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Tag: ww1 memorial

  • ‘Bronze doesn’t talk’: Artist unveils 58-foot World War I sculpture in DC – WTOP News

    ‘Bronze doesn’t talk’: Artist unveils 58-foot World War I sculpture in DC – WTOP News

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    Hundreds of people gathered along Pennsylvania Ave in Northeast D.C. Friday for the unveiling of a nearly 60-foot sculpture wall honoring those who served in World War I.

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    WW1 sculpture unveiled in DC

    Hundreds of people gathered along Pennsylvania Avenue in Northeast D.C. Friday for the unveiling of a nearly 60-foot sculpture wall honoring those who served in World War I.

    “It feels amazing to be here. … They invited me to be sort of like a mascot of the project, and I couldn’t be prouder. This is so moving. The story behind it is magnificent,” actor Kelsey Grammer said as he choked back tears.

    A Soldier’s Journey, a 58-foot bronze sculpture wall that has been in the works for four-and-half years, was unveiled at the National World War I memorial near the White House Friday evening.

    “This is really about what that sculpture stands for and who it celebrates and reveres, and those are the veterans. And it’s a sculpture for we, the people. Ultimately I’m a spokesperson, because bronze doesn’t talk,” Sabin Howard, the artist behind the 25-ton sculpture, told WTOP.

    People at ceremony for the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture at the New World War I Memorial in D.C. on Friday, Sept. 9, 2024.
    (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

    WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

    Kelsey Grammer
    Actor Kelsey Grammer at the unveiling of A Soldier’s Journey sculpture at the New World War I Memorial in D.C. on Friday, Sept. 9, 2024.
    (WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

    WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

    The new World War I Memorial in D.C.
    The New World War I Memorial in D.C. is a 3-acre site sitting along Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Freedom Plaza. The centerpiece is a nearly 60-foot wall of sculptures, which aim to tell a story from the start of the war to the end.
    (WTOP/John Domen)

    WTOP/John Domen

    Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, told WTOP he was pleased the veterans of World War I are being honored: “The sacrifice of 118,000 killed and a couple 100,000 wounded changed the world for the better forever.”

    Those who are behind the memorial previously told WTOP they feel that the location — between 14th and 15th streets Northwest, right across Pennsylvania Avenue from the Willard Hotel — actually provides a better home for the memorial than the National Mall does.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Matt Small

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  • Missing centerpiece to WWI Memorial weeks away from unveiling – WTOP News

    Missing centerpiece to WWI Memorial weeks away from unveiling – WTOP News

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    The largest freestanding bronze relief statue in the Western Hemisphere is nearing completion at the World War I Memorial in Downtown D.C.

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    What to expect from DC’s brand new WWI Memorial

    The largest freestanding bronze relief statue in the Western Hemisphere is nearing completion at the World War I Memorial in downtown D.C. The centerpiece of the memorial has been a decade in the making.

    “I was speechless, and I’m not speechless very often. And I had been looking at it for 10 years, I knew what it looked like. I was there with the early designs,” Dan Dayton, chairman and CEO of the Doughboy Foundation, told WTOP about the nearly finished project.

    The final large pieces of the 58-foot-6-inch long statue were brought into the memorial by crane over the weekend. Most of the memorial is now closed off as crews begin to weld them together to make the final statue, titled “The Soldier’s Journey.”

    The piece, created by sculptor Sabin Howard, depicts a soldier through his entire journey during the war, from leaving home, to going into battle and returning to a young daughter.

    “It is the story of a soldier and the story of the nation at a remarkable period of our time, when the entire country was united to a single goal,” said Dayton, whose organization has been instrumental in securing the entire memorial near the White House east entrance.

    “We want to make sure that everyone who visits gets an idea and a concept about what World War I was, how important it was and the lessons we can learn from that,” he said.

    Dayton said it includes every aspect of the people who sacrificed during the First World War, including Black and Native American soldiers who served, as well as the nurses who took care of the wounded and the families that had to say goodbye to their loved ones.

    The memorial initially opened in April 2021 in Pershing Park, but it was missing its final centerpiece until now.

    That centerpiece is now wrapped in black plastic ready to be viewed by the thousands who come to the memorial every year.

    The first illumination of the statue will take place Sept. 13 at 7:15 p.m. The public is welcome and Dayton said they will have musical performances, re-enactors and even World War I vehicles at the memorial for the unveiling.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Luke Lukert

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