As National World War I Memorial In D.C. Awaits Final Component, Commission Details Early Success

This year's Veterans Day is the 100th anniversary of the first interment in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a World War I veteran, at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. 

Today's anniversary is notable for another reason: It marks the first Veterans Day since the completion of America's national monument to all 116,708 Americans who fought in World War I, a conflict that shaped the nation and the world in the 20th century and beyond, but which has had no national memorial in Washington, D.C., for more than 100 years.

The World War I Centennial Commission has been leading the effort over the last decade to make this memorial a reality, overseeing a decade-long process of design, approval and fundraising. Construction began in December 2019 on a site a block away from the White House with a direct view of the U.S. Capitol building, and the memorial first opened this April, save for one defining feature.

The memorial's final remaining component is a 38-figure bronze relief called "A Soldier's Journey" by sculptor Sabin Howard that depicts a soldier who sees combat in the Great War and eventually returns to his family, transformed by the experience. It is slated to deliver in about two and a half years. 

Bisnow spoke with Edwin Fountain, vice chairman of the World War I Centennial Commission, regarding the memorial’s impact and reception by the public. The following is a transcript of the discussion, edited for length and clarity.

Bisnow: What remains to be done at the memorial?

Fountain: The memorial is up and all of its features are in place, except there is a temporary image, at full size, where the sculpture will be. That way people will be able to get a sense of what the sculpture will look like. The image is of the sculptor's final sketch of his sculptural design concept that was submitted to the reviewing agencies for approval.

In the meantime — to put this in real estate development terms — we're going through lots of maintenance and other growing pains, as we shake out all the things that weren't done quite right. But by and large the park is fully open and enjoyable to the public.

Bisnow: What has been the public's reaction?

Fountain: What I've observed is that previously, most people who came to the site, which is Pershing Park, used it only as a pass-through. They went from one end to the other. Now we're seeing people stop and examine various aspects of the park. We're seeing tour guides bring their groups there. Anecdotally, there are certainly far more visitors and people lingering to experience the site than there used to be, though we don't keep a formal count. 

Bisnow: What does the commission want visitors to take away from the site? 

Fountain: I think the main objective is for visitors to understand that World War I was a significant event in our nation's history and in world history, as much as the three other major wars of the 20th century that are commemorated on the National Mall. 

Also, that the character of the service of American servicemen and women in that war was every bit as profound as that of those other wars. The magnitude of sacrifice, the number who fought and died, was in fact greater than either Vietnam or Korea, which are commemorated on the mall. 

It was a nation-changing event. It was the beginning of the American century. It was the first time we truly stepped onto the world stage and it was the third- bloodiest war in our nation's history.

Bisnow: So how is it there wasn't a memorial for so long? 

Fountain: Primarily beginning with the Civil War, the tradition in this country for many years has been to commemorate war locally. That was true in the North and South, with Civil War memorials in towns and cities and states, erected by schools, civic groups or other organizations around the country. 

That tradition carried on after the Civil War. There are local World War I memorials in a lot of places, including the D.C. World War I Memorial on the National Mall. And that is by and large how we did it as a country after World War II as well. 

It wasn't until the Vietnam veterans returned home in the '70s that lobbying began for a national memorial to their service in Washington. That was completed in the early '80s. Since then, we've simply been working backwards chronologically, first Korea, then World War II. When we got to World War I, the difference was that there were no remaining veterans left. So this memorial was undertaken on their behalf, rather than by them as the other memorials have been. 

Bisnow: Other than the appropriateness of the name, how was Pershing Park chosen as the site? 

Fountain: It has been the site of the American Expeditionary Forces Memorial for some years, named for the forces under Gen. Pershing who served in France. In earlier iterations of the project, we sought authorization either to expand the D.C. World War I Memorial or have a standalone site on the Mall, which would have required an exemption from the Commemorative Works Act, which generally holds that there will be no more memorials on the Mall. 

So when the World War I Centennial Commission was formed, it recognized that it would be an uphill battle to get a spot in the Mall. So we turned to Pershing Park to make it a proper World War I Memorial. While it's not on the Mall, it's still a very important location, across the street from the White House visitor center, and two blocks from the new National Museum of African American History and Culture.

We came to appreciate that by being off the Mall, we could actually do more with the site than we would have been able to do on the Mall. We would have had significant constraints on the scale and character of the memorial on the Mall, and we might have wound up looking like a poor cousin of the World War II Memorial. At our site, the memorial can really spread its wings and convey the significance of World War I and the sacrifices of those Americans who served in it.