Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Arlington National Cemetery - Arlington, VA
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 52.586 W 077° 04.333
18S E 320243 N 4305105
The Tomb of the Unknowns in the Arlington Cemetery was designed by architect Thomas Hastings who was awarded the Royal Gold Medal in 1922.
Waymark Code: WMW2TG
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 07/03/2017
Views: 9
County of tomb: Arlington County
Location of tomb: Arlington Cemetery Rd., behind the Memorial Ampitheater, Arlington Cemetery, Arlington
Artist: Thomas Hudson Jones, 1892-1969, sculptor
Architect: Lorimer Rich and Associates
Design completed: 1928
Tomb Built: 1931
Proper Description: "The rectangular tomb is carved on one side with a relief panel depicting three allegorical figures that commemorate the spirit of the Allies during World War I. A male figure standing on the far right, a sword held in his left hand, symbolizes Victory. A female figure representing Peace stands in the center, her left arm extending an olive branch toward Victory, and her right hand holding the hand of a female figure representing the Allies. The other three sides of the tomb are carved in relief with alternating Doric pilasters and wreaths." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
Remarks:
"On July 3,1926, Congress authorized the Secretary of War to commission by competition the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial, with a $50,000 appropriation to cover the cost of the memorial. On Sept. 27, 1928, the Commission of Fine Arts approved the design submitted by L0rimer Rich and Thomas Hudson Jones. And, on Sept. 16, 1930, the overall plan for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial was approved by the Commission of Fine Arts." ~ Smithsonian American Art Museum
"The east plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater became the site of a distinguished burial in 1921, an unknown soldier who had died in battle during World War I. The site for the burial was the plaza on the east side of the amphitheater on a high hill with a wide view toward Washington, D.C. Although the large, marble sarcophagus memorial was not completed until 1928, the remains of an American soldier "known but to God" were returned in 1921 from a military graveyard in France to Washington, D.C. The body lay in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for two days and on November 11 , 1921, a procession headed by President Warren G. Harding led the casket to the ANC. In a design competition in 1928, the modest but elegant tomb design by Thomas Hudson Jones, a New York sculptor, was selected, and the memorial was built in 1931. The approaches were designed by New York architect Lorimer Rich." ~ NRHP Nomination Form