The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in downtown
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
is a memorial and military museum, at 1315 Chestnut Street, owned by the City of St. Louis and operated by the Missouri Historical Society. Interior east and west wings contain display cases with military displays and memorabilia from
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and subsequent American wars. The open-air central breezeway contains a massive black marble
cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
upon which are engraved the names of all of St. Louis'
war dead from the first world war.
The building was designed by St. Louis architectural firm
Mauran, Russell & Crowell in a stripped
Classical style
Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the works of the Roman architect V ...
, with a severely simplified form and limited ornament. It was dedicated by
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in 1936 and officially opened to the public 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 ...
, 1938.
Four monumental sculptural groups representing figures of ''Loyalty'', ''Vision'', ''Courage'' and ''Sacrifice'' by sculptor
Walker Hancock
Walker Kirtland Hancock (June 28, 1901 – December 30, 1998) was an American sculptor and teacher. He created notable monumental sculptures, including the Pennsylvania Railroad World War II Memorial (1950–52) at 30th Street Station in Philadel ...
stand, with their horses, on the north and south sides of the building. Other architectural sculpture here was completed by Hillis Arnold.
External links
Soldiers Memorial Military Museum Missouri Historical Society
Soldiers Memorial Commission City of St. Louis
St. Louis history siteat Smithsonian Archives of American Art
Museums in St. Louis
Monuments and memorials in Missouri
Military and war museums in Missouri
1938 sculptures
Buildings and structures completed in 1938
Downtown West, St. Louis
1938 establishments in Missouri
Buildings and structures in St. Louis
Tourist attractions in St. Louis
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