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Philadelphia Korean War Memorial

The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia was initially dedicated on June 22, 2002[1] and was formally rededicated on Memorial Day, May 28, 2007 after additional work was completed.[2] Each name of the more than 600 servicemen who were killed in action or listed as missing in action during the Korean War from Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties are etched in the memorial.[3] Veterans Day and Memorial Day services are held onsite annually.[4]

Philadelphia Korean War Memorial
United States
The memorial's western facade is shown, composed of two 16-foot-tall black granite monoliths with inscriptions. Veterans Day wreaths are on stands in front of the monoliths. Several more black granite monoliths are beyond and to the sides of the facade, arranged in a square pattern. A single black granite column is visible in the middle of the square with the year 1950 at the top and the inscribed names of those killed or missing in action are listed below.
Veterans Day wreaths at the western facade
For all Korean War servicemen from Philadelphia and the four neighboring Pennsylvania counties.
EstablishedJune 22, 2002 (2002-06-22)
Location39°56′42″N 75°08′36″W / 39.944911°N 75.143425°W / 39.944911; -75.143425
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Designed byJirair Youssefian, Vitetta Architects and Engineers
The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing for Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Bucks, and Montgomery Counties

The memorial is located in Korean War Memorial Park in the Society Hill neighborhood, about 0.5 mi (0.80 km) from Independence Hall. The park is bounded on the south by Spruce Street, on the north by Dock Street, on the east by Christopher Columbus Boulevard along Penn's Landing and on the west by 38th Parallel Place. Interstate 95 runs under the eastern part of the park, while the memorial is located in the western section.[5]

The memorial is owned by the city of Philadelphia and leased to a non-profit organization called the Friends of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial which is based in the city.[2]

Design

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The Philadelphia Korean War Memorial was designed by Jirair Youssefian of Vitetta Architects and Engineers in 1992.[2][6] After a decade of planning and fundraising, along with site clearing and construction work performed by J.J. White Inc., the major parts of the memorial were finished by June, 2002.[2] The remainder of the full design was constructed in 2007 after additional funding was obtained.[2]

The central part of the memorial includes four 16 ft (4.9 m) tall black granite-clad columns which list all the Philadelphia area Korean War casualties—those killed in action, missing in action, or taken as a prisoner of war but never returned and presumed dead—from each year of the four-year conflict (1950-1953). The memorial also features six granite-clad monoliths with information sandblasted onto the surfaces including the major units involved in the war, specific events and battles, maps of the four phases of the war, laser engraved photographs, and markers honoring other participants such as the nurses of the Korean War. A bronze statue entitled The Final Farewell by artist Lorann Jacobs was added to the site in 2007, along with additional landscaping and granite pavers to create a new platform for the entire memorial.[2][3]

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    Wide view from the west
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    From the southeast
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    South image panel
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    North image panel

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Korean War Memorials: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania". kwva.org. Korean War Veterans Association. n.d. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rockafellow, Barbara (n.d.). "Korean War Memorial" (PDF). jjwhiteinc.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "About the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing". wixsite.com. Friends of the Philadelphia Korean War Memorial at Penn's Landing, Inc. n.d. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. ^ McDevitt, John (May 28, 2012). "Names of fallen soldiers set in stone at Korean War Memorial". philadelphia.cbslocal.com. CBS Philly. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "OpenStreetMap of Society Hill". openstreetmap.org. OpenStreetMap contributors. n.d. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "J.J. White constructs a long-overdue tribute to Korean War veterans". jjwhiteinc.com. J.J. White, Inc. 2002. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016. See photo for design architect's name
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