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Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza

Coordinates: 46°19′23″N 120°00′31″W / 46.3231°N 120.0086°W / 46.3231; -120.0086 (Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza)
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Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza
Map
46°19′23″N 120°00′31″W / 46.3231°N 120.0086°W / 46.3231; -120.0086 (Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza)
LocationSunnyside, Washington
MaterialGray and black granite panels
LengthOne city block (approx. 150 m (492 ft))
Weight114,000 lb (52,000 kg) partially completed in 2021 (6,000 lb (2,700 kg) per panel)
Beginning date2014
Dedicated toVeterans of Sunnyside

Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza is a plaza with a veterans memorial in Sunnyside, Washington. The plaza was dedicated in 1977, named for former Sunnyside mayor and World War II veteran Jerry Taylor.[1][2]

An effort to rebuild the plaza as a veterans memorial began at least as early as 2006.[3] Construction of the memorial began in 2014,[1] with four panels by 2016,[4] and as of 2021, the memorial consisted of nineteen 6,000-pound (2,700 kg) blocks of granite spanning the length of a city block on South 9th Street.[5] The memorial is planned to contain 42 blocks when done and will be the largest such memorial in the Pacific Northwest.[1] In addition to lists of names of servicemembers, some panels contain informative text on post-traumatic stress disorder or other issues relevant to veterans' affairs. One of the components of the installation is a 9/11 memorial.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ross Courtney (September 16, 2015). "Small Sunnyside's big plans for veterans memorial". Yakima Herald-Republic – via The Seattle Times. A blocklong vets memorial may end up being the largest of its kind in the Northwest.
  2. ^ "Veterans plaza growing in Sunnyside". Sunnyside Sun. Sunnyside, Washington. July 12, 2016.
  3. ^ Courtney, Ross A. (July 6, 2006). "Veteran honored for remembering those who served". Yakima Herald-Republic. p. A.1.
  4. ^ Bridget Chapman (February 22, 2016). "Jerry Taylor Veterans Plaza in Sunnyside to welcome new wall memorial". Yakima: KIMA-TV.
  5. ^ Phil Ferolito (May 20, 2021), "More walls of honor erected at veterans plaza in Sunnyside", Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, Washington