Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
IUCN Category V - Protected Landscape / Seascape
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The Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in the largest naval battle of the British - American War won. The memorial also celebrates the lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the United States.
The 107-meter high monument - the most powerful Doric column in the world - was Put-in- Bay, Ohio, by a multi-national Commission built from 1912 to 1915 in order to " inculcate the lessons of international peace by conciliation and disarmament. " Under the stone floor of the monument are the remains of three American and three British officers. It is one of the greatest monuments in the United States ( the Gateway Arch, the San Jacinto Monument and the Washington Monument are larger). In 1915, construction was substantially completed, but funding problems prevented the proper completion of the memorial. In 1919, the Government of the United States took control of the monument and put more financial resources available. The official opening was celebrated on 31 July 1931. 2002, a new visitor center was built for $ 2.4 million. The memorial is visited annually by 200,000 people.
Administrative history
The monument was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 2, 1936 Perry 's Victory National Monument; rededicated to the National Memorial and renamed on 26 October 1972. Like all historical objects that are managed by the National Park Service, the memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. It is the only Peace Memorial, National Park Service.
Structural problems
The monument was closed in the summer of 2006, after in June broke a 230 kg heavy piece of granite from the southeast side of the observation deck and 96 meters deep hit a crater in the square. No one was injured. After a structural assessment classified the monument as safe for visitors, it was re-opened on 26 August 2006, but with a fence around the column. As of August 2009, the memorial is to be closed for 2 years. In three phases, then the observation deck, the column and finally the entrance and the rotunda to be revised. The cost is estimated at $ 7 million.