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Restore the District of Columbia War Memorial
National Mall and Memorial Parks » Restore the District of Columbia War Memorial » Document List
The National Park Service (NPS) plans to return the District of Columbia War Memorial, which was constructed in 1931 to honor those District residents who served and died in World War I, to its place of importance on the National Mall while continuing its historic use as a venue for concerts and other special events.
The Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Ash Woods between the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and Independence Avenue. The DC War Memorial is also listed as a contributing structure in the East and West Potomac National Register Nomination (1999).
The undertaking to restore and rehabilitate the District of Columbia War Memorial entails the conservation and selected restoration of the marble structure, restoration of the historic landscape character, and the restoration and/or rehabilitation of the walkways leading to and around the memorial. Restoration would include cleaning and removal of general and biological soiling, calcium crusts and brown floor stain, blue-green copper stain, orange-red stains, old paint and water repellant that have collected or been applied to the Memorial. The goal of the ultimate treatment on the marble is to produce a uniform appearance consistent with the structure's age and material character, and to achieve these results, with minimal intervention. repairing structural cracks, micro-cracks and spalled stone, removing previous cementitious repairs, and repointing. The NPS is also considering options for replacement and repair of the structure's gutter and internal column drain system, replication of the historic vault hatch, if possible, and upgrades to the lighting system so that appropriate lighting levels can be sustained. The project would also include re-establishment of the historic character of the vegetation around the Memorial.
The District of Columbia War Memorial project is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009).
The Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Ash Woods between the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and Independence Avenue. The DC War Memorial is also listed as a contributing structure in the East and West Potomac National Register Nomination (1999).
The undertaking to restore and rehabilitate the District of Columbia War Memorial entails the conservation and selected restoration of the marble structure, restoration of the historic landscape character, and the restoration and/or rehabilitation of the walkways leading to and around the memorial. Restoration would include cleaning and removal of general and biological soiling, calcium crusts and brown floor stain, blue-green copper stain, orange-red stains, old paint and water repellant that have collected or been applied to the Memorial. The goal of the ultimate treatment on the marble is to produce a uniform appearance consistent with the structure's age and material character, and to achieve these results, with minimal intervention. repairing structural cracks, micro-cracks and spalled stone, removing previous cementitious repairs, and repointing. The NPS is also considering options for replacement and repair of the structure's gutter and internal column drain system, replication of the historic vault hatch, if possible, and upgrades to the lighting system so that appropriate lighting levels can be sustained. The project would also include re-establishment of the historic character of the vegetation around the Memorial.
The District of Columbia War Memorial project is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (2009).