The Soldiers Memorial Military Museum in downtown

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and subsequent American wars. The open-air central breezeway contains a massive black marble

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

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 typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De architectura'' (c. 10 AD) by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Va ...

, with a severely simplified form and limited ornament. It was dedicated by

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

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 died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It i ...

, 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 World War I Soldiers' Memorial (1936–1938) in St. Louis, Missouri; and the Pennsylvani ...

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 site

at 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 {{StLouis-struct-stub