Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
The Alabama Veterans Memorial Park is a privately owned memorial park built and operated by the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation on a wooded 22-acre site adjoining I-459 at the Liberty Park exit.
The $5 million memorial honors over 400,000 Alabamians who served in the U. S. military during the wars of the 20th century (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Viet Nam War and Gulf War). The site's landscaped path leads to a plaza with the flags of the services and a grouping of 36 20-foot-tall concrete columns with embedded plaques of letters and Medal of Honor commendations. A massive concrete "sanctuary" serves as a backdrop and destination. The names of 11,000 killed in action are etched into the interior walls of the tall rectangular enclosure. A curved concrete canopy is suspended away from the walls, allowing light to wash across the etched names.
The memorial was designed by GA Architecture Studio and won an Honor Citation from the AIA Gulf States Region and an Honorable Mention from AIA Alabama and AIA Birmingham. It was dedicated on May 27, 2001. Future plans include an education center.
In 2009, with donations slipping due to the economic recession, the foundation sold a 5-acre parcel of the park and sent a special appeal to donors.
References
- Faulk, Kent (November 8, 2009) "Alabama veterans park may have to close if more donations don't come through." Birmingham News
External links
- Alabama Veterans Memorial website
- Alabama Veterans Memorial at gastudio.com