On February 29, the Virginia War Memorial celebrated its expansion with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Often viewed as the preeminent state memorial honoring veterans in the U.S., the expansion provides space to honor U.S. soldiers who died in the Global War on Terror. The ceremony was held on the 64th anniversary of the memorial’s first dedication in 1956.
This expansion adds new educational facilities, administrative office space, a lecture hall, a second shrine and a parking deck. The new shrine, on the memorial’s eastern side, honors veterans from the Global War on Terror. The 61,000-square-foot parking deck adds 172 spaces.
In addition to the expanded Shrine of Memory, the expansion includes the two-level, 25,000-square-foot C. Kenneth Wright Pavilion, a new lobby and grand entrance, an exhibit hall, the Virginia Medal of Honor Gallery, the 350-seat Veterans Hall auditorium and the Veterans’ Art Gallery.
This is the second expansion project for the Virginia War Memorial. The first expansion consisted of 18,000-square-foot additions including exhibit space, a theater, multi-purpose room, research library, a training room, storage space and administrative space.
