The World War II Memorial features fifty-six granite pillars arranged in a wide semicircle, each seventeen feet tall and topped with bronze wreaths of oak and wheat. Located on the National Mall, this memorial occupies the ground once held…
National Mall West Memorials
We'll walk the solemn and striking monuments on the western end of the Mall, from the massive World War II fountain to the Vietnam Veterans Wall. This route focuses on the architectural design and historical impact of these grand national tributes, giving you a deep sense of how America honors its past.
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1. World War II Memorial
2. D.C. World War I Memorial
The District of Columbia War Memorial is an open-air, circular Doric temple constructed of white Vermont marble. It stands in West Potomac Park on the National Mall, distinct from other monuments in the area because it serves as a local…
3. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
The Martin Luther King, Junior, Memorial is defined by a thirty-foot granite figure of Doctor King, carved to appear as if he is emerging from a massive, split boulder. This centerpiece, known as the Stone of Hope, stands apart from two…
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is defined by seven and a half acres of red South Dakota granite, arranged in a sequence of four open-air rooms that follow the curve of the Tidal Basin. Unlike the marble columns found elsewhere on…
5. Korean War Veterans Memorial
Nineteen stainless steel figures, each standing over seven feet tall, emerge from a field of juniper bushes and polished granite strips. These statues, sculpted by Frank Gaylord, depict a platoon of soldiers, marines, a navy corpsman, and…
6. Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial rises as a massive neoclassical temple of white Colorado Yule marble at the western end of the National Mall. Designed by architect Henry Bacon and modeled after the Parthenon in Athens, the structure features…
7. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is defined by two long, polished black granite walls that meet at a shallow angle, creating a V-shaped cut into the earth. Dedicated in nineteen eighty-two, this site commemorates the service members who died…
8. 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Memorial
Fifty-six angled granite blocks rise from a cobblestone plaza on a small, man-made island within Constitution Gardens. Each block bears the name, profession, hometown, and a facsimile of the signature of a delegate to the Second…