65th Infantry Regiment Monument

This project team starts in March of 1898 as Congress authorizes the creation of a Puerto Rican regiment. In 1901 the regiment is organized and musters in the shadow of the ancient Forto del Morro in San Juan. In 1917 the regiment was activated and sent to Panama and by 1920 the regiment had been renamed the 65^th Infantry. In WW II the regiment saw action throughout Europe with multiple winners of the Medal of Honor and again, during the Korean War the group saw heavy action and finally in 2016 the 65^th Infantry was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Such a group deserves the utmost respect and to be remembered. A small group of supporters began the process of public recognition and the project team grew to include local representatives, tirelessly pursuing a site and dollars to make the monument a reality. A street realignment project in the City of New Britain was created an island of green which had originally housed a car repair shop. The city offered the site to the building committee and declared this the future site of the Monument to the brave Borinqueneers.

The design of this monument was started as an office-wide internal design charrette with client participatory workshops which, a product of true project team collaboration. The formal organization and material choices create a familiar experience to those in the Regiment, with both form and colors that harken back to Old San Juan. The names of those who have or continue to serve in conflicts are honored throughout the park around a central contemplative area designed to celebrate heritage and embody unity at a local and global level.