The design of any memorial is a tremendous responsibility, as it must reflect a particular story in a particular context. The Wrangell Mariners’ Memorial at Heritage Harbor honors the stories and memories of deceased community members with strong ties to the sea.
The Alaska Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Artists presented its 2025 Award of Excellence for the memorial’s design, the highest level of recognition by the association.
The story of the memorial is anchored in the community. After the death of commercial fishing captain Ryan G Miller in 2005, students who had served as his deckhands began advocating for a dedicated memorial site.
Christopher Mertl, of Juneau, the primary architect for this project from Corvus Design, remembers the search for the proper setting. After considering downtown sites, a waterside location at Heritage Harbor was chosen, he said, “due to its connection to the harbor, sweeping ocean views, as well as a sense of privacy — ideal for providing a connection to the water and a sense of solitude.”
Groundbreaking came in 2019, with the ribbon cutting to officially open the memorial on Sept. 22, 2022.
“My design inspiration came from the site, the stories of loss, including that of the Star of Bengal (1908 cannery ship disaster), discussions with committee members, and the need to create a simple yet elegant memorial that serves both as a place for mourning and as a celebration of Wrangell’s rich maritime heritage,” Mertl explained.
The design is rich in symbolism and meaning. The main structure echoes a lighthouse from the outside, while the inside geometry of the curved walls evokes the bow of ships. The bases of the walls are imprinted with the Tlingit basket weave design for tide (guth-luh-ku).
There is timber-plank-looking concrete paving to replicate the deck of a ship, brass marine light fixtures to provide lighting, and beach grass landscaping.
None of the jurors reviewing the designs were from Alaska, so the award was even more meaningful to Mertl.
Part of the mission statement for the American Society of Landscape Architects is to “lead, educate and participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning and artful design of our culture and natural elements.”
Mertl said the juror’s comments acknowledged the ways in which the Mariners’ Memorial was detailed and situated, and how it used abstract — but related — forms to create a feeling of the ocean and solemnity.
“The symbolism in the space includes references to the Alaska Native, Russian, fishing, timber and tugboat heritage that the community is built on,” according to the mariners’ memorial website.
Brennon Eagle, a Wrangell commercial fisherman, was instrumental in helping to energize a board for the memorial to spur planning and construction. He also joined with Jenn Miller-Yancey in fundraising.
“The memorial has been paid for by grant funding, donations, memberships and tons of volunteer assistance,” said Miller-Yancey, who currently serves as the board president.
“It is truly a testament to what can be achieved by volunteers when you put together the right team with great support from the community to help make it happen,” she added.
“This project is one of the most meaningful I have worked on, and the community’s support and involvement were unprecedented,” Mertl said. “It is a community project built by local residents. I am so proud of how the community came together and contributed to the memorial’s design, funding and construction. This award represents not only the memorial’s design but also the strength and spirit of the Wrangell community.”
