John Ronan Architects will design the Fallen Journalists Memorial on the National Mall in Washington

The planning team behind the new Fallen Journalists Memorial in Washington, D.C., has announced its selection of John Ronan Architects to design the foundation’s namesake memorialization space inside the National Mall.

The 25-year-old Chicago-based studio beat out other proposals from Höweler + Yoon, NADAAA, and MOS Architects & Hood Design Studio that were included in the four-entry shortlist that was presented in January. Paul Goldberger, Milton S.F. Curry, Blair Kamin, and Mia Lehrer were among the ten-member Selection Committee, which concluded based on Ronan's demonstrated sensibility to transparency and overall clarity of the concept.

“Following a rigorous design team selection process, John Ronan Architects was selected because of his sound grasp of our vision for the memorial, as well as his creativity and attention to detail,” David Dreier, Chairman of the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation, said at the announcement. “Equally important, we were inspired by his unique and compelling design concept, which calls for the use of transparent materials to convey themes of clarity and light to reinforce the importance of the work of journalists, photojournalists, and a free press.”

The design places a “layered assemblage of transparent elements” that present a different appearance from any of three given perspectives of the triangular site, alluding to “the multiple sides of a story that a journalist must analyze to discern the truth and encouraging visitors to investigate each space through their own journey.”

Ronan said: “The memorial will be a journey of discovery that unfolds slowly, space by space, like a story that casts the visitor in the role of investigative journalist. I look forward to working with the foundation to create an inspiring place of remembrance which honors those who have sacrificed their lives in pursuit of the truth and celebrates the First Amendment foundations upon which democracy is built.”

Ronan has won several awards, including the American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, and was one of several finalists in the competition to design the Obama Presidential Library in Chicago.

A memorial to veterans of the Global War on Terror, designed by Marlon Blackwell, is also being planned for the mall in 2027.