Liberty Memorial

Kansas City, MO

Client: Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners

Project Type: Historic Structure, Landscape, and Preservation Planning Report

Liberty Memorial was erected between 1923 and 1926 to commemorate the men and women who served and died in World War I. At the 1921 site dedication for the memorial, all five Allied military leaders were gathered, making it the only time in history that these men were gathered in one place.

Constructed of steel, concrete and limestone, the shaft of Liberty Memorial stands 217 feet tall and measures 36 feet in diameter at its base. Carved stone figures surround the top of the Memorial, representing the four Guardian Spirits: Courage, Honor, Patriotism and Sacrifice. The surrounding landscape, reminiscent of the Mall in Washington, DC, was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

In 1998, the citizens of Kansas City voted to raise their sales tax to restore and maintain Liberty Memorial. John G. Waite Associates, Architects performed a peer review of the restoration and design documents that had been prepared for the Memorial and Museum. Subsequently, the firm completed a historic structure, landscape, and preservation planning report for the Memorial.