Water Street memorial wall to be relocated to Hill Country Arts Foundation

The Hill Country Arts Foundation will permanently display the Wall of Hope, a memorial that grew organically on a chain-link fence after the deadly July 4 floods, following a donation from the Cailloux family announced Monday.

The memorial originally sprouted on temporary fencing on Water Street in Kerrville on property owned by the Cailloux Foundation. Thousands of visitors from around the world contributed messages, flowers and mementos to the fence, while media outlets broadcast live from the site.

The foundation will house the memorial at The Point, a section of its campus, in a new installation called The Garden on the Guadalupe at the Point. The memorial will include the original Wall of Hope along with tributes to first responders, volunteers, search and rescue teams and survivors.

“This gift from the Cailloux family stands among the most meaningful and generous acts of stewardship our community has ever received,” said Callie Earnest, project director for The Garden on the Guadalupe at the Point.

The foundation will remove the wall from its current location starting on Sept. 22 for conservation and archival care. Officials plan to announce a dedication ceremony date later.

The memorial will offer free public access once construction is complete.

Earnest described the Wall of Hope as representing unity during tragedy. “It tells the story of how, in our darkest hours, strangers became family and hope emerged from heartbreak,” she said.

The Hill Country Arts Foundation thanked the Cailloux family on behalf of the city of Ingram for the donation.