A small lot in downtown Las Vegas’ Art District was nothing more than a barren patch of dirt on Oct. 1, 2017. But just a few days later the half-acre plot on 1015 S. Casino Center Blvd. was transformed into a living memorial for the 58 victims whose lives were tragically taken by the most deadly mass shooting in U.S. history at the Route 91 Harvest Festival.

On Friday, Oct. 6, more than 1,300 Las Vegans attended a ceremony honoring the lives of this tragedy’s victims.

After the shooting, Shane Ice, Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply store manager and landscape architect in Las Vegas, hastily sketched out a design for a living memorial on a napkin. He and his team of Ewing service professionals tirelessly dedicated long hours every day in the week following the shooting to ensure the healing garden Ice designed would represent the devotion of Las Vegas community members has for everyone affected by the tragedy.

With the help of Trae Sadler of Hunter Industries, the work of Ewing customers and the countless number selfless volunteers who worked around the clock, the healing garden was completed in just four days.

The garden included a Remembrance Wall, adorned with photos of the smiling faces of the attack’s 58 victims, a big, beautiful oak tree donated by Siegfried and Roy and irrigation provided by Ewing.

The garden will act as a quiet green space in the city for people to visit and heal in the wake of trauma.