Arlington Memorial Bridge & Avenue History & Culture

 Before us is the broad and beautiful river, separating two of the original thirteen States, which a late President [Andrew Jackson], a man of determined purpose and inflexible will, but patriotic heart, desired to span with arches of ever-enduring granite, symbolical of the firmly established union of the North and the South.

- Secretary of State Daniel Webster July 4, 1851

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More than 80 years after these words were spoken and 65 years after the end of Civil War, which threatened the "firmly established union," Arlington Memorial Bridge opened to traffic on May 6, 1932.

Symbolically, the bridge was designed to show the strength of a united nation by joining memorials representing the Union (the Lincoln Memorial) and the Confederacy (the Robert E. Lee Memorial). The bridge spans the Potomac River, a physical and symbolic divider of the "North" and the "South" during the Civil War. Arlington Memorial Bridge also connects the Nation's Capital, where the country's democratic processes takes place, to Arlington National Cemetery, where thousands who died fighting to preserve democratic processes lay in eternal rest.

With its strong granite construction, formal neoclassical design, and various architectural details and symbols, Arlington Memorial Bridge emphasizes national strength and unity. The bridge also creates a somber setting appropriate for the statuary and memorials that line Memorial Avenue and the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.

Construction of the bridge began in 1926, and completed in 1931. Arlington Memorial Bridge, Memorial Avenue, and the grand entrance to Arlington National Cemetery were dedicated on January 16, 1932. However, the bridge was not fully opened to traffic until May 6, 1932. The prestigious firm of McKim, Mead, and White served as the bridge's architects. The seven memorials along Memorial Avenue were installed later, the first in 1961, the last in 2001.

George Washington Memorial Parkway, a unit of the National Park Service, is responsible for the stewardship of Arlington Memorial Bridge and Memorial Avenue. Find out more about the bridge's history and construction, its architectural design elements and symbols, and the memorials along Memorial Avenue by clicking on the links below. There is also a link to historic photos/images of Arlington Memorial Bridge. 

-- 101st Airborne Division Memorial

-- 4th (Ivy) Infantry Division Memorial

-- Seabees Memorial

-- Armored Forces Memorial

-- United Spanish War Veterans Memorial (the Hiker)

-- Women in Military Service for America Memorial

-- Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Monument

To Access Historic Photos of the Bridge:

http://memory.loc.gov, search for "Arlington Memorial Bridge"