National Mall poised to see a wave of new memorials
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A rendering for the Desert Storm and Desert Shield National Memorial. Image: Courtesy of OLIN architecture firm
A slew of new memorials is reshaping Washington.
Why it matters: Several long-planned memorials are finally reaching the construction phase, while President Trump pushes his own additions to Washington's landscape, including the Arch and his National Garden of American Heroes.
Driving the news: A temporary memorial honoring military service members opened this week between the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool to commemorate America's 250th birthday.
- The National Military Monument features two screens displaying service members' names, with kiosks visitors can use to look up loved ones. It will run through Aug. 23.
State of play: Several permanent memorials are also advancing through the development process. Here's where they stand:
🏛️ Desert Storm and Desert Shield National Memorial
Status: Final construction, with an Oct. 24 dedication ceremony.
Location: Near the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans memorials
Context: Honors those who served during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, with curving walls that feature scenes from the conflicts and enclose a memorial grove, as well as a sculpture representing service members.
🏛️ Global War on Terrorism Memorial
Status: Review phase, with construction estimated to start next year and be completed by 2028.
Location: Also near the Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans memorials
Context: The memorial will honor those who served after Sept. 11. Its design proposal shows a structure made of "reclaimed war steel," with steel and stone tied to the Sept. 11 attack sites, a reflecting pool and a footprint-covered path connecting it to the Mall.
🏛️ Fallen Journalists Memorial
Status: Design and site development plan are greenlit, with a planned groundbreaking in 2027 and a 2028 dedication ceremony.
Location: Along Independence Avenue between the National Museum of the American Indian and the Voice of America building
Context: The first all-glass memorial would honor journalists killed while doing their jobs. Multiple glass panels would enclose a circular area that features the First Amendment's text.
🏛️ Peace Corps Commemorative Park
Status: Design approval secured, with construction prep and fundraising underway
Location: Near the Capitol, off Louisiana Avenue
Context: Will honor the Peace Corps with a small park featuring stone benches shaped like open hands and a granite plaza inscribed with an image of the world
👀 What we're watching: Several other pushes to erect memorials around the National Mall are underway, including the National Liberty Memorial, the Women's Suffrage National Monument, and the Thomas Paine Memorial.
- Most are still in fundraising, approval or site-selection stages.