M E M O R I A L S

tj|tl|in|ca|st

M E M O R I A L S
tj|tl|in|ca|st

Memorial: #3

Dedicated: May 29, 2004

Design Architect: Friedrich St.Florian

Highlights: Expansive (384' x 279'), Freedom Wall, Rainbow Pool, granite & bronze materials, 24 bas-relief panels, two 43-foot pavilions, fifty-six 17-foot tall pillars, 112 bronze wreaths w/armatures, 56 bronze ropes.

Location: East end of the Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C.

Hours: Open all year, 24 x 7.

Admission: Free!

Links: Official Website | World War II Memorial Registry

Rating:

(5 max)

Honoring both the 400,000 who died and the 16 million service men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during our world's second great war, the National World War II Memorial proves to be a fine tribute to the brave history of that era. In addition, the monument memorializes the American people, who exercised great commitment, spirit, sacrifice, and support of the war efforts here at home and abroad.

The idea of the memorial first surfaced in Washington in 1987 with proposed legislation to establish a WWII memorial on federal lands in and around the D.C. area. Subsequent proposals were made in 1989, 1991, and 1993. It was the 1993 proposal that finally gained sufficient traction, whereby President Clinton signed legislation for the establishment of a World War II Memorial.

In 1994, the ball starts rolling on the project. After a bit of struggle with site selection, it was finally decided to erect the memorial on the National Mall's central axis, the only 20th Century event to be commemorated there.

In 1997, the memorial's design selection process was finally completed. From a pool of four hundred and four entries, the winner of the competition, Friedrich St.Florian, proposes a design that describes a massive granite and brass memorial measuring more than a football field long and almost as wide.

In a nutshell, the selected design pays tribute to the war by splitting it into two theaters of operation, the Atlantic front and the Pacific front. The two war fronts are to be positioned at opposite ends of the memorial, each standing symmetrically opposed to the other. Around the memorial's perimeter will stand a ring of 17-foot pillars representing all the States in the Union, the Territories, and the District of Columbia. Lastly, in the middle of it all, a large pool and waterworks will be placed; called the Rainbow Pool, it will dominate the interior of the memorial.

After a slew of hearings, red tape, yadda, yadda, yadda, construction finally begins in 2001. Three years later, on May 29, 2004, the memorial is formally dedicated in a ceremony attended by over 150,000 people.

Wow! This memorial sounds quite impressive. Just on size alone makes it worth a visit. Are you interested in seeing the memorial with me? If so, let get touring.

Description & Pics