Ten years removed from the tragic shooting that claimed the lives of 27 school children and teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, SWA Group has today officially unveiled a permanent memorial to the victims, called The Clearing, that will seek to heal the community, survivors, and family members still in search of justice in their tight-knit New England town.

Located on a five-acre parcel of donated land near the replacement for the now demolished former elementary school, the design for the memorial keys on three elements integrated into interconnected paths that bring visitors through a circuitry of woodlands, meadows, and a water feature intended to “honor the process of grieving and remembrance.”

SWA says: “The Sandy Hook Memorial differs from other memorials in that it was publicly funded and completely community-led. It is also primarily landscape rather than a monument. Memorials are typically embedded in landscape rather than having landscape as the focus. The site-driven design was informed and reflective of its woodland setting. The Memorial is only a quarter mile from Sandy Hook Elementary, the scene of the tragedy — easily within walking distance of the school and children’s voices can be heard from the site.”

Its construction began last summer after three years of delays and community input that eventually yielded public funding for the project with help from the state legislature. It is Connecticut’s second official memorial to gun violence and centers around a sense of “constant motion” induced by the circular juxtapositioning of the water feature’s engraved granite wall, symbolic central Sycamore tree, and surrounding concentric gravel pathway. 

“We wanted to acknowledge that the healing process does not end but continues and grows,” the memorial's co-designer Daniel Affleck, who was also born and raised in the state, said after final approval was granted last year. “This finds its expression in both the plantings and reflecting pool, which reflect the seasonality of nature and constant change through the movement of water.”

“I am deeply appreciative of the people who dedicated their time to bringing the memorial to fruition and commend their amazing work,” Jenny Hubbard, whose daughter Catherine was among the children lost in the tragedy, said finally to a local news outlet. “It’s a reminder of all that we as a community have come together to accomplish. This is a collective space for reflection where all who visit are reminded of the healing, love and compassion we’ve sought to bring to the world.”