The DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development is pleased to recognize the District of Columbia War Memorial (DC War Memorial) in Southwest Washington as the September 2014 One City Location of the Month. Also known as the World Ward I Memorial, this hidden treasure on the National Mall resembles a Greek temple with a simple dome supported by 12 marble columns. The 47 foot memorial stands in West Potomac Park slightly off of Independence Avenue nestled in a grove of trees and sits adjacent to the World War II Memorial.
The DC War Memorial honors the 26,000 citizens of the District of Columbia who served in World War I and serves as the only memorial on the National Mall dedicated to the residents of the nation’s capital. The 499 names of Washingtonians who lost their life during World War I are inscribed in the base of the memorial. Authorized by an act of Congress on June 7, 1924, funds to construct the memorial were provided by the contributions of both organizations and individual citizens of the District and the memorial was dedicated by President Herbert Hoover on November 11, 1931 (Armistice Day).
Designed by DC architect Frederick H. Brooke and associate architects Horace W. Peaslee and Nathan C. Wyeth, the tall circular, domed temple rests on concrete foundations and the 4 foot high marble base sits on a platform 43 feet in diameter. Intended for use as a bandstand, the structure is adorned with twelve 22 foot tall fluted Doric marble columns.
The DC War Memorial was restored and reopened in November 2011 due to funding by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The federal stimulus package provided $7.3 million to restore the memorial, including improving lighting systems, correcting water drainage systems, and reviving the landscape to allow the memorial to be used as a bandstand. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places earlier this year.
In 2011, the DC Film Office launched One City Location of the Month to bring attention to the wide range of varied, cinematically compelling locations that are available to film and television productions. Former One City Location of the Month recipients include the Shaw neighborhood in Northwest, the Frederick Douglass Historic Site in Southeast, the H Street corridor in Northeast, and the Anacostia Riverwalk in Southwest.
To learn more about the DC War Memorial and to view photos, please visit the One City Location of the Month feature on our web site. If you are interested in using the DC War Memorial for a future filming location, please contact us at [email protected].