Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation unveils plan to build visitor, education center

For decades, Rick Crandall has poured his heart into making sure Colorado's fallen servicemen and women are never forgotten.

"My objective was to somehow bring them home," he said. "This memorial is for Coloradans killed in action since we became a state."

The Colorado Freedom Memorial was built in Aurora in 2013. It's a special place where visitors can remember and reflect on the more than 6,200 names etched into a glass wall. Yet there's so much more to the names than meets the eye, which is why the Colorado Freedom Memorial Foundation has big plans to expand.

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"For 10 years since we built the memorial, we've been out in the sun, snow, rain and the wind," said Crandall, the foundation's executive director. "And now, a building where we can properly teach what service and sacrifice is."

Unveiling its final rendering, Crandall shared his excitement for the future 7,000-square-foot "Freedom Visitor Center," a state-of-the-art facility where visitors can learn the stories behind the names on the memorial.

"This place will have a theater, it'll have a classroom, it'll have a conference room, it'll have an exhibit hall," he said. "It'll have a great space, a welcoming space where tours can begin and will have a quiet space where Gold Star families who come to remember their loved ones can escape for a minute if they need."

Crandall said the foundation is also working on building programming to teach students using live and virtual presentations from around the world. Altogether, it's a $6 million endeavor that aims to break ground later this year. Now in a corner of Aurora that has a more fitting title, a new name for the park was also unveiled Tuesday following the city council's recent approval.

"Aurora, with its great military history, should have a Memorial Park," Crandall said of the name change.

Also fitting, on this Colorado Day, Crandall's dedication and passion for the state's fallen and educating the community earned a special surprise. During the unveiling ceremony, Crandall was presented with a plaque from the Aurora Historic Preservation Commission recognizing the Colorado Freedom Memorial as an Aurora cultural heritage site.

"It's so cool. So cool," said Crandall with a smile. "Meaning cultural significance in the work we do, in what we present, which will only grow 100-fold once we have the new center."

Of course, the project will take some time to complete. The goal, said Crandall, is to have the Freedom Visitor Center open on Memorial Day 2025.

For more information, visit coloradofreedommemorial.com.