Memorial Day services at Garden of Remembrance at Benaroya Hall

The Garden of Remembrance at Benaroya Hall
Photo courtesy Seattle Symphony

The Garden of Remembrance, located at Benaroya Hall on Second Avenue between Union and University streets in the heart of downtown Seattle, will hold its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 27, 2024, at 10am. 

The ceremony honors the Washington State fallen heroes who have died while in service to their country. 

The overarching theme for this year’s commemoration is “Where Heroes Live Forever.” The distinguished keynote speakers will be Gold Star Parents, Brian and Shellie Starr, the parents of LCpl. Jeffrey Starr, who was killed in action in Iraq on Memorial Day, May 30, 2005. Additionally, the ceremony will honor and remember the 20th Anniversary of the Battle of Fallujah, Iraq, Operation Vigilant Resolve and the battle Operation Iraqi Freedom, which all happened during the Iraq War.

The observance will include a presentation of wreaths following the tolling of the bell, a performance by the Mountlake Terrace Brass Ensemble, and the performance of “Taps” by Seattle Symphony Trumpet Michael Myers. 

The ceremony is sponsored by the Garden of Remembrance Advisory Board, Benaroya Hall, the City of Seattle, the Gold Star Families of Washington and the Northwest Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. This event is ADA accessible, and there will be free parking in the Benaroya Hall Garage accessible on Union Street and Second Avenue. For additional information please contact: Facilities@benaroyahall.org.

GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE
The Garden of Remembrance is an official state memorial dedicated to the more than 8,000 Washington State citizens who have given their lives in the service of our country since 1941, including those who served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War and post-9/11 conflicts. 

Every year on Memorial Day, families are invited together at the garden to honor their fallen loved ones. Some bring photos and other mementos to leave at the wall. The Garden of Remembrance is a half-acre, L-shaped space designed by landscape architect Robert Murase (1938–2005), and it lies along the south and west sides of Benaroya Hall. 

Memorial walls of granite, lined by slender reflecting pools, are oriented so that the names face the western sun. In addition to the walls, excerpts from poems honor veterans who died in our nation’s wars, while lines from letters remind us of the personal connections with home that each name represents. 

The reflecting pools honor those missing in action, and a waterfall honors those who died in peacetime and other national service. The golden oak tree that centers the garden symbolizes remembrance of the cycle of life and honors the fallen and their families. The garden was dedicated on July 4, 1998.