Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden
The Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden is a memorial and landscape at Queens Borough Hall in New York — a place of reverence, reflection and accessibility that honors the victims of the Holocaust and the heroism of the Jewish people.
While the Jewish experience of World War II is understandably dominated by narratives of victimization, it is also marked by vast and often under-recognized Jewish heroism and valor — not only in the ghettos and camps, but on battlefields across the world, where more than one million Jews took up arms against fascism. The garden’s mission is to unite universal humanitarian values, foster solidarity among the peoples of the world, and memorialize the victims of the Holocaust.
Rather than direct representation, the design offers a physical metaphor that subtly evokes memory and emotion — a canvas of strength and valor, remembrance and inspiration, defiance and restraint, sacrifice and closure. Two cylindrical rings, firmly grounded yet open to the sky and accessible to all, frame a central processional allée aligned with the eastern entrance of Queens Borough Hall.
Highlights
- Plinth of Unification — a slightly elevated plateau of alternating Jerusalem grey limestone and Tiberias basalt paving — a shared material palette that unifies every element of the garden.
- Path of Remembrance — a central processional route whose intermittent openings reveal an underground vault of historical Holocaust artifacts, including destroyed Nazi symbols — a remembrance of the victory and survival of the Jewish people and all peoples from the horrors of genocide. A linear grove of twelve Sky Tower Ginkgo trees evokes the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the solidarity of all people
- Gates of Immortality (Holocaust Memorial) — a 75-foot cylindrical ring open to the sky, fronted by eighteen weeping willows (sorrow, hope, life) and a Tiberias-basalt ring of contemplation (the unbreakable spirit and heroism of the Jewish people). A golden-brick path ascends to an illuminated translucent Star of David and two soaring 40-foot silver pylons symbolizing the gates of Jerusalem — the western gate inscribed with the sites of mass extermination, the eastern gate with the numbers of Jewish soldiers who fought Nazi Germany.
- Garden of Peace — placed symmetrically opposite and in dialogue with the Gates of Immortality — a serene space of respite defined by eighteen weeping willows and a central reflecting pool symbolizing purification and harmony; a living companion to the memorial.
- Sustainability — geothermal energy for Borough Hall, stormwater retention and renewable materials woven throughout, reflecting a commitment to environmental stewardship and long-term viability.
How We Work
The garden is to be realized through the commitment, sacrifice and collective effort of Borough, City and State funding agencies together with private donors, Holocaust survivors, and the many professionals, artisans and laborers needed to bring the vision to life.
More than a place of commemoration and teaching about the Holocaust, the Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden is intended to serve as a beacon of hope and understanding for future generations and for all people of the world.
How to Support
The memorial garden invites the support of public funding agencies, private donors and community partners. Contributions help realize the design, its landscape and its educational purpose — sustaining a lasting place of remembrance and hope.