The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at
Penn's Landing
Penn's Landing is a waterfront area of Center City Philadelphia along the Delaware River. Its name commemorates the landing of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania in 1682. The actual landing site is farther south in Chester, Pennsylvani ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
was initially dedicated on June 22, 2002 and was formally rededicated on
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...
, May 28, 2007 after additional work was completed.
Each name of the more than 600 servicemen who were
killed in action or listed as
missing in action
Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, ex ...
during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
from
Bucks,
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
,
Montgomery, and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
counties are etched in the memorial.
Veterans Day
Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces (who were discharged under conditions other than di ...
and Memorial Day services are held onsite annually.
The memorial is located in Korean War Memorial Park in the
Society Hill
Society Hill is a historic neighborhood in Center City Philadelphia, with a population of 6,215 . Settled in the early 1680s, Society Hill is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Philadelphia.The Center City District dates the Free Soc ...
neighborhood, about from
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...
. The park is bounded on the south by Spruce Street, on the north by Dock Street, on the east by
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
Boulevard along Penn's Landing and on the west by
38th Parallel Place.
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
runs under the eastern part of the park, while the memorial is located in the western section.
The memorial is owned by the city of Philadelphia and leased to a non-profit organization called the Friends of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial which is based in the city.
[
]
Design
The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial was designed by Jirair Youssefian of Vitetta Architects and Engineers in 1992. After a decade of planning and fundraising, along with site clearing and construction work performed by J.J. White Inc., the major parts of the memorial were finished by June, 2002.[ The remainder of the full design was constructed in 2007 after additional funding was obtained.][
The central part of the memorial includes four tall black granite-clad columns which list all the Philadelphia area Korean War ]casualties
A casualty, as a term in military usage, is a person in military service, combatant or non-combatant, who becomes unavailable for duty due to any of several circumstances, including death, injury, illness, capture or desertion.
In civilian usa ...
those killed in action, missing in action, or taken as a prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...
but never returned and presumed deadfrom each year of the four-year conflict (1950-1953). The memorial also features six granite-clad monoliths with information sandblasted
Sandblasting, sometimes known as abrasive blasting, is the operation of forcibly propelling a stream of abrasive material against a surface under high pressure to smooth a rough surface, roughen a smooth surface, shape a surface or remove su ...
onto the surfaces including the major units involved in the war, specific events and battles, maps of the four phases of the war, laser engraved photographs, and markers honoring other participants such as the nurses of the Korean War. A bronze statue entitled ''The Final Farewell'' by artist Lorann Jacobs was added to the site in 2007, along with additional landscaping and granite pavers to create a new platform for the entire memorial.[
]
Gallery
File:A407, Philadelphia Korean War Memorial, wide view of park.jpg, Wide view from the west
File:A395, Philadelphia Korean War Memorial, from the southeast.jpg, From the southeast
File:A403, Philadelphia Korean War Memorial, south image panel, from the northeast.jpg, South image panel
File:A405, Philadelphia Korean War Memorial, north image panel, from the southeast.jpg, North image panel
See also
*Korean War Veterans Memorial
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.'s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It memorializes those who served in the Korean War.
History
The ...
, national memorial in Washington, D.C.
*List of Korean War memorials
A number of memorials have been established to honour people who served in the Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) including :
Australia
* Korean War Memorial, Canberra
* ANZAC Square, Brisbane
* Beaudesert War Memorial
* Cairns War Me ...
, memorials around the world
References
External links
*
Friends of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing, Inc.
an
their Facebook page
Vitetta Architects
{{Society Hill
Korean War memorials and cemeteries
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
United States in the Korean War
Penn's Landing
Korean War
Korean-American history