About the Monument

The Colorado Freedom Memorial is constructed of glass that will reflect Colorado's mountains and blue skies. It is approximately 12-feet tall and 95-feet wide. Each of the names of the nearly 6,000 Coloradans killed or missing in action will be etched in the glass panels dedicated to the specific war in which they fought. In the case of the MIA's, their names will be etched in a special panel of glass.

As the visitor looks at the glass, it will reflect back his/her own image so that the visitor actually becomes a part of the memorial. The height of the glass and the reflected surroundings will seem to loom over the visitor and then fade away—all symbolic of service men and women falling in action.

The wars represented in this stunning monument are all separated from Colorado by water. To maintain that division, a stream of water moves along the walking path between the visitor and the memorial wall. The memorial will be located on a four-acre parcel near Buckley Air Force Base in Springhill Community Park. The City of Aurora has contributed a generous lease for the land as their support for the project.

Kristoffer Kenton graduated from Kansas State University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture Planning and Design. He began his career with Fentress Bradburn Architects in Denver, Colorado in 1997 as an intern. Upon his graduation he accepted an offer of employment and began working full time in June of 1998. As a young designer, he participated in a wide variety of projects and gained valuable experience in his field. Working on projects in the United States, Germany, Austria, Spain, and the Middle East provided an opportunity to further develop his design style. His design work on the new Vienna International Airport competition was recognized with a citation in 1999. In 1999 Kristoffer accepted an opportunity to work in Frankfurt, Germany. While there, he was the lead designer in the competition for a new high speed train station in Cologne, Germany. Upon successful completion of this project, he returned to Fentress Bradburn Architects. He left Fentress Bradburn in 2001 to establish Kristoffer Kenton Design. Kristoffer is currently the Senior Designer at SEM Architects in Denver and oversees all design activities for the firm.

"The memorial is meant to be a symbolic gesture of the fallen men and women, one in which the visitor can truly experience the magnitude of people effected by the loss of our own. As one reflects on the loss of their loved one, their own image is reflected in the glass panels, and as the visitors accumulate the true number of people effected by these losses are now represented within the memorial.

"The folding of the glass panels serves two purposes; the first is to be representative of the tectonic folding of the mountains and the beautiful landscape that we have in Colorado, while the second is to create a sense of instability as the visitor approaches the memorial, just as it is when the world is at war. The memorial is meant to be a place of reflection and remembrance, and will be a calm, subdued experience, one in which the visitor can sit quietly and reflect upon their lost loved ones."

— Kristoffer Kenton —

• The Colorado Freedom Memorial is made of glass and stands 12 feet tall and 95 feet long. It's base is tiled in granite.
• The panels of glass that make up the memorial lean forward and back, representative of men falling in action. A trough of water runs in front of the memorial, representative of the oceans that separate Colorado from the fields of battle.
• Nearly 6000 names appear on the wall. They are grouped by war, but names will not be alphabetically listed. This will allow for additions as they are discovered.
• section of the wall stands back from the main wall. This section contains the names of Colorado's MIAs.
• A four-acre park surrounds the memorial, allowing for private and public ceremonies in honor of those lost in war.
• This will be the first memorial in America dedicated to ALL wars, ALL branches of service and containing names of all who died in those wars.
• Faith Hinkley of Monte Vista is the only uniformed female listed on the wall.