World War I Memorial Coming in 2018 to D.C.

By Marina di Marzo
CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
100 years after the end of World War I, the first great war will finally get its own Washington memorial in 2018. Its simple three-sided structure will make it one of the smaller memorials, but it will be one of the most expensive when it comes to cost per person memorialized, a Capital News Service analysis found. It will be isolated from Washington's most popular monuments, built into Pershing Park near the White House, a location that could affect visitation. Here's our look at how the new memorial will fit into the National Park Service's monument family.

The World War I Memorial's Location May Lead Fewer Tourists to Visit

The Lincoln Memorial is the most popular memorial in the city, with 7.2 million visitors a year. After all, many movies set in Washington D.C. from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde feature an inspiring scene inside the memorial's granite walls. With few exceptions, fewer visitors make it to memorials further from the Lincoln Memorial. However, Pershing Park, the site of the new WWI Memorial, is near The White House; the millions of visitors that pass by the president's home might trickle into the park. The Washington Monument is not as popular because of its limited access.
Source: National Park Service