Liberty Memorial North Fountains

Completed in 1935, these twin fountains flank the steps beneath the Great Frieze on the north side of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The monumental site opened in 1926 as Liberty Memorial to honor the lives of the 441 Kansas City residents who died in World War I. Made of limestone and granite, these two-tiered fountains were designed by the co-architects of Liberty Memorial, Wight and Wight, and overlook the North Lawn, historic Union Station, and the iconic Kansas City skyline.

Now recognized as the nation’s official World War I memorial, this historic monument was built as the Liberty Memorial and completed in 1926. Co-designers of Liberty Memorial, Kansas City architects Wight and Wight also designed these twinning fountains. Though they were part of the original design for the memorial site, official plans for the fountains were accepted in 1933, as well as the north terrace walls, the Great Frieze, and steps. Construction of the fountains started the following year and was completed in 1935. The entirety of the Liberty Memorial complex was completed in 1938. 

Situated on the north side of the memorial, these two, two-tiered fountains flank the 90-foot-wide steps leading from the Great Frieze terrace down to the North Lawn. The walls were constructed with Indiana limestone while the weirs and basins are made of granite. For each fountain, the upper tier features a set of geysers surrounded by a spray ring, as water cascades over the weir, creating multiple waterfalls into the lower pool. The front ledge of the lower tier is bowed and lined with small jets that issue water back into the pool. Honoring the lives lost in the war, each fountain features an inscribed excerpt.

The east fountain is a passage from the patriotic anthem America the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates and reads: WHO MORE THAN SELF THEIR COUNTRY LOVED

The west fountain is a quote from Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges on the death of Sir Walter Scott which reads: THE GLORY DIES NOT AND GRIEF IS PAST

In 2011, local architectural and design firm Gould Evans led a rehabilitation project for the site. Plans included repointing the masonry, stone patching, cleaning, mechanical and plumbing upgrades, and the application of breathable water repellent. In addition, deteriorating tiles in the fountains’ basins needed replacing, though the original glazed porcelain tiles had been replaced just 15 years prior. Some of those original tiles were preserved in the museum archives and used as reference to replicate the hand-made replacements. The project was completed in 2014, the same year the site received a second designation from Congress, effectively recognizing it as the National WWI Museum and Memorial. 

Liberty Memorial Fountains North, City of Fountains Foundation. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://cityoffountains.org/liberty-memorial-fountains-north/.

National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Liberty Memorial, Missouri State Parks and Recreation. September 20th, 2006. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Liberty%20Memorial.pdf.

Millstein, Cydney E., Liberty Memorial, Historic American Buildings Survey, Architectural & Historic Research, LLC. April 1st, 2000. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. http://www.ahr-kc.com/reports/liberty_memorial/#_ftnref143.

Liberty Memorial – National World War I Monument and Museum, STRATA Architecture + Preservation. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. http://www.strata-arch.com/projects/liberty-memorial-national-world-war-i-monument-and-museum-3/.