition to holding a site dedication in October at the planned location outside the Beverly Hills Public Library.

At a study session on March 24, the council approved a new design, titled “Shared Light Between Us,” which is expected to cost between $1.8-$2.4 million.

According to City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, the city worked with an “independent third-party construction firm” to develop a cost estimate for the original design.

“The cost estimate from the artist back in August was around $1.5 million,” Hunt-Coffey said. “However, the recent cost estimate from an independent construction firm places the all-in projected cost between $7.5 and $8.7 million.”

She said the main driver of the increased cost was the original design’s incorporation of pre-cast concrete, which requires the creation of specialized molds. She also said the original specifications created concerns that the project would take a long time to finish. The city already spent approximately $61,000 in expenses for the original design.

The new memorial, designed by architect Jeffrey Eyster, features a stainless steel sculpture resembling an angular s-curve with the names of the approximately 1,200 victims laser cut into the slabs. The names will be presented in their original language with English transliterations visible underneath. Although the names will be “silent and unseen” for 364 days out of the year, they will be illuminated by sunlight for 86 minutes at dawn every year on Oct. 7.

The council has committed $500,000 in taxpayer funds to the memorial, a figure which has remained unchanged but has yet to be formally approved by the City Council. The remaining $1.3-1.9 million will be sought in private donations. The city has thus far received $63,187 in donations. Hunt-Coffey also noted that  Jewish Federation Los Angeles has pledged to support the memorial with a $250,000 donation, which has yet to be officially made.

A spokesperson for JFEDLA confirmed that the organization had pledged to support the memorial, but was “unable to confirm the amount.”

The new design received a mixed response from the community, with some residents and one council member expressing concerns over a higher overall cost and hurried design, while others urged the council to approve the new plans.

Vice Mayor Craig Corman significantly pushed back against the new design, stating that the city should not rush into approving it without seeing additional proposals. The city did not conduct additional outreach for designs after the cost of “Forty Steps to the Sky” increased, and “Shared Light Between Us” was selected from the original pool of applicants when the city began planning the project.

“Memorials are long-term projects, they’re not short-term projects. It takes a long time to raise the money, and that’s what history shows … The AIDS memorial in West Hollywood, they started the fundraising in 2014 … Our own 9/11 memorial was not erected until 10 years after 9/11,” Corman said. “So I just think the idea that it has to be done immediately is a little odd.”

He added that he did not “particularly love the design.” He said the design of the surrounding landscaping and benches resembled a playground, and that the sculpture itself “doesn’t feel like a sculpture that can be appreciated from multiple angles.”

“In fact, the whole concept is to experience it from one side, at one time of the year for maximum effect. And the rest of the time, for everyone else walking by, I fear it’s going to feel like it’s just a piece of metal that no one knows why it’s there or what it’s doing,” Corman said. “It doesn’t evoke, in my mind, what happened on Oct. 7 or feelings we want to have about that event.”

He also said he had doubts over the sculpture’s feasibility, given the artist does not have experience cutting similar text in stainless steel with a water jet.

“I have concerns with the fundamental concept … I think we have to get there before we commit to this,” Corman said.

Councilwoman Mary Wells said she would feel more comfortable moving forward if Corman’s concerns were addressed. However, Mayor Sharona Nazarian took the lead on pushing the design forward.

“We could nitpick as much as we want on every single detail. It’s very difficult to do any form of fundraising if we are not able to have a design in place, so I want to thank my colleagues for agreeing to move forward the design, except for one, I heard you,” Nazarian said.

Corman attempted to respond, but Nazarian continued.

“I know you don’t like the design, I heard you. You had a chance to talk, I’m going to continue if you don’t mind, with all due respect. I’m comfortable with moving forward in phases,” Nazarian said.

Councilmen John Mirisch and Lester Friedman agreed that the city should move forward with the design.

“I think we need to move forward with a concept, because if not, we’re up against a brick wall,” Friedman said. “If the concept doesn’t meet the expectations, we may have to pivot again, but I’m very hopeful we will be able to be successful with this concept as it comes out.”

Corman noted that if the new design doesn’t meet expectations, the city may end up wasting money.

“We just spent over $60,000 on a design that we are throwing away,” Corman said. “So we can go ahead and go down this road with this design, and if it turns out it can’t be done, we’re going to throw more money away.”

No official vote was made, but city staff said they would move forward with the proposed design at the request of Nazarian, Friedman and Mirisch. Staff will return with additional specifications including a finalized mock-up of the design and budget details.

During public comments, several residents spoke out with concerns.

Beverly Hills resident and City Council candidate Andrew Kole said that while he believed the memorial was a “great idea” at first, the City Council should “maybe just rethink the whole thing,” citing increased overall costs, low fundraising contributions thus far and potential safety issues.

“Why create a memorial that’s going to require 24-hour security?” Kole said. “That’s kind of against the whole idea of ‘let’s create safety in the city.’ Everyone’s talking about ‘safety, safety, safety,’ and now you’re going to put a memorial out there that you’ve got to go spend who knows how much on 24-hour security. I don’t know if it’s ironic but it’s something in that space.”

Resident Peter Ostroff said he was “skeptical” the memorial had widespread support in the community.

“A lot of people were not willing to speak out because they were afraid of being accused of being antisemites,” Ostroff said.

He also expressed worry over the project’s timing, given the ongoing war in the Middle East

“I think it should go back to the drawing board,” Ostroff said.

Other residents voiced strong support for the memorial and the new design.

“For me this memorial is more than a memorial. It is a symbol to say that in Beverly Hills, the Jewish community has always been and will always be safe and treasured and that the city stands in solidarity with them in their times of sorrow,” Jordana Yechiel said. “Having this memorial gave us a huge sense of pride … I myself have pledged $50,000 toward this.”

She said the renderings do not do the sculpture justice.

“I’m confident it will be a long-lasting, timeless, seamless addition to the sculptures of Beverly Hills,” Yechiel said.

Additionally, several letters were read in support of the memorial.

“After the horrific attack on Oct. 7, 2023, the City Council made a promise – Beverly Hills would build a permanent memorial to the victims … ‘Shared Light Between Us’ is a beautiful, meaningful and achievable path to honoring that commitment. Please do not let this memorial stall any further,” a letter signed by several residents read.

A person who had already donated funding toward the original design said in an email to the Beverly Press that they were alarmed over the council’s decision to change the plans.

“This development is extremely concerning, especially given that significant donations were made with the understanding that they would support the original structure and vision presented to donors and the public. If funds raised for one memorial design are now being used to construct something substantially different, that raises serious questions about transparency, donor disclosure and public accountability,” said the donor, who asked to remain anonymous. “From the outside, this situation appears highly misleading. People contributed substantial money for one project, and now those same funds seem to be supporting something else entirely.”

The new design for the permanent Oct. 7 memorial in Beverly Hills is estimated to cost $1.8-$2.4 million, after the estimated cost of the previous design increased from $1.5 million to $7.5-$8.7 million. (rendering courtesy of Jeffrey Eyster)