On Nov. 7, the Beverly Hills City Council study session considered a proposal for a permanent monument to commemorate the victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. They also heard a request from Gearys Rolex Boutique for a street closure of Rodeo Drive to celebrate a grand opening on Dec. 4.
City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey presented a proposal from the 10/7 Permanent Memorial Ad Hoc Committee regarding the planned memorial. The proposal outlined the location and budget, as well as the process for selecting a designer. “In the wake of Oct. 7, the City Council took a very strong stance in support of Israel and the victims who were murdered on Oct. 7,” Hunt-Coffey said.
The proposed memorial will be located on the south side of the Beverly Hills Public Library, adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial. Hunt-Coffey said the intention was for the two memorials to complement each other. “The ad hoc committee felt strongly that the memorial design should be developed in concert with, or complement, the 9/11 Memorial that’s on the other side of Rexford so that the two memorials would sort of speak to each other,” she noted.
The proposal also outlined the process for selecting an artist to design the memorial. The city will issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to invite artists, architects, and designers to submit proposals. “The committee recommended that the memorial be designed by an artist or a team of artists, selected through a two-month open RFQ process,” Hunt-Coffey said. The total budget for the project is estimated at $500,000, covering fabrication, design, installation, and other costs.
The ad hoc committee also recommended that the city’s Charitable Foundation accept donations to help offset the memorial’s cost. “It also would provide an opportunity for the community to contribute to the development of the memorial,” Coffey added. While the committee discussed the possibility of including donor names, they emphasized that the focus should remain solely on commemorating the event. The City Council also discussed the inclusion of educational signage to inform visitors about the events of Oct. 7.
Mayor Lester Friedman expressed support for the memorial, reflecting on its importance to the community. “We know that the community is interested in having a memorial, and I think it’s important that we do that,” he said.
“We wanted to ensure there was an educational component to this site, not only honoring the past but also educating future generations so such atrocities never happen again to any race, religion, or culture. We would stand unified in that sense,” said Vice Mayor Sharona Nazarian. She also noted that careful consideration would be given to ensure the proposed memorial would not compete with the 9/11 Memorial. “We also discussed the 9/11 site and how it was important not to overpower it. We didn’t want something larger than the 9/11 site because we wanted to respect that,” she said.
“We’re the only Oct. 7 Memorial. And I think that as a city of Beverly Hills, being an international city, it’s important,” said Councilmember Mary Wells. The proposed timeline for construction is to begin by Oct. 7, 2025.
In another order of business, the council reviewed a request from Gearys Rolex Boutique for a special permit for road closures to accommodate its grand opening event. The closure will affect Rodeo Drive between Dayton Way and Brighton Way on Dec. 4. The committee voted to support the request.
“Gearys is the oldest store in Beverly Hills and the only independently owned timepiece boutique on Rodeo Drive,” said Patty Betancourt of the city’s Community Development Department, who presented the street closure request.
“It is a huge milestone for us to present this very large, in fact, the largest Rolex boutique in the U.S.,” said Tom Blumenthal, president and CEO of Gearys. “It will be their West Coast flagship, and we think it deserves a Beverly Hills welcome to close the street and have a pretty spectacular evening.”
“Gearys at Beverly Hills is emblematic of what Beverly Hills is all about. This boutique has been in the city longer than any other store and has been family-run the entire time. The expansion of this Rolex Boutique is another jewel in our crown of jewels in Beverly Hills,” said Friedman.
