The Memorial Fountains In Washington

By Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The Oscar Straus Memorial Fountain

This memorial fountain or completely known as The Oscar S. (Solomon) Straus Memorial celebrated the exploits of the first ever Jew who served the US president’s cabinet as a member. He became Secretary of Commerce and Labor under the ruling of President Roosevelt between 1906-1909. This memorial was made out of marble which is situated in the Federal Triangle between the avenues of Pennsylvania and Constitution.

The fountain’s design was made by Adolph Alexander Weinman and it was built in year 1947. Right at the center of the memorial stands a great fountain which bears an inscription saying: “Statesman, Author, Diplomat”. On its sides are two statue groups called Justice and Reason.

 

By AgnosticPreachersKid - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

The Senate Garage Memorial Fountain

This fountain is displayed in the park in between Union and Capitol Station. It was designed by Bennett, Parsons and Frost who were architects and was led by master architect of the Capitol who was David Lynn. It was opened for the first time on July 16, 1932.

The fountain is a monolith composed of high jets of water shooting from the center and surrounded by other smaller jets set on a lower level. The figures which spout water are lion heads which lead the water in a massive basin which is in circular shape and it spills entirely over a bigger basin that is oval. The hexagon measures 25 feet and the basin is 85 by 100 feet.

Its currently lighting system is made up of a total of 114 light fixtures underwater with colors of red, blue, green and clear lenses with the help of the control of a computer program which makes a repetition every twenty minutes. This lighting system started operating July 4, 1980 which replaced the original lighting used for over fifty long years.

This current lighting system is more energy efficient since the lights are not on at full intensity always. There are also some pump which recirculate so that there would always be water conservation and the constant addition of freshwater to replace the water losses.

It took 59 years of wait before the National World War II Memorial was finally given dedication in Washington, DC on May 29, 2004. It serves as the symbol of the most defining event of the 20th century. It was placed right in between Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.

There is an Announcement Stone that gives honor to the American who sacrificed during World War II and offered the proper sacrifices for the sake of our nation’s security and justice. There is a Rainbow Pool surrounded by the memorial’s granite plaza. It was called the Rainbow Pool because it creates a certain rainbow effect each time the sunlight hits the spray at a particular angle.

All the memorial fountain and waterfalls give a refreshing look to everyone who would choose to visit. The Freedom Wall is also among the most popular in the memorial since it carries 4,000 gold stars which give honor to those who risked their lives and died.