Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza
Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza is a plaza with a veterans memorial in Sunnyside, Washington. The plaza was dedicated in 1977, named for former Sunnyside mayor and World War II veteran Jerry Taylor.[1][2]
| 46.3231°N 120.0086°W | |
| Location | Sunnyside, Washington |
|---|---|
| Material | Gray and black granite panels |
| Length | One city block (approx. 150 m (492 ft)) |
| Weight | 114,000 lb (52,000 kg) partially completed in 2021 (6,000 lb (2,700 kg) per panel) |
| Beginning date | 2014 |
| Dedicated to | Veterans of Sunnyside |
An effort to rebuild the plaza as a veterans memorial began at least as early as 2006.[3] Construction of the memorial began in 2014,[1] with four panels by 2016,[4] and as of 2021, the memorial consisted of nineteen 6,000-pound (2,700 kg) blocks of granite spanning the length of a city block on South 9th Street.[5] The memorial is planned to contain 42 blocks when done and will be the largest such memorial in the Pacific Northwest.[1] In addition to lists of names of servicemembers, some panels contain informative text on post-traumatic stress disorder or other issues relevant to veterans' affairs. One of the components of the installation is a 9/11 memorial.
References
- Ross Courtney (September 16, 2015). "Small Sunnyside's big plans for veterans memorial". Yakima Herald-Republic – via The Seattle Times.
A blocklong vets memorial may end up being the largest of its kind in the Northwest.
- "Veterans plaza growing in Sunnyside". Sunnyside Sun. Sunnyside, Washington. July 12, 2016.
- Courtney, Ross A. (July 6, 2006). "Veteran honored for remembering those who served". Yakima Herald-Republic. p. A.1.
- Bridget Chapman (February 22, 2016). "Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza in Sunnyside to welcome new wall memorial". Yakima: KIMA-TV.
- Phil Ferolito (May 20, 2021), "More walls of honor erected at veterans plaza in Sunnyside", Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, Washington