The Military Women's Memorial, also known as the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, is a memorial established by the U.S. federal government which honors women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. The memorial is located at the western end of Memorial Avenue at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia. The Military Women's Memorial Foundation, which operates the memorial, is run by Phyllis J. Wilson.
The structure that houses the memorial was originally known as the Hemicycle and was built in 1932 to be a ceremonial entrance to the cemetery. It never served this purpose, however, and was in disrepair by 1986. Congress approved the memorial in 1985, and the Hemicycle approved as the site for the memorial in 1988. An open design competition was won by New York City architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi. Their original design was leaked to the public and caused significant controversy. Two years of fund-raising and design revision followed. A revised preliminary design was approved in July 1992, and the final design in March 1995. Ground was broken for the memorial in June 1995, and the structure was dedicated on October 18, 1997.
The memorial is notable for its successful mixing of Neoclassical and modern architecture. The memorial largely retained the Hemicycle but added a widely praised skylight on the Hemicycle terrace that incorporates not only memorials to servicewomen but also acts as a transition to the memorial below. Construction of the memorial, however, generated a lawsuit when a nearby pylon (part of the gateway to the cemetery) was damaged. Raising funds to pay off the construction debt incurred by the memorial took several years.
Hemicycle Design and construction
The memorial is located in the Hemicycle, the ceremonial entrance to the Arlington National Cemetery.Hall, p. 160. Originally, the cemetery had three gates: The Treasury Gate at the intersection of Porter Avenue and Patton Drive (now Eisenhower Drive); the McClellan Gate at the intersection of McClellan Drive and Patton Drive; and the Sheridan Gate, where Custis Walk intersected Sherman Avenue south of what is now L'Enfant Drive. Although the McClellan and Sheridan gates had columns topped by a pediment, these were not much different from a gate found in any large cemetery.
The Hemicycle was built to create a ceremonial gate, and to honor the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington (the first President of the United States and American Revolutionary War hero). A number of public improvements and memorials were planned for construction in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area to celebrate the bicentennial of Washington's birth.Bruggeman, p. 64. Among these were Arlington Memorial Bridge and the Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway (now known as the George Washington Memorial Parkway).Goode, p. 12. Arlington Memorial Bridge crosses the breadth of the Potomac River, landing opposite the Lincoln Memorial on D.C.’s Columbia Island. Constructed fully within D.C. left the bridge route short reaching the Arlington County cemetery, just beyond Virginia's own shoreline. To link the D.C. landing of the bridge with Arlington National Cemetery, a wide avenue known as Memorial Avenue was constructed and a new entrance to the cemetery planned to replace the old entrances at the McClellan Gate and Sheridan Gate.National Park Service, p. 4. (Expansion of the cemetery toward the Potomac River in 1971 left the McClellan Gate deep inside Arlington, and no longer functional as a ceremonial gateway.Bigler, p. 33. The Sheridan Gate was dismantled and placed in outdoor storage.Historic American Buildings Survey, Arlington National Cemetery, Sheridan Gate, p. 19 , accessed 2012-07-15.)
In 1924, Congress appropriated $1 million to construct Memorial Avenue and the Hemicycle."Bridge to Arlington to Cost $14,750,000 Asked As Memorial." The Washington Post. April 10, 1924. The architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White won the competition to build Arlington Memorial Bridge as well as the new ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. William Mitchell Kendall, an associate in the firm, designed the Hemicycle. In May 1927, Kendall presented designs for the Hemicycle and "Avenue of Heroes" connecting the west terminus of the Arlington Memorial Bridge to the main gate of Arlington.Kohler, p. 18. He proposed the following: This abrupt change of grade suggests the creating here of the chief memorial entrance to the Arlington National Cemetery. A plaza has been shown here in part excavated out of the hill, whence lead to the north and to the south roads respectively to and from the Mansion. The western end of the plaza is bounded by a semicircular retaining wall 30 feet in height and 225 feet in diameter. This retaining wall will be decorated with niches, pilasters, and tablets bearing inscriptions. Access is provided to the terrace surmounting the retaining wall, whence an all-embracing view of the parkway may be obtained.National Commission of Fine Arts, p. 57. The United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), which has statutory authority to approve the design of structures on federal property in the D.C. metro area, approved the Hemicycle's design in May 1928."Big Plaza For End of Arlington Span Planned By Board." The Washington Post. May 25, 1928.
To connect the Hemicycle to Arlington Memorial Bridge, a new ceremonial avenue was also approved. Originally called the "Avenue of Heroes," but later and officially named "Memorial Avenue".Historic American Engineering Record. George Washington Memorial Parkway. HAER No. VA-69. U.S. Department of the Interior. 1998, p. 184. Accessed 2013-05-05. the roadway was designed by Commission of Fine Arts member Ferruccio Vitale and the United States Army Corps of Engineers."Meridian Hill Park Project Approved." The Washington Post. March 22, 1929. Work began on Memorial Avenue in early January 1930."Improvements Provided in Arlington Cemetery." The Washington Post. January 7, 1930.
The CFA reviewed and approved the plans for the Hemicycle in September 1930."Arts Group Views Plan for Changes in State Building." The Washington Post. September 17, 1930. Bids for the Hemicycle's granite were advertised in February 1931,"Bridge Approach Plans Tentatively Approved." The Washington Post. February 10, 1931. and awarded on March 4. The North Carolina Granite Co. supplied the granite for the facing, the New England Granite Works provided the granite for the balustrades, and the granite for the pylons and gate houses came from the John Swenson Granite Co. The New England Granite Co. constructed the curbs in the plaza and the concrete stairs. Work on the Hemicycle began on July 1, 1931."Bridge Entrance Bids Are Opened." The Washington Post. March 5, 1931. By April 1932, Memorial Avenue was largely complete but there were delays in paving it. There were also delays in completing the Boundary Channel Bridge, the short structure that bridged the narrow channel of the Potomac River between Columbia Island and the Virginia shoreline. The tracks of the Rosslyn Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad were to be moved and lowered into a trench to avoid an at-grade crossing with Memorial Avenue.Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, 1927, p. 20-21. But this project was delayed as well."Another Link in Arlington Bridge to Open Tomorrow." The Washington Post. April 8, 1932.
The new ceremonial entry to Arlington was carved from the hillside that culminates in Arlington House.Burgess, p. 170. The Hemicycle was constructed of reinforced concrete,Albrecht, Donald. "Remembering Women." Architecture: The AIA Journal. 87:2 (February 1998), p. 90-97. and faced with granite quarried at Mount Airy, North Carolina."Women in Military Service for America Memorial." History Spotlight. InsideAF.mil. No date. Accessed 2013-03-31.
The Hemicycle was informally dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on January 16, 1932."Memorial Bridge Opened Informally." The Washington Post. January 17, 1932. Its total cost was $900,000, of which $500,000 went toward the purchase of granite. The formal dedication occurred on April 9. Colonel Ulysses S. Grant III, executive director of the Arlington Memorial Bridge Commission and an officer in the Corps of Engineers, formally opened Memorial Avenue and the Boundary Channel Bridge. (Memorial Avenue was only wide and unpaved, but the Corps was working to have it widened to and have it paved by July 1.)"Memorial Bridge Approach Opened." The Washington Post. April 10, 1932.
The Hemicycle almost did not get finished. With the Great Depression worsening, the United States House of Representatives deleted all fiscal year 1933 funding for the project. This put the Hemicycle's completion and the paving of Memorial Avenue on hold.The federal government's fiscal year ran from July 1, 1932, to June 30, 1933. See: "Memorial Bridge Fund Stricken Out." The Washington Post. April 8, 1932. Ten months later, the CFA met to discuss what to do about the Hemicycle should no more funds be forthcoming."Arts Body to Consider Elimination of Bridge." The Washington Post. February 22, 1933.
Franklin D. Roosevelt took office as President of the United States in March 1933. Convinced that massive federal spending on public works was essential not only to "prime the pump" of the economy but also to cut unemployment, Roosevelt proposed passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act. The act contained $6 billion in public works spending. The act passed on June 13, 1933, and Roosevelt signed it into law on June 16. The Public Works Administration (PWA) was immediately established to disburse the funds appropriated by the act. The District of Columbia received a $3 million grant for road and bridge construction, and the city said on July 14 it would use a portion of these funds to finish the Hemicycle and Memorial Avenue."$3,000,000 Work Fund for Capital." The Washington Post. July 14, 1933.
Work continued even after the Hemicycle was considered complete. In November 1934, 178 white oaks were planted in an informal alignment along Memorial Avenue."Bids Will Be Opened For 178 Oak Trees." The Washington Post. November 1, 1934. It was not until September 1936 that the Washington Post reported that federal officials considered the Hemicycle "finished". The structure's fountain was in place, and the Hemicycle was now lit at night. Lighting had also been installed along Memorial Avenue, and holly trees and additional oaks had been planted along road."$15,000,000 Bridge Project at Arlington Nearly Finished." The Washington Post. September 25, 1936.
Description of the Hemicycle