For DC Folks
May. 22nd, 2003 11:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
legalmooseNews About the DC World War Memorial in West Potomac Park
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark @ bisconti. com
Last year about this time I unraveled the long forgotten history of the District of Columbia World War Memorial, the only DC-specific memorial on the National Mall (see http://www.dcwatch.com/richards/020526.htm). The Veterans Committee of Stand Up for Democracy in DC organized an event with other DC democracy groups on Memorial Day calling for full and equal political rights for DC residents and restoration of the neglected Peristyle Doric Temple that was built to memorialize local heroes who served the nation in World War One. Tom Sherwood and I co-authored an op-ed in The Washington Post, titled "Responsibilities without Rights," describing the history and the event.
Since that time, the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed that it is responsible for upkeep of both the grounds and the structure. There has been no major work on the DC World War Memorial for thirty years. Thanks to two NPS employees who have taken a personal interest, the NPS repointed the base of the memorial and is testing a new lighting system in the inside dome, connected to the original timer in the floor. But the memorial still needs to be moved up in priority. It needs a complete structural evaluation, complete repointing, cleaning of the white Vermont marble that is badly stained, and signage. Earlier this month, to draw attention to the site significance, the DC Preservation League added the DC World War Memorial (along with the National Mall) to number nine on its 2003 Ten Most Endangered Places list. (The mayor was supposed to attend the event but it was announced that he was dining with George Bush at the time.) Last week another loyal group of memorial enthusiasts, the DC War Memorial and May Day Corporation, held its 68th annual commemorative observance. It is good to see a growing number of friends of the memorial. We can hope that one day soon this gemstone in the crown of local DC memorial architecture will be restored to its original glory and that DC veterans will one day return from service in the armed forces to find they are no longer third class citizens, but have full and equal political rights.
Mark David Richards, Dupont East, mark @ bisconti. com
Last year about this time I unraveled the long forgotten history of the District of Columbia World War Memorial, the only DC-specific memorial on the National Mall (see http://www.dcwatch.com/richards/020526.htm). The Veterans Committee of Stand Up for Democracy in DC organized an event with other DC democracy groups on Memorial Day calling for full and equal political rights for DC residents and restoration of the neglected Peristyle Doric Temple that was built to memorialize local heroes who served the nation in World War One. Tom Sherwood and I co-authored an op-ed in The Washington Post, titled "Responsibilities without Rights," describing the history and the event.
Since that time, the National Park Service (NPS) confirmed that it is responsible for upkeep of both the grounds and the structure. There has been no major work on the DC World War Memorial for thirty years. Thanks to two NPS employees who have taken a personal interest, the NPS repointed the base of the memorial and is testing a new lighting system in the inside dome, connected to the original timer in the floor. But the memorial still needs to be moved up in priority. It needs a complete structural evaluation, complete repointing, cleaning of the white Vermont marble that is badly stained, and signage. Earlier this month, to draw attention to the site significance, the DC Preservation League added the DC World War Memorial (along with the National Mall) to number nine on its 2003 Ten Most Endangered Places list. (The mayor was supposed to attend the event but it was announced that he was dining with George Bush at the time.) Last week another loyal group of memorial enthusiasts, the DC War Memorial and May Day Corporation, held its 68th annual commemorative observance. It is good to see a growing number of friends of the memorial. We can hope that one day soon this gemstone in the crown of local DC memorial architecture will be restored to its original glory and that DC veterans will one day return from service in the armed forces to find they are no longer third class citizens, but have full and equal political rights.
