FRESNO — Fresno State will break ground on a monument to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Groundbreaking will be at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 on Maple Mall, south of the Satellite Student Union.
Approved by the Campus Planning Committee, the monument will be constructed with private donations and will be dedicated on April 24. It was designed by local architect Paul Halajian.
The groundbreaking ceremony is planned by the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Fresno and is open to the public.
Built from béton brut (architectural concrete) and tufa stones, the monument will embody symbols of cultural meaning to the Armenian people. Its principal components will be arranged in a circular pattern and angled inwards, reminiscent of the Tzitzernagapert Armenian Martyrs Monument in Armenia.
Nine pillars that comprise the body of the structure represent the six provinces of historic Armenia, Cilicia, the diaspora and the Republic of Armenia. An incomplete halo will be set above the columns, symbolizing both the fracture left by the Genocide and the unity of the Armenian people.
