Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum | |
![]() Oklahoma City National Memorial pictured in 2006 | |
Location | 620 North Harvey Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 |
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Coordinates | 35°28′22″N97°31′2″W / 35.47278°N 97.51722°W |
Area | 3.3 acres (1.3 ha) 3.12 acres (1.26 ha) federal |
Built | 1997–2001 |
Visitation | 350,000 per year [1] |
Website | Oklahoma City National Memorial |
NRHP reference No. | 01000278 [2] |
Added to NRHP | October 9, 1997 |
The Oklahoma City National Memorial is a memorial site in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, that honors the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were affected by the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. It is situated on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which was destroyed in the bombing. The building was located on NW 5th Street between N. Robinson Avenue and N. Harvey Avenue.
The national memorial was authorized on October 9, 1997, by President Bill Clinton's signing of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Act of 1997. It was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same day. [2] The memorial is administered by Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, with National Park Service staff to help interpret the memorial for visitors.
The memorial was formally dedicated on April 19, 2000, the fifth anniversary of the bombing. The museum was dedicated and opened 10 months later on February 19, 2001.
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a Ryder rental truck filled with explosives in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The resulting explosion killed 168 people and destroyed the entire north face of the building. [3]
Months after the attack, Mayor Ron Norick appointed a task force to look into a creation of a permanent memorial where the Murrah building once stood. The Task Force called for 'a symbolic outdoor memorial', a Memorial Museum, and for creation of Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism. Six hundred and twenty four designs were submitted for the memorial and in July 1997 a design by Butzer Design Partnership, which consists of husband and wife Hans and Torrey Butzer, was chosen.. [1] [4]
In October 1997, President Bill Clinton signed law creating the Oklahoma City National Memorial to be operated by the Oklahoma City National Memorial Trust. The total cost of the memorial was $29.1 million ($55,140,783.18 in 2023): $10 million for the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, $7 million for the Memorial Museum, $5 million for the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and the rest for other costs. [1] The federal government appropriated $5 million for construction with the state of Oklahoma matching that amount. More than $17 million in private donations was raised. [4]
On April 19, 2000, the fifth anniversary of the attack, the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was dedicated. On February 19, 2001, the Memorial Museum was dedicated. [4] In 2004 it was transferred from the trust, to the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation, designating it an affiliated area of National Park System. [5] The Oklahoma City National Memorial since its opening has seen over 4.4 million visitors to the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial and 1.6 million visitors to the Memorial Museum. [4] The Memorial has an average of 350,000 visitors per year. [1]
The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial consists of the following segments on 3.3 acres (13,000 m2) and are accessible day or night.
We come here to rememberThose who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever.May all who leave here know the impact of violence.May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
Two churches were located across the street from the Murrah Building. Both were heavily damaged by the blast. Each church was repaired and both constructed memorials on their property. While not part of the official memorial they are open to the public.
The Oklahoma City bombing was a domestic terrorist truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, on April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the end to the Waco siege. The bombing was the deadliest act of terrorism in U.S. history prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, and remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.
Oklahoma City, officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States. The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 681,054 in the 2020 census. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445, and the Oklahoma City–Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,469,124, making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population.
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States federal government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On April 19, 1995, at 9:02 a.m. the building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, which killed 168 people and injured 680 others. A third of the building collapsed seconds after the truck bomb detonated. The remains were demolished a month after the attack, and the Oklahoma City National Memorial was built on the site.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service .