This past August, I have been living in Washington, DC for 10 years. I would love to say that I have visited every monument in the city. However, I am still coming across new monuments. Just this past weekend, I came across the Simon Bolivar Monument:
And the Jose Artigas Memorial:
A few weeks ago, a friend asked me, "What is your favorite monument in Washington, DC?" The question blindsided me. I didn't have an answer. After thinking about it for weeks, I finally made the decision:
Do you know which monument this is? No? Don't worry...its the most neglected monument on the National Mall. Yes, its on the National Mall! You have never seen it? Its been on the Mall since 1930s.
Let me introduce you to the DC War Memorial.
The DC War Memorial is dedicated to the citizens of the District of Columbia who fought in World War I. Yes, this memorial is a DC specific memorial.
For those who don't know, there is no National World War I memorial. There is a WWII memorial, but no WWI memorial. There have been efforts to turn this DC Memorial into the National World War I Memorial to no avail.
Unfortunately, the best source of information for the memorial is wikepedia:
"Designed by Washington architect Frederick H. Brooke, with Horace W. Peaslee and Nathan C. Wyeth as associate architects, the District of Columbia War Memorial is in the form of a 47 foot (14.3 m) tall circular, domed, peristyle Doric temple. Resting on concrete foundations, the 4 foot (1.2 m) high marble base defines a platform, 43 feet 5 inches (13.2 m) in diameter, intended for use as a bandstand. Preserved in the cornerstone of the District of Columbia World War Memorial is a list of 26,000 Washingtonians who served in the Great War. Inscribed on the base are the names of the 499 District of Columbia citizens who lost their lives in the war, together with medallions representing the branches of the armed forces. Twelve 22 foot (6.7 m) tall fluted Doric marble columns support the entablature and dome."The monument is super simple. Tall domed temple with marble columns:
Around the top of the monument, below the dome, is the following phrase etched into the stone:
"A Memorial To The Armed Forces For The District of Columbia Who Served The World War"
On the base of the monument are the names of the 499 DC Residents who died in the War:
Between the base and dome is simplicity. A few steps take you into what appears emptiness:
Look up into the dome, you encounter a piece of artwork. The intricate details is memorizing. I frequently forget that I am looking up.
The reason why I this is my favorite memorial is that it so simple. If you look at the other monuments on the Mall, they are complicated. All the other monuments have to many frills. Lots of embellishments. This monument is simple, but striking.
In addition, I like that it is unknown. Sit at this monument and you will notice hundreds of people walk right past it. Its in a great location. The monument is located between the World War II and Lincoln Memorials and across the street from the Martin Luther King Memorial. You have to walk past this memorial to get to the other major memorials. The problem isn't location. Its that this memorial is so simple.
Up until recently, the DC War Memorial was in terrible shape. It was falling apart:
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One other fun fact of the DC War Memorial. Its one of 3 Memorials that you can married at. The other two are the Jefferson and the George Mason. The day I visited, there was a couple taking their wedding photos at the monument.
Next time you in DC, please take a visit to my favorite DC Memorial: DC War Memorial!
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