Press Releases

Oklahoma City National Memorial Chair Lights to be Replaced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 4, 2008

Contact: Nancy Coggins, APR
405.235.3313 or 405.760.9053
nc@oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

Oklahoma City National Memorial Chair Lights to be Replaced

OKLAHOMA CITY — Each night, the Field of Empty Chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial glows as the chairs representing the 168 men, women and children killed in the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City light from within to become beacons of hope to a world troubled by terrorism. Since the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial opened on the fifth anniversary of the bombing, the original lights have burned more than 43,000 hours. Over the course of this month, each will be fit with a new set of lights.

“The lights in the chairs have held up remarkably, but time and use has caused them to burn less brightly than they originally were designed,” said Kari F. Watkins, Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum executive director. “We are relamping the chairs with new lighting so we can maintain the chairs as the ‘beacons of hope’ they were designed to be.”

In groups of eight, chairs will have their original lights removed and state-of-the-art LED light systems installed. It is the goal of the Memorial to never have one night without all of the chairs glowing brightly; however, the lighting will not be consistent until the project is complete.

Hans and Torrey Butzer, the designers of the Memorial and Randy Roberts of Roberts Step Light, who developed the original chair lights, helped the Memorial choose the most appropriate light using the latest technology and assuring the longest life of lighting that is available today.

“During the relamping process visitors may notice some chairs are bright and others seem a little dull,” Watkins said. “When complete, the lighting will be as beautiful as the night we opened.”

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum was created to honor “those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever” by the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The Memorial and Museum are dedicated to educating visitors about the impact of violence, informing about events surrounding the bombing, and inspiring hope and healing through lessons learned by those affected. The Memorial sees half a million people annually from all 50 U.S. states and an average of 92 different foreign countries.

The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free of charge. The Memorial Museum is open Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday, 1-6p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (62+) and $6 for students (5-college with valid ID). Children under 5 are admitted free. Group rates and programs are available. Special exhibits are included in the cost of admission. Ticket sales end at 5 p.m. daily. The Museum is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information on the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, call (888) 542-HOPE or visit www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org.

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