Liberty Memorial South Fountain

Located at the entrance to the National World War I Museum and Memorial on the south side of the tower, this three-tiered fountain was originally installed as part of a major restoration effort to the historic Liberty Memorial between 2000 and 2002. The memorial was rededicated in 2002 and expanded to become the National World War I Museum and Memorial in 2004 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

Construction of the Liberty Memorial South Fountain started in 1999 and was completed in 2002. It was created using Indiana limestone and Péribonka Black granite, and features three, semi-elliptical tiers which flow into an oval reflecting pool. The top of the fountain is situated at the base of the ascending south terrace and has a waterfall effect which cascades below. The succeeding tiers have channels cut between each level, allowing the water to flow down into the pool at the museum’s entrance. 

During a major restoration project started in 2011 and led by local architectural and design firm Gould Evans, this fountain was cleaned and rehabilitated. Efforts included a new skimming wall, select stone replacement, repointing of mortar, work to the basin, and new waterproofing, sealants, and granite veneer at the stepped terrace. The project was completed in 2014, the same year that the site received a second designation from Congress. 

The site for the Liberty Memorial was originally dedicated in November 1921. Following a three-and-a-half-year construction effort, the memorial was officially unveiled and dedicated on November 11, 1926, to a crowd of 150,000 people. The memorial was the result of a community-based fundraising effort to creating a last monument to honor those who had served in the First World War, particularly those who had died. The monument itself, which included the tower, staircases, and the sphinxes remained a fixture on the Kansas City landscape for decades, as well as Memory and Exhibit Halls. In 1998, money was raised to rehabilitate the memorial through a city-wide sales tax and private donations, in addition to state and federal funding. Renovations included the expansion of the museum into a state-of-the-art facility, as well as the addition of this fountain in the courtyard at the museum’s new entrance. Upon completion of the project, the site was renamed as the National WWI Museum and Memorial and was deemed America’s official museum and memorial dedicated to the Great War. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006, and presidential legislation recognized it as the nation's official WWI museum in 2014.

Liberty Memorial Fountain, South, KC Parks and Recreation. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://kcparks.org/places/liberty-memorial-fountain-south-2/.

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/.

Our Story, National WWI Museum and Memorial. Accessed August 23rd, 2022. https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/our-story.