IRISH HUNGER MEMORIAL | 1100 Architect

The Irish Hunger Memorial, designed by 1100 Architect in collaboration with artist Brian Tolle, is a landscape-based monument that blends architectural form with historical narrative. Located in Battery Park City, the structure incorporates stones, vegetation, and a relocated 19th-century Irish cottage from County Mayo, symbolizing the hardships of the Great Famine. The sloped site rises gradually from the street, creating a physical and metaphorical journey that contrasts rural Irish terrain with the surrounding cityscape. Beneath the elevated landscape, a passageway lined with illuminated text panels offers historical context through quotes, records, and reflections. The fragmented pathways, native plantings, and uneven terrain evoke displacement and endurance, inviting visitors to move slowly and reflect. Rather than relying on a single focal point, the memorial’s power lies in its layered experience—an interplay of material, memory, and movement. It serves as both a tribute and a reminder, integrating emotional weight with architectural subtlety in a uniquely immersive way.