‘West Side Rising’ Flood Memorial Dedication Today

As the city of Cedar Rapids pauses to reflect on the 10th anniversary of the 2008 flood, a new memorial remembering the event will be dedicated at a ceremony later today. The 'West Side Rising' sculpture resides along O Avenue NW, just west of the Cedar River which crested on this date in 2008 at 31.12 feet. The new structure stands 31 feet high. A clock installed near the top reads 10:15, the exact time of that crest 10 years ago.

The sculpture features stainless steel beams in the form the shape of houses, some upright, some not. Those tilted houses represent the devastation of the flood, while the other homes signify the rebuilding within the city. The plaza area features benches and a sloping concrete wall that matches the high water mark from 2008. A new arch also stretches across O Avenue. The city paid for the plaza and gateway, while the sculpture was privately funded.

The 'West Side Rising' dedication ceremony will be this afternoon beginning at 2:30 p.m. You can get more information on the event on the West Side Facebook page.

[via Gazette]