American Legion Mall

American Legion Mall. Indiana War Memorial Plaza National Historic Landmark. , American Legion Mall comprises two city blocks and is the largest of the five-city block plaza. The actual mall is located at the north end of this part of the plaza. The plaza's overall design is reflective of The National Mall in Washington, D.C. and the City Beautiful Movement, a popular design trend in the 1920's., The American Legion, itself was the catalyst for the Indiana War Memorial Plaza. The history of this plaza is inextricably connected to the history of the American Legion. The search for the national headquarters location led to the creation of this plaza as one of the greatest national tributes to our veterans., The same tools that General John Pershing used in laying the original Indiana War Memorial cornerstone in 1927 were used in a like ceremony on May 6, 1949 for the enlarged American Legion Headquarters. A time capsule was placed inside and contains the following: a current edition of the Indianapolis Star, other city newspapers, facsimiles of several historic documents and a history of the War Memorial, itself., Throughout the 1990's three monuments were added to the mall to honor Indiana veterans of World War II, Korean and Vietnam Wars., Cenotaph Square , The Sunken Garden. , ★ The Sunken Garden with the Cenotaph, situated between the State and National American Legion Headquarters Building, was dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1932. A Cenotaph is a monument erected to honor a deceased person whose remains lie elsewhere., ★ The north side of the cenotaph is inscribed with e memorial to Jame Bethal Gresham of Evansville, Indiana, the first member of the American Expeditionary Force to lose his life in the World War., ★ The Cenotaph is made of black granite and sits upon a red and dark green granite base. The inscription on the tomb is mounted inside a bronze wreath and with a gold star., ★ The Sunken Garden is lower in elevation than St. Clair Street, but still higher than the mall. At the four corners of the cenotaph are black granite columns capped by golden eagles. A bronze wreath with a central star is located on each of the east, west, and south sides of the cenotaph platform.