World War II Memorial: History and Debate

The National Mall Coalition was formed in 2000 in response to the national controversy over the World War II Memorial planned for the Mall. Concerned architects, planners, art historians, and other citizens from around the country, including numerous veterans of World War II, fully supported creation of a memorial — but not at the expense of the existing Lincoln Memorial pool and public open space. We came to the sobering realization that Congress and government review agencies in their eagerness to accommodate new memorial proposals were ignoring the historic visionary plans  — the 1791 L’Enfant Plan and the 1902 McMillan Commission Plan — that give the Mall its special beauty, open space quality, and civic role as a stage for American democracy. We created the nonprofit National Mall Coalition– originally called the National Coalition to Save Our Mall — to fill that gap and provide an organized voice for the public on Mall matters.

Learn more about the WWII Memorial controversy — involving citizens, members of Congress, media, and historic preservation groups — by reading the history, critical commentary from around the country, and media coverage on this Timeline and Media Archive.

The National Mall, before and after the World War II Memorial was built.
The World War II Memorial, above, required destruction of the oval-shaped Rainbow Pool, a historic element of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and of the 1902 McMillan Commission Plan for the National Mall (shown below in the 1980s).

The Coalition issued the following formal statement on April 6, 2004 at the dedication of the World War II Memorial.

The National Coalition to Save Our Mall joins the Nation in honoring those who served in war action and on the home front in WW II, especially those who sacrificed their lives. The Coalition never questioned whether WWII veterans should be honored. Indeed, four of the Coalition’s eight-member Board of Directors are WWII veterans. Rather, the Coalition asked — Is this the right place? Is this the right image? Is this the right message? And was it right for Congress to override its own Commemorative Works Act (intended to bring some restraint and order to development of the National Mall) when it legislatively prohibited any judicial challenge to the memorial. The Coalition’s attempts to have these questions thoughtfully considered were thwarted by all three branches of the government, including the US Supreme Court.

The WW II Memorial now divides and blocks the grand open space that was the Mall area between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The Coalition opposed this location because it required destruction of the historic Rainbow Pool, part of the 1901-1902 McMillan Plan for the Mall. The Coalition opposed this placement because it severed — both physically and symbolically — the historic, uninterrupted connection of open space and vista between the monuments to Presidents Washington and Lincoln. And it opposed the memorial in this place because the Memorial plaza’s martial and funerary symbols are better suited to Arlington National Cemetery than to the Mall’s open space dedicated to American founding principles. The massive WW II memorial dwarfs the simple and contemplative memorial for the Signers of the Declaration of Independence in nearby Constitution Gardens, and it encroaches on the Lincoln Memorial grounds and Reflecting Pool.

The World War II Memorial is in many ways a lost opportunity. Full and open public discussion of how we as a society wished to commemorate WW II in our nation’s capital — a discussion never permitted to happen for the WW II Memorial — would no doubt have opened a debate about history, memory, American values, the power of the democratic ideal, and the role of America in modern world history. The Memorial — and the National Mall — would have benefited from that debate.

Photo Gallery: History of National World War II Memorial

  • The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    The National World War II Memorial under construction between September 2001 and April 2004. Photo credit: Rick Latoff / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • Aerial photograph of the crowd who attended the dedication of the World War II Memorial. (Credit: National Park Service)
    Aerial photograph of the crowd who attended the dedication of the World War II Memorial. (Credit: National Park Service)
  • President George W. Bush at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    President George W. Bush at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • Actor Tom Hanks at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    Actor Tom Hanks at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • Sen. Bob Dole at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    Sen. Bob Dole at the World War II Memorial dedication in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush at the World War II Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
    Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush at the World War II Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington D.C. Photo credit: Don Ripper (Latoff Inc.) / American Battle Monuments Commission from the National World War II Memorial website (https://www.wwiimemorial.com).
  • Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial and National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., as viewed from the Washington Monument. (Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
    Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial and National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., as viewed from the Washington Monument. (Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
    Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
    Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
    Examples of bas-relief sculpture panels from artist Ray Kaskey at the World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C. (Photograph credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial and National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., as viewed from the Washington Monument. (United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division)
    Aerial view of the Lincoln Memorial and National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., as viewed from the Washington Monument. (United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division)
  • National World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C., May 26, 2004 (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell)
    National World War II Memorial, Washington, D.C., May 26, 2004 (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell)
  • The Washington Monument is framed between pillars adorned with oak and wheat bronze wreaths at the National World War II Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain)
    The Washington Monument is framed between pillars adorned with oak and wheat bronze wreaths at the National World War II Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Daniel J. McLain)
  • WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 25, 2012) Chief petty officer selects from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex sing “Anchors Aweigh” for World War II veterans at the World War II Memorial. The veterans were part of an Honor Flight, and the Honor Flight Network’s mission to bring veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Lucy M. Quinn/Released)
    WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 25, 2012) Chief petty officer selects from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex sing “Anchors Aweigh” for World War II veterans at the World War II Memorial. The veterans were part of an Honor Flight, and the Honor Flight Network’s mission to bring veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifices. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Lucy M. Quinn/Released)
  • The World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004. (Credit: National Park Service)
    The World War II Memorial was dedicated in 2004. (Credit: National Park Service)
  • World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. (Credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
    World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. (Credit: Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)
  • A shadow appears on the wall of stars at the National World War II Memorial, June 20, 2014 in Washington D.C. The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Richardson)
    A shadow appears on the wall of stars at the National World War II Memorial, June 20, 2014 in Washington D.C. The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Richardson)
  • About 250 veterans gathered at the World War II Memorial to be honored in conjunction with the premiere of "The Pacific," a miniseries that documents the lives of three Marines as they fight their way through the Pacific theater. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)
    About 250 veterans gathered at the World War II Memorial to be honored in conjunction with the premiere of "The Pacific," a miniseries that documents the lives of three Marines as they fight their way through the Pacific theater. (Photo courtesy U.S. Army)