A monument featuring images of soldiers and nurses on the battlefield was chosen as the design for the planned National World War I Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington, D.C.
Called, “The Weight of Sacrifice,” the design is the work of architect Joseph Weishaar of Chicago and sculptor Sabin Howard of New York. The selection was made by the
United States World War I Centennial Commission. In the proposal, Weishaar explains that each cubic foot of the memorial represents one of the 116,516 American soldiers lost in the war.
The memorial will also feature green space. “The allegorical idea that public space and public freedom are hard won through the great sacrifices of countless individuals in the pursuit of liberty provides the original design concept for this project,” the proposal explains.
The park will feature a new sculpture of soldiers and cannon, and is set around an existing monument to
Gen. John Pershing off Pennsylvania Avenue between 14th and 15th streets NW. Before the planned park can be built, other stakeholders, such as the National Capital Planning Commission, will have a say.