Brooklyn War Memorial facts for kids
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| Coordinates | 40°41′54″N 73°59′26″W / 40.69846°N 73.99066°W |
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| Location | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
The Brooklyn War Memorial is a special monument in Brooklyn's Cadman Plaza, in the U.S. state of New York. It was built to honor the brave people from Brooklyn who served in World War II.
Contents
About the Memorial
This memorial was created because Robert Moses, who was in charge of parks, wanted each part of New York City to have a monument for World War II. It is made of granite and limestone and stands about 24 feet (7.3 meters) tall.
Design and Sculptures
The memorial was designed by Stuart Constable, Gilmore D. Clarke, and W. Earle Andrews. They worked with the architecture company Eggers and Higgins.
On the front of the building, there are two large sculptures made by Charles Keck. These sculptures are bigger than life-size. They represent "Victory" and "Family." When the memorial was opened in 1951, these were said to be the biggest sculptures in New York City.
The full plan for the memorial was never completely finished because there wasn't enough money.
Special Inscription
Between the two sculptures, there is an important message. It says:
This memorial is dedicated to the heroic men and women of the borough of Brooklyn who fought for liberty in the second world war 1941–1945 and especially to those who suffered and died may their sacrifice inspire future generations and lead to universal peace
Inside the memorial, there is a wall with the names of 11,000 people from Brooklyn. These are the names of those who died during the war.
History and Current Use
The Brooklyn War Memorial was officially opened on November 12, 1951. It was built to remember the Brooklyn residents who served in World War II.
Restoration and Public Access
The memorial was fixed up in 1977. The idea was for it to be a place where groups for veterans and arts organizations could meet. For a while, it was used for many activities, like meetings, ceremonies, and even exercise classes.
However, in the early 1980s, most of these activities stopped. Now, the building's basement is used by the Parks Department for storage. Because of this, the memorial is mostly closed to the public. If family members of World War II veterans want to see the names inside, they need to make an appointment.
Building Condition
Today, the building is not in good shape. The New York City Parks Department believes it needs a lot of money for repairs and staff. This includes adding an entrance that people in wheelchairs can use and air conditioning.
Even though there were plans in 1987 to add an elevator and make other improvements, this work was never done.
Images for kids
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The sculpture named "Victory"
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The sculpture named "Family"
