Women’s Memorial Park Shade Structure
Pascetti Steel teamed with MRWM Architects (also known as Pland Collaborative), Lee Landscapes, and the City of Albuquerque to fabricate a truly unique and meaningful shade structure. The Women’s Memorial Park is at the site where the remains of eleven women and an unborn child were found in 2009. Pascetti Steel was chosen to fabricate and install this eleven-piece custom steel shade structure. This plaza and shade structure serves as a central gathering space that invites people to engage in moments of quiet reflection and focuses the park’s energy to unite the women who were tragically lost.
The whole shade complex is approx. 60’ across x 10’ tall. Each piece of the structure is unique and designed as a geometric leaf surrounding a commemorative stone plaque installed at the center of the plaza, to “signify the perseverance of the spirit,”. 10” pipe columns and tube steel structure support aluminum perforated panels that provide filtered shade throughout the day. 1” steel base plates and concrete pier footings make this park shade structure one that will last for decades to come, helping to shade park visitors while remembering the victims of these crimes.
The park’s design received approval from the families, who played an instrumental role in selecting the trees, shrubbery, benches, and other elements. Each woman’s name is etched into the oval-shaped path encircling the park, with a dedicated bench and tree placed opposite each name—carefully chosen by the families. The park holds a sacred significance for the families of the women who were laid to rest there. While the cases remain under investigation, the City of Albuquerque hopes that the Women’s Memorial Park will provide solace to the families. If your organization is in need of a memorial shade structure or other historic project please contact us!
Pascetti Steel was invited to the unveiling on November 25th, which was International Day for Elimination of Violence Toward Women. Dave Simon, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, explained the park’s goal, stating, “The Parks Department aims to memorialize the courageous women of Albuquerque while also shedding light on the urgent need to end violence against women worldwide.”