The 1 October Memorial Design Team Exhibit featuring five design concepts for a permanent memorial to remember the events of the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival tragedy is now open in the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery.

The public is invited to view models of the proposed concepts in-person at the Government Center Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. The public can also visit the 1 October Memorial’s Committee’s website at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/1OctoberMemorial to learn more details about each concept. The names of the participating teams, listed here and on the website alphabetically, are: Aaron Neubert Architects+studioSTIGSGAARD, JCJ Architecture, OLIN, Paul Murdoch Architects and SWA Group.

Clark County’s 1 October Memorial Committee kicked off a three-phase process last summer to gather ideas from the public and professional teams for the memorial. The first phase of the process invited the public to submit artwork and ideas for the memorial while calling upon professional design teams to express interest in participating. The second phase began in January when five teams selected by the committee were introduced to the community and began developing formal proposals for the memorial. The teams were asked to review all creative expression submissions received from the public and were encouraged to offer community engagement opportunities to gather feedback during their design process.

“Our committee dedicated many hours of time and effort to ensure that the concepts under consideration for our memorial reflect extensive input from family members of victims, survivors and our community as a whole,” said Clark County Commission Chairman Jim Gibson. “Today, it’s clear that the design teams involved in this process have taken that direction to heart. These concepts show in vivid detail the power of what this memorial effort means to so many in five unique ways.”

“We are grateful to the design teams and everyone who has participated this process,” said Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. “Our goal was to gather input from the public for a project that would serve as a world-class memorial to remember the events of 1 October and celebrate the compassion and resiliency that our community has demonstrated in the years since. No matter which design concept gets recommended, we can be proud of the process our committee put into place and amazing ideas inspired by it.”

The 1 October Memorial Committee would like for the public to take part in a short online community engagement survey. A link to the survey is on the committee’s website now through June 29. Participants will be asked whether the concepts meet the committee’s mission, vision and goals for the permanent memorial. The results of the survey will be incorporated into the evaluation process.  The evaluation scores will be presented to the 1 October Memorial Committee at its next scheduled meeting on Wednesday, July 26, 9 a.m. in Clark County Commission Chambers. At that time, the committee will deliberate on its design recommendation. The committee’s recommendation is scheduled to be submitted to the County Commission on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The recommended design for the 1 October Memorial project will be on display in the Rotunda as part of the exhibit to commemorate the 6^th anniversary of the tragedy.

The 1 October Memorial Committee began meeting in October 2020. It was appointed by the County Commission to gather input from the public and develop recommendations for a permanent memorial that includes a project design, site, programming and maintenance needs as well as funding considerations. The goal is to create a memorial that remembers those who perished in the attack at the Route 91 music festival on Oct. 1, 2017, honors the survivors, first responders and many heroes who inspired the nation with their bravery, and celebrates the resiliency and compassion of our community. As a result of the committee’s work, MGM Resorts International is donating two acres on the northeast corner of the concert site off Reno Avenue and Giles Street for the memorial. The donation was offered to Clark County after a majority of respondents in a committee survey indicated a clear preference for a memorial to be built at the festival site.

Members of the 1 October Memorial Committee include Tennille Pereira, chairwoman of the committee and Director of the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center; Karessa Royce, a 1 October survivor, serving as vice chairwoman; Mynda Smith, the sister of 1 October Victim Neysa Tonks; Kelly McMahill, a now retired deputy chief for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department; architect Dr. Robert Fielden, who established the UNLV School of Architecture; Rebecca Holden, public art project manager for the city of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs; and Harold Bradford, a local artist.         

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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability.  With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11^th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.3 million citizens and 45.6 million visitors a year (2019). Included are the nation’s 8^th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.