The City of West Hollywood will host a pre-construction community meeting featuring updates about STORIES: The AIDS Monument, which is planned at West Hollywood Park adjacent to N. San Vicente Boulevard and the West Hollywood Library.

The community meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. at the West Hollywood Library Community Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. For community members who cannot attend in person, please join the meeting virtually via Zoom.

STORIES: The AIDS Monument is a collaborative project between the City of West Hollywood and the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM) to memorialize the devastation of HIV/AIDS, honor courageous activists, caregivers, and community leaders through their stories, and raise awareness about the history and stigma of living with HIV/AIDS. The AIDS Monument will be located prominently in West Hollywood Park along N. San Vicente Boulevard and will function as an iconic public art experience and memorial site.

Designed by artist Daniel Tobin, the monument will feature a plaza, a donor wall, vertical bronze “traces” with narrative text, integrated lighting reminiscent of a candlelight vigil, and a podium facing N. San Vicente Boulevard. Set in the heart of West Hollywood, the monument will capture the community’s activism and the personal stories of those impacted by HIV/AIDS.

As the City of West Hollywood prepares to bring the monument to life, all interested parties are invited to stay connected and engaged through every step of the process. This project, symbolizing a beacon of remembrance and hope, is not just a structure but a movement reflecting our collective history and future aspirations in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For project details and updates, please visit the “Engage WeHo” project page for The AIDS Monument at engage.weho.org/aidsmonument.

The onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s had a significant impact in West Hollywood. The disease’s elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City. The City of West Hollywood was one of the first government entities to provide social services grants to local AIDS and HIV organizations. The City of West Hollywood also sponsored one of the first AIDS awareness campaigns in the country in October 1985 and the City’s response to the AIDS crisis has been recognized as a model for other cities, nationally and globally.

The City of West Hollywood actively participates in the development of programs that bring awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and provide services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The City has a goal to become an “HIV Zero” city and is currently implementing its HIV Zero Initiative. Along with the Monument project, the City’s ongoing programs continue to commemorate the lives of those who were lost, such as World AIDS Day programming and the AIDS Memorial Walk.

For information about the City’s HIV/AIDS Resources, please visit www.weho.org/services/human-services/hiv-aids-resources.

For more information, please contact Michael Barker, the City of West Hollywood’s Project Architect, at (323) 848-6556 or at mbarker@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000.

For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.