The Memorial to the Women of the Confederacy, also known as the U.D.C. Memorial Building, is a historic building located in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, that serves as the national headquarters of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The building is open to the public on scheduled days.UDC Handbook (6th ed.), 2013, pp. 157-168.

History

The Memorial to the Women of the Confederacy is located at 328 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard, on the site of an old soldiers' home for veterans of the

military forces of the Confederate States The military forces of the Confederate States, also known as Confederate forces, were the military services responsible for the defense of the Confederacy during its existence (1861–1865). Organization The military forces of the Confederat ...

. The Park was created in 1934 by an act of the Assembly of Virginia.UDC Handbook (1st ed.), 1959, pp. 67-69. It was built between 1955 and 1957, and is a one-story, three part, marble-clad building in a

stripped classical Stripped Classicism (or "Starved Classicism" or "Grecian Moderne") Jstor is primarily a 20th-century Classical architecture, classicist architectural style stripped of most or all Ornament (art), ornamentation, frequently employed by governmen ...

style. It features a double leaf, central entrance designed to resemble a mausoleum and with 17-foot high bronze doors composed of rectangular bronze panels. A two-story addition was made to the rear of the northwest corner of the building in 1996. It was constructed principally of Georgia marble, with entrance doors of architectural

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

decorated with the organization's badge. The walks are of red Virginia

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

. There are also memorials to Confederate heroes, to the women of the Confederacy, the co-founders of the organization, and a number of items from the camp of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

, a general in the Confederate States Army. an
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2020 fire

The building was set on fire at about 1:30 am on May 30, 2020, during the George Floyd protests in Richmond, Virginia, following the murder of George Floyd. Reports from the fire department indicated that damage was limited to the headquarters' façade. Windows were broken and fire was set to the curtains hanging in the building's

Caroline Meriwether Goodlett Caroline Douglas Meriwether Goodlett (November 3, 1833 – October 16, 1914) was an American philanthropist and the founding president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Early life and family Goodlett was born on November 3, 1833 to ...

Library. Flames covered most of the front of the building. Nine fire trucks responded and the firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. A police line three blocks long protected the firefighting operation. The fire was largely contained to the library, but there was extensive smoke and water damage throughout the building and charring on the building's Georgia marble façade. Staff reported that all the books in the building's library had incurred some damage and that library shelving had been destroyed.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Memorial to the Women of the Confederacy 1957 establishments in Virginia Buildings and structures in Richmond, Virginia Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia History of women in the United States Libraries in Virginia Monuments and memorials to women National Register of Historic Places in Richmond, Virginia Neoclassical architecture in Virginia Office buildings completed in 1957 Office buildings in Virginia Stripped Classical architecture in the United States Tourist attractions in Richmond, Virginia United Daughters of the Confederacy monuments and memorials Confederate States of America monuments and memorials in Virginia

History

2020 fire

See also

Notes

References

External links