The new memorial honors the 4.7 million Americans who served in the “Great War,” including the 116,516 who did not return home. The memorial is prominently located just blocks from the White House in Pershing Park, originally designed by noted landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg and named for General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Forces during the war.
Project Name: NEW NATIONAL WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL
Studio Name: GWWO Architects
Photographer: Alan Karchmer
In 2016, then-25-year-old architect-in-training Joe Weishaar and sculptor Sabin Howard won an international competition to lead the memorial’s design. Baltimore-based GWWO Architects joined the team as Architect of Record, to coordinate all aspects of the project and lead the rehabilitation of historic Pershing Park, along with Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm DAVID RUBIN Land Collective.
“This memorial brings long-overdue recognition to the millions of Americans who served our country during World War I,” said GWWO Principal John Gregg. “We are thrilled to celebrate the memorial’s completion, and honored to have played a role in bringing this project to life.”
The new work by Sabin, titled “A Soldier’s Journey,” serves as the centerpiece of both the new memorial and the newly renovated park. On the reverse of the sculpture, a fountain conveying the country’s search for peace, inscribed with lines from the poem “The Young Dead Soldiers Do Not Speak” by Archibald MacLeish, provides a quiet place for reflection and remembrance. The memorial’s conceptual center, The Belvedere, features exhibit panels that describe American accomplishments during the war, roles played by Americans of all forces and backgrounds, and the war’s modern legacy.
The design harmonizes the site’s dual functions– as both a space of commemoration and an urban park– with great sensitivity, providing an expanded commemorative identity while remaining respectful of the historically significant original park design. New plantings frame the memorial and infuse the park with social purpose, while improved circulation connections open up active space to support a wide variety of public uses. Tiers of interpretation– physical commemoration with the statue, sculpture, and fountain; physical interpretation with the belvedere and inscribed quotations; and tech-enabled interpretation with an interactive app and QRcode– allow visitors to experience the memorial park at multiple levels.
“The World War I Centennial Commission is proud to have partnered with GWWO to create this exceptional memorial,” said Dan Dayton, Executive Director of the Commission. “This memorial will stand as a testament to how we remember those who have served their country.”
