Legacy of Love monument
On the day of the Orlando massacre at the LGBT nightclub Pulse, more than 1,000 people gathered at the new Resource Center for a vigil and then walked silently the 1.9 miles down Cedar Springs Road to the Legacy of Love Monument.
Since its completion in 2005, the Legacy of Love Monument has been the site of numerous protests, remembrances and celebrations.
After the Orlando massacre, it became a memorial site with flowers, notes and other artifacts left to honor the victims.
The Legacy of Love Monument was built by the Oak Lawn Committee through private donations. The organization maintains the monument and the landscaping around it. Over the years, a number of car crashes have done damage that was repaired mostly with insurance money. Graffiti that community members tried to remove ultimately had to cleaned off with an expensive power washing process.
Oak Lawn Committee president Brenda Marks issued a statement asking the community for help and setting up some guidelines for using the monument:
We are truly honored that our entire community has embraced the Legacy of Love Monument at the Oak Lawn Triangle as its own — our gathering place for memorials, tributes and celebrations.
Since designing and completing its construction in 2005, all of which was financed by private donations, the Oak Lawn Committee has worked hard to maintain it for the future, albeit with limited funds and many hours of volunteer commitment. Our goal is to make sure it remains a beautiful symbol of the diversity and spirit of Oak Lawn for many years to come.
With that in mind, we respectfully ask everyone to please refrain from taping things to, and writing on, the Monument. If candles are placed at the Monument, please make sure they are in containers that prevent any wax from spilling onto the porous stone. Please do not use glass containers, as they tend to crack and splinter into many pieces and become a safety hazard. And please remember to pick up anything that you see that doesn’t belong there. Your help and understanding is truly appreciated.
Brenda Marks, President
The Oak Lawn Committee
June 20, 2016
