Maryland World War II Memorial

Annapolis, Maryland

This proposal unites the symbolism of the memorial formal intentions to the significance of the chosen site. The central feature of the proposal is a channel of flowing water symbolizing Maryland's contribution of service and supply, action and material, in the war effort. Viewed from the northern approach, the water channel is visually continuous with the Severn River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay and ultimately the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the monument symbolically connects the water flowing through the channel to the waters of the world.

Surrounding the water channel are a series of commemorative gardens. At the north end is the Maryland Court, dedicated to the "home front" and to Maryland industry. Along the water channel are the War Chronology Gardens, commemorating specific events of the war, and the Service Memorial Gardens commemorating the seven services.

The southernmost feature of the proposal is the War Service Court, dedicated to those who served for Maryland and the United States during World War II. At this point, the visual association between the memorial and the context is replaced with a symbolic association: the waters of the water channel cascade onto a spherical representation of the world. The surrounding walls separate this courtyard from the Maryland context. It becomes a place of reflection and remembrance, a place to contemplate the distant reaches of the war.