Veterans Memorial Building (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
The Veteran’s Memorial Building is located on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
, United States
. It, along with the Linn County Courthouse
, is a contributing property
to the May's Island Historic District
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978. The building served as the Cedar Rapids City Hall until it was damaged in the Flood of 2008
.
Plans were drawn and the building was placed on May’s Island. In order to make the building financially feasible a new city hall was incorporated into the plans. Cedar Rapids, after Paris
, would be only one of two cities to have their government located on an island. The building also contains a Memorial Window, Memorial Auditorium and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. It is largely a four-story building with an eight-story section in the front. A cenotaph
tops the eight story section. The auditorium contains seven banners from veterans’ organizations and seven American flags were suspended from the ceiling. A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located above the cenotaph.
The first addition to the building was a statue of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima
, which was placed on the front steps in 1960. It is a memorial to World War II
and the Korean War
. The Veterans Memorial Commission added a museum in 1966. It contains items from the American Revolution
through the Vietnam War
. The museum was dedicated as a memorial to the Spanish-American War
. A granite monument memorializes those who served in the Vietnam War. In 2000 an eternal flame was lit on top of the building.
The buildings sustained damage as a result of the 2008 flood. As a result the city government was forced to leave the building. In the aftermath the city decided to move the city offices to the former Federal Courthouse. The city was able to take possession of the building after it provided the land for a new courthouse downtown. The city is expected to move into its new city hall in the spring of 2011.
artist Grant Wood
, who grew up and lived in Cedar Rapids as an adult, was commissioned to design the memorial window. The window measures 24 feet (7.3 m) high by 20 feet (6 m) wide. It is the only stained glass window designed by Wood. It depicts a 16 foot (4.9 m) Lady of Peace and Victory in the clouds. She wears a Grecian robe and a blue mourning veil and holds a palm branch for peace in one hand and a wreath for victory in the other. The artists sister Nan was the model for the woman, just as she was for Wood’s best know work American Gothic
. Across the bottom are six, six foot (1.8 m) tall, soldiers representing the American Revolution, War of 1812
, Mexican–American War
, American Civil War
, Spanish-American War and World War I
. The window’s border contains insignias from the United States Army
, United States Navy
and the United States Marine Corps
. The widow was made in Munich, Germany under Wood’s direction and assembled in Cedar Rapids. It consists of over 8,000 panels of glass. The window was made at a cost of $9,000 and by 2010 its value had increased to $3 million.
The widow deteriorated somewhat over the years and it was damaged in the 2008 flood. Glass Heritage of Davenport, Iowa
restored the window for $150,000. It was re-dedicated on July 4, 2010.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It, along with the Linn County Courthouse
Linn County Courthouse (Iowa)
The Linn County Courthouse is located on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
, is a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the May's Island Historic District
Mays Island
Mays Island is a small island in the Cedar River, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Functioning as a civic center rather much like the Île de la Cité, it is the site of the city hall, the Linn County Courthouse, and the county jail. It was listed as an Historic District on the National Register of Historic...
that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978. The building served as the Cedar Rapids City Hall until it was damaged in the Flood of 2008
Iowa flood of 2008
The Iowa flood of 2008 was a hydrological event involving most of the rivers in eastern Iowa beginning around June 8, 2008 and ending about July 1. Flooding continued on the Upper Mississippi River in the southeastern portion of the state for several more days...
.
History
A petition to construct a memorial building was filed with the City Clerk on March 4, 1925. Over 40 civic organizations were involved in planning for the structure. Voters passed a bond referendum and a Veterans Memorial Commission was formed.Plans were drawn and the building was placed on May’s Island. In order to make the building financially feasible a new city hall was incorporated into the plans. Cedar Rapids, after Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, would be only one of two cities to have their government located on an island. The building also contains a Memorial Window, Memorial Auditorium and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The building was designed in the Beaux-Arts style. It is largely a four-story building with an eight-story section in the front. A cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
tops the eight story section. The auditorium contains seven banners from veterans’ organizations and seven American flags were suspended from the ceiling. A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located above the cenotaph.
The first addition to the building was a statue of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, which was placed on the front steps in 1960. It is a memorial to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. The Veterans Memorial Commission added a museum in 1966. It contains items from the American Revolution
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
through the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. The museum was dedicated as a memorial to the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. A granite monument memorializes those who served in the Vietnam War. In 2000 an eternal flame was lit on top of the building.
The buildings sustained damage as a result of the 2008 flood. As a result the city government was forced to leave the building. In the aftermath the city decided to move the city offices to the former Federal Courthouse. The city was able to take possession of the building after it provided the land for a new courthouse downtown. The city is expected to move into its new city hall in the spring of 2011.
Memorial Window
RegionalistRegionalism (art)
Regionalism is an American realist modern art movement that was popular during the 1930s. The artistic focus was from artists who shunned city life, and rapidly developing technological advances, to create scenes of rural life...
artist Grant Wood
Grant Wood
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American painter, born four miles east of Anamosa, Iowa. He is best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest, particularly the painting American Gothic, an iconic image of the 20th century.- Life and career :His family moved to Cedar Rapids after his...
, who grew up and lived in Cedar Rapids as an adult, was commissioned to design the memorial window. The window measures 24 feet (7.3 m) high by 20 feet (6 m) wide. It is the only stained glass window designed by Wood. It depicts a 16 foot (4.9 m) Lady of Peace and Victory in the clouds. She wears a Grecian robe and a blue mourning veil and holds a palm branch for peace in one hand and a wreath for victory in the other. The artists sister Nan was the model for the woman, just as she was for Wood’s best know work American Gothic
American Gothic
American Gothic is a painting by Grant Wood, in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wood's inspiration came from a cottage designed in the Gothic Revival style with a distinctive upper window and a decision to paint the house along with "the kind of people I fancied should live in that...
. Across the bottom are six, six foot (1.8 m) tall, soldiers representing the American Revolution, War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
, American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Spanish-American War and World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The window’s border contains insignias from the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. The widow was made in Munich, Germany under Wood’s direction and assembled in Cedar Rapids. It consists of over 8,000 panels of glass. The window was made at a cost of $9,000 and by 2010 its value had increased to $3 million.
The widow deteriorated somewhat over the years and it was damaged in the 2008 flood. Glass Heritage of Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
restored the window for $150,000. It was re-dedicated on July 4, 2010.