“Imagine” Memorial
In the quiet northwest corner of Central Park, there is a place where visitors from all over the world stop. Set within a grove of elm trees lies Strawberry Fields, created to honor John Lennon.
At the center of this memorial is a simple circular black and white stone mosaic. In the middle of the circle is the one work: “IMAGINE“
The mosaic references Lennon’s 1971 song Imagine, which became an international anthem for peace and unity. The design was created in Italy and later installed in the park as the focoal point of the memorial landscape.
The location of Strawberry Fields is symbolic. Just across the street from the park stands, The Dakota, the building where Lennon lived with Yoko Ono. It was outside this building in December 1980 that Lennon was killed.
In the years that followed, Yoko Ono worked with New York City to create a place that would reflect Lennon’s message of peace. The memorial was designed as a living landscape, a quiet garden where people could gather.
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