Soldiers’ Memorial Cornerstone Laid 75 Years Ago Today
Soliders’ Memorial is one of my favorite buildings downtown. It was built to honor the fallen from WWI but it was barely finished before the start of WWII in Europe, opening on Memorial Day 1938.
Mayor Bernard F. Dickman laid the cornerstone on this day in 1936. These days we don’t build out of stone so we have ground breaking ceremonies  — a shiny shovel tosses a pile of dirt. Nothing to note the start of the building 75 years later.
Soldiers’ Memorial has served as the backdrop for many events over the years, including Marine Week this summer.
The two galleries are filled with interesting WWI memorabilia. Stop in sometime and check it out.
– Steve Patterson
I’m sure in the 1930s people were commenting on how ugly this building was – it seems like the 1930s equivalent of modernist architecture.
I’m sure in the 1930s people were commenting on how ugly this building was – it seems like the 1930s equivalent of modernist architecture.