District of Columbia War Memorial

DC War Memorial

NPS / Claire Hassler

Quick Facts

Location:

Washington, DC

Significance:

World War I memorial

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

Built to honor the 499 District of Columbia residents who gave their lives in service in World War I, the DC War Memorial was dedicated in 1931 in a ceremony that included President Hoover and a performance by a band led by John Philip Sousa. The memorial and grounds were restored in 2010. Along the base of the memorial, the names of the men and women from the District of Columbia who gave their lives in the World War are inscribed.

Inscriptions

Dome
A Memorial to the Armed Forces from the District of Columbia Who Served Their Country in the World War
Base, left of north steps
This memorial was erected through the voluntary subscriptions of the people of Washington. It was dedicated on Armistice Day Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-One by Herbert Hoover President of the United States. Within this corner-stone are recorded the names of the twenty-six thousand Washingtonians who when the United States entered the World War answered the call to arms and served in the Army, Navy, Marine Crops and Coast Guard.
Base, right of north steps
The names of the men and women from the District of Columbia who gave their lives in the World War are here inscribed as a perpetual record of their patriotic service to the country. Those who fell and those who survived have given to this and to future generations an example of high idealism, courageous sacrifice and gallant achievement.
Base, left of south steps
Frederick H. Brooke
Architect
Horace W. Peaslee
Nathan C. Wyeth
Associate Architects