Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum

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For other monuments with the same name, see Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument.

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Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial
SoldiersMemorial Pittsburgh.jpg
Front view of the memorial and its lawn from Fifth Avenue
Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Built 1908-1910
Architect Henry Hornbostel
Architectural style Beaux-Arts
Part of Schenley Farms Historic District (#83002213)
NRHP Reference # 74001746 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP December 30, 1974
Designated CP July 22, 1983[1]
Designated CPHS February 11, 1991[2]
Designated PHLF 1970[3]

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum (or often simply Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall) is a National Register of Historic Places landmark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest memorial in the United States dedicated solely to honoring all branches of military veterans and service personnel.

It was conceived by the Grand Army of the Republic in the 1890s as a way for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to honor the dwindling ranks of its American Civil War veterans. The Memorial today represents all branches of the service and honors both career and citizen soldiers who have served the United States throughout its history.

Architect Henry Hornbostel designed the memorial in 1907. Dedicated in 1910, the building is in the Beaux-Arts style and is heroic in scale. It is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh at 4141 Fifth Avenue (although the walkway leading to its main entrance is signed as "Matthew Ridgway Blvd." in honor of the World War II and Korean War hero who called Pittsburgh home) and adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh campus and its Cathedral of Learning. The building is set back from Fifth Avenue, featuring expansive and well-kept lawns dotted with large cannons and other war implements. Side streets flanking the building are Bigelow Boulevard and University Place; directly behind is O'Hara Street.

The Memorial houses rare and one-of-a-kind exhibits that span the eras from the Civil War to the present day conflicts. Since 1963 it has operated the "Hall of Valor" to honor individual veterans from the region who went above and beyond the call of duty. Today the hall has over 600 honorees among them are Medal of Honor, The Kearny Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross winners.

The building houses an auditorium seating 2,500, a banquet hall, and meeting rooms, in addition to its museum. The expansive lawn of the memorial sits on top of an underground parking garage operated under a long-term lease by the University of Pittsburgh.

It has served as host for many city, civic, university, and business events including the April 25, 1978 Gulf Oil Corporation shareholders meeting.[4]

Fictional Portrayals

  • Silence of the Lambs had the hall fill in for the "Memphis Courthouse" scenes, including the escape scene. All were filmed completely at Soldiers & Sailors.
  • Sorority Row had its graduation scenes filmed at the hall.
  • Dog Jack shot many scenes at the Memorial and hosted its premier in the Museum.

Famous visitors

Gallery

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1460.JPG

    The bronze work America (1910) by Charles Keck sits above the entrance to the memorial

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1404.JPG

    The cast bronze Lookout (1923) by Frederick Hibbard on the memorial grounds.

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1458.JPG

    Cast bronze Parade Rest (1923) by Frederick Hibbard on the memorial grounds.

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1400.JPG

    World War II torpedo monument outside of the memorial

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1405.JPG

    Bell from the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1565.JPG

    The 2,300 seat auditorium, which includes a stage backdropped by the Gettysburg Address,[6] holds events and concerts throughout the year.

  • Obama Takes the Stage with Casey.jpg

    Barack Obama with Senator Bob Casey, Jr. in the auditorium in 2008.

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1530.JPG

    A death mask of Abraham Lincoln on display in the museum

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1485.JPG

    Interior hallway with military uniforms and equipment on display

  • Allegheny County Soldiers Memorial - IMG 1516.JPG

    USS Pennsylvania bow ornament

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "nris" defined multiple times with different content
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wh8bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u0kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4254%2C3286489
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

Video

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