Peterson-McCormick Memorial Arch

Built to commemorate the loss of the lives of the two leading engineers that developed the shelter systems which were implemented prior to the holocaust. They designed robust, comfortable shelters with clear standards and capacities. The public lobbied to have the shelters constructed. Only after a prolonged fight did the governments finally issue a timeline and begin placing orders with contractors to begin. Once construction was underway, and public outcry abated, the government quietly re-issued a new timeline and stemmed the orders. This alarmed the engineers and after their first inquiry of this change they both fell into a flashcrete pour and died.
The arch was constructed to memorialize the two designers and divert public attention from the questionable nature of their demise. Composed of composites and spanning a major thoroughfare, the flawless surface was praised. Etched with many of pan-humanities' achievements, nearby buildings had observation decks built for easy viewing. The arch was also illumated at night after a televised opening ceremony which declared the arch and surrounding area a national park for the enjoyment for all.
In the days leading up to the first salvos of the holocaust rolling power outages cut off the lights to the arch. Witnesses reported a blue to purple crackling haze coming from the edges of the structure. Curfews and martial law kept the public in their homes and off the streets, but a few saw substantial numbers of vehicles drive down the street towards the arch, but none ever saw any come out.
It became speculated that with the failure of the space programs any scientific advances were kept from the public. One of those advances was large scale dimentional gates and one was built within the Memorial. Public outcry erupted once more as it became ever more clear the government was not, and had not been serving the public interest. It was during the heights of the riots that the bombs came, catching huge numbers of the public in the open.
People ran for the shelters and found some suspicions confirmed that the shelters were not built to specification, and insufficient numbers to house the public.
The arch remains, flawless as the day it was opened to the public. The lighting no longer works, and most of the observation platforms are missing from the surrounding ruined buildings. It is said that sometimes lightning strikes the arch andit crackles with energy for a few moments. It is still not known for sure whether the arch was a gateway to another place, or who traveled through it. The officials that were in control of such affairs did not mingle with the public.