Dedication Wall at the National World War I Museum and Liberty Memorial

Completed in 1935, this wall on the northern side of the WWI Museum and Memorial grounds includes five bronze busts that honor the five allied leaders who came together for the first time at Liberty Memorial's dedication ceremony in 1926. Noted Kansas City architects and Walker Hancock is responsible for the five busts. The wall is 90 feet long and 10 feet high, with limestone from Fort Scott, Kansas. The words along the wall are carved into the stone while the reliefs and plates are made from bronze. The Wall of Dedication endured years of natural wear due to exposure to the elements, leading to a 2012 restoration project by STRATA Architecture.

Commonly known as the "General's Wall," this portion of the grounds at Liberty Memorial is dedicated to the Allied leaders of World War I. The five bronze busts depict Admiral Earl Beatty, Marshal Ferdinand Foch, General John J. Pershing, General Armando Diaz, and Lieutenant General Baron Jacques. The countries of these leaders include France, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, and the United States. During the dedication for the site of the Liberty Memorial, these leaders joined together, surrounded by more than 100,000 individuals on November 1, 1921. Eleven years later, designs for the Wall of Dedication were planned, and the wall was completed in 1935. Both ends of the busts contain two quotes, one from General Pershing and the other from former President Woodrow Wilson. There are also two bronze plates on the ends of the wall. One of the plates recognizes those who served in World War I, and the other honors the original dedication of the wall.

Across the nation, millions of Americans were impacted by World War I. The National World War I Museum was built to create a monument dedicated to those who served in a war that changed the world. This Kansas City landmark was entirely funded by the Liberty Memorial Association and the citizens of Kansas City in 1919. In 10 days, $2.5 million was donated to build the components of the monument, equaling $45 million in 2024 dollars. The Wall of Dedication symbolizes the leadership of military officers and the service of soldiers around the world who served in the Allied forces in World War I.

Dedication Wall, Kansas City Parks and Recreation. Accessed January 27th, 2023. https://kcparks.org/places/dedication-wall/.

National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial, STRATA Architecture, accessed 5/6/24 https://strata-arch.com/project/liberty-memorial-national-world-war-i-monument-and-museum-4/

National World War One Museum, Explore our Story accessed 5/6/24 https://www.theworldwar.org/explore/our-story#:~:text=Built%20By%20Kansas%20Citians%2C%20Embraced,million%20in%20just%2010%20days.