Project Description:
From 1929 to 1971, over 6,000 infants that had died at or shortly before birth were buried in one area of Mountain View Cemetery.
In 2006, LEES + Associates worked closely with Cemetery management and staff to design and install a memorial garden to recognise these infants and provide, for the first time, the opportunity for families to commemorate their loss with individual markers.
A dry streambed of rounded river stone, one for each infant, winds through the former lawn area. The streambed incorporates the several dozen engraved cobbles that have been placed near the actual place of burial of each remembered baby. A garden path winds through the site, with benches and large boulders providing places to sit and reflect.
The beds that surround the channel are planted with flowering shrubs, herbs, spring bulbs and perennials. An etched dedication on a large boulder at the entry into the garden explains the site and recognizes all the infants buried there.
Client/Location:
Mountain View Cemetery / City of Vancouver, BC (2006)Project Innovations:
- Large boulder with etched dedication recognizing all infants buried at the site
- Memorial garden with individual markers to commemorate the loss of each infant
- A streambed that incorporates engraved cobbles placed near actual places of burial
- Garden path with benches and large boulders winds through site providing places to site and reflect
- Surrounding beds planted with flowering shrubs, herbs spring bulbs and perennials
Project Sub-consultants:
N/A
Project Related links:
- Buried So Deep – (Documentary by Pamela Post for the CBC’s Sunday Edition)
- A Grief Delayed – (Vancouver Courier – PDF)