About the Plaza
Forty Flags, Thirty Languages, Ten Prophets of Peace, Two Hemispheres, One World

The Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza celebrates the rich and diverse ethnic history of the Rock River Valley region and the universal aspiration for tranquility and world harmony. It challenges each individual to embrace a heightened sense of personal responsibility to erode barriers and construct enduring world peace. Built as a tribute to Virgil Keeling and Amarnath Puri, it honors the virtues of tolerance and respect for all people.

Though its conception predated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., the catastrophe redoubled the community’s efforts to complete the construction of the Peace Plaza. One of the Plaza’s founders has commented:

“The aspiration is for each individual to take personal responsibility for the world. Recognizing that we are all interconnected, we each have our role in improving how we deal with each other and improving how we deal with other countries. Everything in the world starts with the individual.”

Key design elements of the beautifully landscaped Peace Plaza include the 15 foot by 34 foot sculpture “Harmony Atlas” which sits atop a 7 foot by 25 foot granite sculpture base in the center of the Plaza itself crafted in brick-like streetprint. The sculpture base is adorned with 10 peace quotes from modern day and ancient prophets of peace: John F. Kennedy; Mother Theresa; Martin Luther King; Mahatma Gandhi; an Oglala Sioux Native American; Albert Einstein; Abraham Lincoln; John Lennon; Petrarch; Aristide Briand; . . . and from Micah 6:8 of Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition:

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

The theme of Peace is portrayed in the Peace Plaza’s five Peace Poles. The Peace Poles are 8 foot tall, six sided obelisks which proclaim in thirty different languages (all related to Rockford’s ethnic and cultural heritage), the simple prayer: “May Peace Prevail on Earth”.

The sculpture base is engraved with a short course historical of 200 years of immigration and settlement in Rockford. The celebration of Rockford’s ethnic heritage and diversity is visually symbolized in the striking Court of 40 Flags, fully illuminated. The flags represent 40 different nationalities, all currently dwelling in the Rockford area in significant numbers.

 

At Peace Plaza, one world  comes together.
	May Peace Prevail On Earth