Whether you come to see the exhibits portraying American servicewomen, to find a relative in the computerized Register, to appreciate a spectacular view of monumental Washington or simply to enjoy a moment of reflection in the Hall of Honor, we welcome you.
Here at the Women's Memorial, you will experience the inspiration, sacrifice and dedication of the some 2 million women who have served the nation's military since 1776. Their stories unfold through:
* film presentations, in the 196-seat theatre, depicting the roles women have played in America's military history;
* exhibits showcasing artifacts, text and memorable images donated by servicewomen and their families;
* the Hall of Honor which provides recognition to those women who have served with particular sacrifice, distinction and achievement, specifically those women who died in service, were prisoners of war or were recipients of our nation's highest award for service and bravery;
* the computerized Register which places the names, records of service, photographs and memorable military experiences of individual service women at the public's fingertips; and
* the gift shop and world's only bookstore dedicated solely to publications by and about military women.
Memorial Drive
The entrance to Arlington National Cemetery begins near the Lincoln Memorial
at the eastern edge of Memorial Bridge, extends across the Potomac River,
and ends at an impressive semicircular Gateway. The Gateway, Memorial Drive
and Memorial Bridge were designed by McKim, Mead and White as a single project
and dedicated on January 16, 1932, by President Herbert Hoover.
Memorial Bridge embodied a symbolic link binding the North and South together,
just as its axis joins two national emblems--the Lincoln Memorial and the
Robert E. Lee Memorial at Arlington House.
Connecting the bridge to the cemetery gates is a parkway known as Memorial Drive, intersected by a rotary intersection with the George Washington Memorial Parkway. At night, as visitors approach Arlington Cemetery along Memorial Drive, the eternal flame which marks President John F. Kennedy's grave is visible on the hillside. Memorial Drive, ends at an entry court which is now the Women's Memorial.
There are monuments located along Memorial drive that are not formally
part of Arlington National Cemetery. These include the Seabees Memorial,
The United Spanish War Veterans Memorial, the monument to Admiral Richard
Byrd, The 101st Airborne Division Memorial and the Mechanized Armor Memorial.
Memorial Bridge, Memorial Drive, the Women's Memorial and monuments, which
line the drive and Arlington House, are all within the jurisdiction of the
National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior.
The Hemicycle
At the western end of the Women's Memorial Court of Valor is a semicircular
retaining wall, the Hemicycle, which rises thirty feet and is 226 feet in
diameter. The Hemicycle was originally intended to be the ceremonial entrance
to Arlington National Cemetery. Although dedicated in 1932, it was never
completed.
In the center of the Hemicycle is a large semicircular niche which measures 20 feet across and 30 feet high. The basic building materials of the Hemicycle are reinforced concrete, faced with Mount Airy Granite. The thickness of the wall ranges from 2'-6" to 3'-6". The Central Niche contains accent panels and coffers of red Texas granite. In the top center of the niche is a base-relief of the Great Seal of the United States. On the north side of the Great Seal is the seal of the Department of the Navy and on the south side is the seal of the Department of the Army.
Using the symbols of passage, light and water, the architects of the Women's Memorial, Marion Gail Weiss and Michael Manfredi, restored and brought new meaning to the gateway hemicycle. It had been a retaining wall, a barrier that literally held back the earth and established a change of level between the land of the living, extending towards Washington and the land of the past behind the hemicycle.
Ceremonial Gateway
From the Court, roads lead both north and south through a pair of large
ornate wrought iron gates. On the north is Schley Gate named after Admiral
Winfield Scott Schley. On the south side is Roosevelt Gate named in honor
of President Theodore Roosevelt. At the center of each gate is mounted a
gold wreath, thirty inches in diameter. Set within the wreath on the Roosevelt
Gate is the seals for the US Marine Corps and the US Army. Within the wreath
on the Schley Gate are the seals of the US Navy and the US Coast Guard.
(When the gates were installed, the United States Air Force had not been
formed, so its seal does not appear.)
Symbols and Architectural Detailing
The Classical Revival style of the Hemicycle and Entry gates makes use of
many symbols and architectural detailing deeply rooted in the Greek and
Roman Periods.
The wrought iron gates contain decorative elements easily identified
with the classical period. Examples include the Acanthus leaf and honeysuckle
ornament, helmet of Minerva (Athena) and the Roman pike used as pickets.
The wall is composed of base, pier or pilaster, spandrel, architrave, frieze
and cornice. The upper terrace is formed by the turned balusters of the
upper balustrade. The central Niche contains every element expected in this
style of architecture. A pediment proportioned in the method of Vitruvius
tops this composition.
Decorative elements include the symbolic laurel and oak leaf wreaths used to honor valor and sacrifice. There are Greek key patterns, rosettes, tridents and faces. The ceremonial urns topping the pylons recall Roman sacrificial urns.
The heroic sculpted eagles at the gate houses are commonly associated with classical Rome, as well as being the symbol of the United States.
Fountain and Reflecting Pool
The fountain and reflecting pool, located in the front of the Memorial,
bring together light and water symbolizing life. The women's "voices"
are captured in the arch of quotations etched into glass tablets, but also
through the sound and movement of water. The fountain in the central Niche
has more than 200 jets of water. Together the jets create sound representing
individual voices of women blending in a collective harmony of purpose.
The individual voices are brought together and come to rest in the 80 ft.
reflecting pool. As a unified, reflective voice in spirit, they are the
center of this new gateway to the cemetery. The reflecting pool pulls the
Memorial together by bringing together the individual stories and voices
into one collective history.
Original Structure
A close look at the McKim, Meade and White original drawings reveals empty
niches, a fountain, inscriptions and a drawing of a woman, none of which
were included in the final contract. This omission suggests the architects
were ambivalent about the meaning of the wall. Symbolically, and in a larger
sense, this ambivalence was reflected throughout our society. In many respects,
the country was ambivalent about women who have been pivotal in our nation's
defense and who found it difficult to break through barriers-visible and
invisible to assume full partnership, opportunities and recognition. But
with the construction of the Women's Memorial, their stories are finally
told.
The blank niches became clear opportunities to create passages or gateways,
where one could 'break through a barrier,' and, in passing to the upper
level, gain a new horizon once again. Here one can look into the land of
the living or back at the land of the past. This passage and ascension can
be marked at several points along the monolithic hemicycle wall. Today,
visitors come to the Hemicycle to recognize and pay tribute to women who
served this nation, exercising full citizenship in defending our country.
The Women's Memorial stands in lasting recognition of all women who have
served, are serving and will serve in our nation's defense.
The Register
The individual stories of servicewomen past and present are contained in
the Register which is appropriately located along the historic axis of the
Mall. This historic line is visible outside the Memorial with grey cobblestones
running East and West along Memorial Drive. Inside the Education Center,
this historic axis is visible in polished black granite from behind the
Great Niche through the Register Room.
Quotations
Quotations etched into an arch of glass tablets represents a collective
journal of women's voices. The journal's pages are spread open on the upper
terrace. Like a floating horizon above the space below, the women's voices
are etched in glass. The tablets are inscribed with quotations by and about
women who served--a story for everyone to read.
History
President Reagan signed legislation authorizing the Women's Memorial in
Washington, DC or its environs into law on November 6, 1986. The Memorial
is at the historic Grand Entrance and Hemicycle at the gateway to Arlington
National Cemetery. The Hemicycle, dedicated in 1932, was restored and renovated
by the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation and hailed
as an elegant solution to integrating a new purpose with an historic structure.
An essential design element is the creative and imaginative use of water,
light and passage as symbols of women's military accomplishments. Text and
images amplify these accomplishments as the story of servicewomen past and
present unfolds at the Women's Memorial.
The Education Center, with its 16 exhibit alcoves, memorializes the collective and individual histories of servicewomen, from the America Revolution to the present. This 33,000 square foot facility houses a 196-seat theater; a computerized interactive Register; a Hall of Honor; conference room; gift shop and exhibit gallery.
An estimated 6,000 witnessed the Memorial's groundbreaking ceremonies on June 22, 1995. Construction began in March 1996. The Memorial was dedicated on October 18, 1997 by Vice President and Mrs. Gore; distinguished guests; Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, USAF, (Ret.) and President of the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation; and thousands of active duty servicewomen, women veterans and their families and friends.