Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum

Coordinates: 40°26′42″N 79°57′23″W / 40.445116°N 79.956442°W

Soldiers and Sailors Military Museum and Memorial
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
City of Pittsburgh Historic Structure
Pittsburgh Landmark — PHLF
Front view of the memorial and its lawn from Fifth Avenue
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Built	1908-1910
Architect	Henry Hornbostel
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Part of	Schenley Farms Historic District (#83002213)
NRHP Reference #	74001746 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 30, 1974
Designated CP	July 22, 1983[1]
Designated CPHS	February 11, 1991[2]
Designated PHLF	1970[3]

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum (or often simply Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall) is a National Register of Historic Places landmark in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest memorial in the United States dedicated solely to honoring all branches of military veterans and service personnel.

It was conceived by the Grand Army of the Republic in the 1890s as a way for Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to honor the dwindling ranks of its American Civil War veterans. The Memorial today represents all branches of the service and honors both career and citizen soldiers who have served the United States throughout its history.

Architect Henry Hornbostel designed the memorial in 1907. Dedicated in 1910, the building is in the Beaux-Arts style and is heroic in scale. It is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh at 4141 Fifth Avenue (although the walkway leading to its main entrance is signed as "Matthew Ridgway Blvd." in honor of the World War II and Korean War hero who called Pittsburgh home) and adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh campus and its Cathedral of Learning. The building is set back from Fifth Avenue, featuring expansive and well-kept lawns dotted with large cannons and other war implements. Side streets flanking the building are Bigelow Boulevard and University Place; directly behind is O'Hara Street.

The Memorial houses rare and one-of-a-kind exhibits that span the eras from the Civil War to the present day conflicts. Since 1963 it has operated the "Hall of Valor" to honor individual veterans from the region who went above and beyond the call of duty. Today the hall has over 600 honorees among them are Medal of Honor, The Kearny Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross, Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross winners.

The building houses an auditorium seating 2,500, a banquet hall, and meeting rooms, in addition to its museum. The expansive lawn of the memorial sits on top of an underground parking garage operated under a long-term lease by the University of Pittsburgh.

It has served as host for many city, civic, university, and business events including the April 25, 1978 Gulf Oil Corporation shareholders meeting.^[4]

Fictional Portrayals

• Silence of the Lambs had the hall fill in for the "Memphis Courthouse" scenes, including the escape scene. All were filmed completely at Soldiers & Sailors.
• Sorority Row had its graduation scenes filmed at the hall.
• Dog Jack shot many scenes at the Memorial and hosted its premier in the Museum.

Famous visitors

• Ferdinand Foch visited the hall in 1921.^[5]
• Nelson Mandela spoke at the hall on Dec. 6, 1991.
• Barack Obama visited the hall in 2008.
• Donald Trump spoke at the hall on April 13, 2016.

Gallery

• 
  The bronze work America (1910) by Charles Keck sits above the entrance to the memorial
• 
  The cast bronze Lookout (1923) by Frederick Hibbard on the memorial grounds.
• 
  Cast bronze Parade Rest (1923) by Frederick Hibbard on the memorial grounds.
• 
  World War II torpedo monument outside of the memorial
• 
  Bell from the heavy cruiser USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)
• 
  The 2,300 seat auditorium, which includes a stage backdropped by the Gettysburg Address,^[6] holds events and concerts throughout the year.
• 
  Barack Obama with Senator Bob Casey, Jr. in the auditorium in 2008.
• 
  A death mask of Abraham Lincoln on display in the museum
• 
  Interior hallway with military uniforms and equipment on display
• 
  USS Pennsylvania bow ornament

References

• Kidney, Walter C. (2002). Henry Hornbostel: An Architect's Master Touch. Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation & Roberts Rinehart Publishers. ISBN 1-57098-398-4.
• Toker, Franklin (1994) [1986]. Pittsburgh: An Urban Portrait. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-5434-6.

1. National Park Service (2006-03-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. "Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation: Local Historic Designations". 2002-05-01. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
3. "Internet Archive: Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation: PHLF Plaques & Registries". 2007-01-27. Archived from the original on 2007-01-27. Retrieved 2009-07-11.
4. Black, Harry (April 26, 1978). "Cash Short Gulf Cuts People, Oil Search Budget". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
5. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Wh8bAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u0kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4254%2C3286489
6. Ackerman, Jan (August 13, 2001). "Soldiers & Sailors hall winning war on neglect". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 10, 2013.

External links

• SoldiersandSailorsHall.org official site
• Carnegie Library's page on the memorial
• NRHP nomination form
• Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the war for the suppression of the rebellion, 1861-1865 : roll of honor, defenders of the flag, attack on Fort Sumter, S.C., April 12, 1861, surrender at Appomattox, Va., April 9, 1865 Lists the names of Civil war soldiers from Allegheny County

Video

• WQED onQ: Soldiers and Sailors Hall