Keith Kaseman (left) and Julie Beckman explain the winning design of the Pentagon Memorial.
Keith Kaseman (left) and Julie Beckman explain the winning design of the Pentagon Memorial, called "Light Benches", to reporters at a Pentagon press conference on March 3, 2003. The memorial will be built on a 1.93-acre plot on the Pentagon reservation near the spot where the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack occurred on the building. The memorial encompasses the entire memorial site and includes 184 benches with the name of each victim engraved into the face of the bench. The benches are to be comprised of cast, clear, anodized aluminum polyester composite matrix set on an eight-inch concrete pad for stabilization. Each bench will be positioned according to the age of the victim, progressing from the youngest, age 3, to the oldest, age 71. Each memorial bench will have a glowing light pool set underneath. The site also will have clusters of trees throughout to provide shading and a more intimate atmosphere. The estimated cost to build the memorial is between $4.9 million and $7.4 million. Taxpayer funds will not be used for the construction of this project.