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Kristin Smart will soon be commemorated with a new memorial at the Cal Poly campus.
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A Tuesday news release from the university announced the construction of “Kristin’s Grove,” a memorial that will be located near Dexter Lawn as a “lasting tribute to Kristin’s life, legacy and bright spirit.”
Smart went missing on Memorial Day weekend in 1996, when she was a first-year student at Cal Poly. It wasn’t until 2022 that Paul Flores, who was also studying at Cal Poly in 1996, was convicted of killing Smart.
Her remains have never been found.
The university said on Tuesday that the new memorial is intended to be a gathering place for students to “reflect, recharge and connect with one another.”
“More than a memorial, it is a lasting call to care for one another — a reminder to pay attention, look out for each other and recognize that safety and community belong to all of us,” the release said.
The memorial was conceptualized in partnership with Smart’s parents, Stan and Denise, as well as students from the university’s Architecture and Design department.
“Our deepest thanks go to Dr. Armstrong and his team,” the Smart family said in a statement. “From our very first discussions, they approached this project with heartfelt empathy and respect, showing us they understood the depth of our loss. By acknowledging the past and actively building a safer campus for the future, they have demonstrated the kind of compassionate leadership that truly honors Kristin’s life and dreams.”
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The memorial will be completed by the end of summer, and will be open to the public by the start of school in mid-August, the release said.
“Cal Poly has been honored to work closely with Kristin’s family to ensure that this new installation will give our campus community members and visitors a place to gather and reflect on Kristin’s joyous spirit and where her life can positively impact others’ for generations to come,” Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong said in the release.
While the university did not offer further details about what the memorial would look like, Kristin Smart podcaster Chris Lambert, who hosted the “Your Own Backyard” series, shared renderings on Instagram after the memorial’s announcement.
The renderings showed a grove of trees lined with shrubs and a red brick pathway, and indicated the potential for memorial signage and a fountain.
This story was originally published July 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline “Cal Poly to build new memorial for Kristin Smart. ‘A lasting tribute’.”
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