History
Soldiers Memorial officially opened on Memorial Day in 1938. The building was designed by St. Louis architecture firm Mauran, Russell & Crowell in a classical style with art deco flourishes. It features four monumental groups of sculptures by artisan Walker Hancock that represent courage, loyalty, sacrifice, and vision. Hancock, a native St. Louisan, served in the US Army in World War II but is perhaps best known for being one of the Monuments Men, the group tasked with protecting and recovering cultural and historical artifacts from wartime damage. By the end of the 1940s the Court of Honor had been established across the street from Soldiers Memorial. It memorializes the St. Louisans who lost their lives during World War II. Today, Soldiers Memorial continues to commemorate St. Louis service members and honor their families through a new agreement between the City of St. Louis and the Missouri Historical Society.
Specialties
Following a two-year, $30 million revitalization, Soldiers Memorial Military Museum reopened in downtown St. Louis in November 2018 as a state-of-the-art museum facility honoring military service members, veterans, and their families. Soldiers Memorial is operated by the Missouri Historical Society, which also operates the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park and the Library & Research Center on Skinker Boulevard.