Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum (or often simply Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall) is a

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

landmark in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is the largest memorial in the United States dedicated solely to honoring all branches of

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

veterans and service personnel. It was conceived by the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

in the 1890s as a way for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to honor the dwindling ranks of its

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

veterans; it was built on what had served as the army mustering ground during the Civil War. The Memorial today represents all branches of the service and honors both career and citizen soldiers who have served the

throughout its history. Architect

Henry Hornbostel Henry Hornbostel (August 15, 1867 – December 13, 1961) was an American architect and educator. Hornbostel designed more than 225 buildings, bridges, and monuments in the United States. Twenty-two of his designs are listed on the National Regis ...

designed the memorial in 1907. Dedicated in 1910, the building is in the Beaux-Arts style and is heroic in scale. It is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh at 4141 Fifth Avenue (although the walkway leading to its main entrance is signed as "

Matthew Ridgway General Matthew Bunker Ridgway (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993) was a senior officer in the United States Army, who served as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (1952–1953) and the 19th Chief of Staff of the United States Army (1953–1955). Altho ...

Blvd." in honor of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and

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 ...

hero who called Pittsburgh home) and adjacent to the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

campus and its

Cathedral of Learning The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standing at , the 42-story Late Gothic Revival Cat ...

. The building is set back from Fifth Avenue, featuring expansive and well-kept lawns dotted with large

cannons A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder dur ...

and other war implements. Side streets flanking the building are Bigelow Boulevard and University Place; directly behind is O'Hara Street. The Memorial houses rare and one-of-a-kind exhibits that span the eras from the Civil War to the present day conflicts. Since 1963 it has operated the "Hall of Valor" to honor individual veterans from the region who went above and beyond the call of duty. Today the hall has over 600 honorees among them are

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

The Kearny Cross The Kearny Cross was a military decoration of the United States Army, which was first established in 1862 during the opening year of the American Civil War. The original decoration was known as the ''Kearny Medal'' and was adopted as an unofficial m ...

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross winners. The building houses an auditorium seating 2,500, a banquet hall, and meeting rooms, in addition to its museum. The expansive lawn of the memorial sits on top of an underground parking garage operated under a long-term lease by the University of Pittsburgh. It has served as host for many city, civic, university, and business events including the April 25, 1978 Gulf Oil Corporation shareholders meeting.

Filming location

*The 1991 film '' Silence of the Lambs'' used the hall to fill in for the "Memphis Courthouse" scenes, including the escape scene. All were filmed completely at Soldiers and Sailors. *''

Sorority Row Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

'' had its graduation scenes filmed at the hall. *''

Dog Jack ''Dog Jack'' is a 2010 American war drama film based on the book of the same name by Florence W. Biros. The film is inspired by the true story of the mascot of the 102nd Pennsylvania Regiment during the American Civil War. Overview The story revol ...

'' shot many scenes at the Memorial and hosted its premier in the Museum.

Famous visitors

Ferdinand Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...

visited the hall in 1921. *

Garner Ted Armstrong Garner Ted Armstrong (February 9, 1930 – September 15, 2003) was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God, at the time a Sabbatarian organization that taught observance of seventh-day Sa ...

of The World Tomorrow spoke at The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall on March 25, 1978. * G. E. Lowman spoke at the hall on April 23, 1938, and again in 1962 * Nelson Mandela spoke at the hall on December 6, 1991. *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

visited the hall in 2008. *

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

spoke at the hall on April 13, 2016.

Gallery

File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1460.JPG, The bronze work ''America'' (1910) by

Charles Keck Charles Keck (September 9, 1875 – April 23, 1951) was an American sculptor from New York City, New York. Early life and education Keck studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York with Philip Martiny ...

sits above the entrance to the memorial File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1404.JPG, The cast bronze ''Lookout'' (1923) by

Frederick Hibbard Frederick Cleveland Hibbard (June 15, 1881 – December 12, 1950) was an American sculptor based in Chicago. Hibbard is best remembered for his Civil War memorials, produced to commemorate both the Union and Confederate causes. Born and raised i ...

on the memorial grounds. File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1458.JPG, Cast bronze ''Parade Rest'' (1923) by Frederick Hibbard on the memorial grounds. File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1400.JPG, World War II

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

monument outside of the memorial File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1405.JPG, Bell from the

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...

File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1565.JPG, The 2,300-seat auditorium, which includes a stage backdropped by the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

, holds events and concerts throughout the year. File:Obama Takes the Stage with Casey.jpg,

with Senator

Bob Casey, Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Pe ...

in the auditorium in 2008. File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1530.JPG, A

life mask A death mask is a likeness (typically in wax or plaster cast) of a person's face after their death, usually made by taking a cast or impression from the corpse. Death masks may be mementos of the dead, or be used for creation of portraits. It ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

on display in the museum File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1485.JPG, Interior hallway with military uniforms and equipment on display File:Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1516.JPG, bow ornament

References

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External links

SoldiersandSailorsHall.org official siteNRHP nomination formAllegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the war for the suppression of the rebellion, 1861-1865 : roll of honor, defenders of the flag, attack on Fort Sumter, S.C., April 12, 1861, surrender at Appomattox, Va., April 9, 1865
Lists the names of Civil war soldiers from Allegheny County Video
WQED onQ: Soldiers and Sailors Hall
{{Authority control Monuments and memorials on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Museums in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Beaux-Arts architecture in Pennsylvania City of Pittsburgh historic designations Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks Henry Hornbostel buildings Monuments and memorials in Pittsburgh American Civil War museums in Pennsylvania Military and war museums in Pennsylvania 1910 establishments in Pennsylvania Museums established in 1910 National Register of Historic Places in Pittsburgh Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Pennsylvania