Sum Design Studio selected as one of three
finalists in the competition to design the new
Campbell Firefighters Memorial

Sited at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, the public memorial will honor Chief David Campbell and other fire fighters killed in the line of duty since 1910

Portland, OR (October 26, 2009)—Sum Design Studio, a growing design firm based in Portland, was selected Monday as one of three finalists to design the new Campbell Memorial for firefighters who have died in the line of duty.

Sum was one of only seven firms in Portland that submitted designs for this competition, according to Jeff Schnabel, a professor of architecture at Portland State University, and coordinator of the design competition. The firm’s design, now on display at Portland’s City Hall until Oct. 30, features a large reflecting pool with a dramatic wall of water and a long pier overlooking the Willamette River.

The memorial takes its name from David Campbell, who served as Portland's fire chief from 1889 to 1911. He died on June 26, 1911, fighting one of largest fires in Portland at that time; over 150,000 people filled downtown on the day of his funeral. In all, 36 Portland firefighters have died in the line of duty since 1881.
The goal is to dedicate the new memorial, to be located on the esplanade at the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, on June 26, 2011.

When Schnabel contacted Sum about submitting a design concept for the new Campbell Memorial for firefighters, the growing firm’s principals felt no hesitation.

“Absolutely, we wanted to do this,” says Matt Loosemore, a principal who also served as an adjunct professor in architecture at PSU. “It’s every designer’s dream to design a public monument in such a recognizable place.”

The new memorial replaces a time-worn spot at NW 18th and Burnside, which features a plaque about Chief Campbell, two ceremonial lamps and a memorial bell that is used by the firefighters in an annual ceremony for their fallen comrades. The design competition specified that these elements must be incorporated, and that it also accommodate firefighters and family members at the annual memorial.

Sum Design’s plan uses water as the conceptual centerpiece. A large pool of water of awaits visitors as they enter the memorial descending from the bustle of the esplanade. They pass through a corridor with a rough concrete wall and a smooth wall of water, which leads them to a “Wall of Honor” featuring the names of firefighters who have died.

At this point, the visitors are eye level with the surface of the reflection pool and the Messenger Bell suspended just inches above the water. The Chief David Campbell plaque sits at the end of the pier overlooking the Willamette River that sits perpendicular to the reflecting pool.
For the annual memorial ceremony, the Portland Fire Department’s honor guard and battalion proceeds down the ramp to the memorial plaque, as the water drains from the shallow pool, revealing a plaza for ceremony participants to gather and giving access for the honor guard to ring the Messenger Bell with a ceremonial mallet.

The winning design will be selected by a jury that includes City Commissioners Randy Leonard and Nick Fish, businessman, former mayoral candidate Sho Dozono, and members of the arts and culture community. The final selection will be announced Nov. 30.

ABOUT SUM DESIGN STUDIO:

Matt Loosemore and Eric Hoffman formed Sum Design Studio (sumdesignstudio.com) in 2006, as a collective for architects and interior designers, engineers, landscape designers, and space planners.  The firm has applied its broad expertise in architecture, development and construction management to commercial, residential and mixed-use projects, including SUM-thing New Condominiums, Pacific Rim Winery, Flint Street Studios, Insitu, and Cascade Brewing Company.