open-call for artist ideas

Announcing a new public art and history opportunity—the William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation is partnering with Amtrak and Monument Lab to honor the namesake of Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, William H. Gray III, through a legacy memorial project that will create a new civic landmark in Philadelphia.

In 2014, the late Congressman William H. Gray III—a Philadelphia-area political leader, international statesman, and pastor who was deeply committed to civil rights and social justice around the globe—was honored through federal legislation with the renaming of Philadelphia's iconic train depot to the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. Congressman Gray represented Pennsylvania’s second Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1979 and 1991. He rose to leadership as Chair of the House Budget Committee and was then elected House Majority Whip, the third highest ranking position in the House, becoming the nation’s highest-ranking African-American elected official at the time.

As a part of these federal renaming efforts, plans to create and dedicate a memorial in the station were outlined but not fulfilled. The William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation was established with a focus on constructing a memorial at the station through its Living Legacy Memorial Project initiative.

A decade since the name change of this station was written into law, the Gray Foundation, in partnership with Amtrak and Monument Lab, is conducting an Open Call for Artist Ideas to envision and build a memorial to Congressman Gray’s legacy and values. The memorial will be situated in the great hall of the historic train station that engages over 100,000 people each day. Located on the western side of the station, this is an opportunity to create a new, iconic landmark for the city and its main train station gateway.