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Show M INDIANA'S TRIBUTE TO WAR HEROES WORTHY OF STATE Takes the Form of Magnificent Magnifi-cent Shaft in Center of Indianapolis. Indiana continues to write In stone Hie history of the deeds of its sons Mid daughters. The latest chapter is that of the World war. The site of the memorial is on a plaza of five city blocks in the heart of Indianapolis, two blocks from the Circle, from which the Soldiers' and Bailors' monument, honoring veterans of the Civil war, dominates the city. This massive shaft, the greatest of the many state monuments to Indl-r.nu's Indl-r.nu's noted sons to be found In various va-rious parts of the capital city, has become so well known through the world that it Is really a sort of trademark trade-mark for Indianapolis as well as Indiana. In-diana. A decorative shaft 2S5 feet nigh, including the bronze statue, its light gleams over the whole city. It WK'S designed by Bruno Schmltz end cost more than $500,000. Although Al-though It was erected primarily as a memorial to Civil war veterans, it brings the stone history of the state well up toward the World war era, with four epochs commemorated by the statues of George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison. James Whit- f5 1 fin Monument in Honor of Indiana World War Veterans In Heart of Indianapolis. Indi-anapolis. comb Riley r.nd Oliver P. Morton grouped around Its base, which is ornamented or-namented with statuary groups and reliefs in stone and bronze symbolic of Indiana's Industries and the achievements of its warriors and foremost fore-most civilians. The World war memorial tC'kes up the history where the Soldiers' and Sailors' monument left off. Fostered by the Legion. The project was begun in 1920 and was fostered by the American Legion. The proposition was taken up readily by the people. Business men, seeing In the plan to embody In the structure struc-ture offices for the national headquarters headquar-ters of the American Legion a means of assuring Indianapolis the permanent perma-nent home of the organization, supported sup-ported the enterprise. The bonus never appealed to Indiana, In-diana, but the Memorial plaza Idea was accepted ?.' an opportunity for Its citizens to show their gratitude to its soldiers in a beautiful and dignified dig-nified manner. The legislature provided for trustees, trus-tees, donaivd three entire city blocks in the heari of Indianapolis and appropriated ap-propriated $2,000,000 for construction. The three blocks include the site of the Indiana State School for the Blind and two small parks owned by the state but maintained by the city. The state-owned property is in two sections. The tracts were separated by two blocks of privately owned property. To give the site an uninterrupted uninter-rupted stretch of live blocks additional addi-tional lej'islation authorized a bond issue for the purchase of the two intervening in-tervening blocks and gave the trustees trus-tees power to accept the property r.-s a gift. The city turned over to the trustees a deed for all the property in one block, with the exception of the sites of two of the oldest churches. The count pieseiited the trustees a deed for the entire remaining block In the plaza site. There was a controversy over a proposal to condemn the sites of the Second Presbyterian and First Baptist churches. The trustees of the memorial finally assured the church trustees th&t the religious edifices edi-fices would not be disturbed. Shrine 192 Feet High. The design of Frank R. Walker and Harry E. Weeks, Cleveland, won in a contest. The central structure is a tower or shrine 192 feet high, 96 feet square, topped by a pyramidical dome, flanked by a low building 20 f-iet in height, to serve as a base for the shrine and to extend from it on ell sides. The shrine will be flanked by two smaller buildings of harmonious structure to be used for offices of the Legion and other patriotic organizations, organi-zations, leaving the central unit for memorial purposes. Numbering the blocks In the plaza site from south to north, the central unit or memorial shrine will be In the second block, between and behind the two churches, which are situated on the southeast and southwest corners. cor-ners. The central building will face the south. The two buildings erected for utilitarian utili-tarian purposes will be at the extreme ex-treme northeast and northwest corners cor-ners of the plaza, directly across from the Indianapolis public library. and separated from the central shrine by two blocks of landsc&ped park. One of the buildings will face Meridian street, which borders the plaza on the west. The other will face on Pennsylvania street, eastern boundary of the plaza. |