World War I Monument, New Britain, Connecticut

The striking ninety-foot tall obelisk in New Britain is dedicated to World War I and remembers 123 New Britain servicemen, including Hoohannes Hanisian, who lost their lives. The monument stands atop Walnut Hill and can be seen from miles away. The column is made of stone and is capped with two sculpted eagles. There are 12 flutes that surround the column. The plaque at the base reads “MDCCCCXXVII (1927). The City of New Britain here records with pride that of her citizens, more than four thousand served in the World War 1917-1918.” The other plaque states the dedication as “To her sons who gave their lives to their country, their names are here inscribed. Their memory lives in the heart of a grateful city.”

At the foot of the monument are garlands of laurel and oak to symbolize one of victory and the other courage and strength. Surrounding the monument are semi circular walls. The walls are adorned with individual bronze plaques for each of the 123 servicemen that read their name, rank, unit affiliation, and date of death. The city of New Britain commissioned the American architect Harold Von Buren Magonigle to design the monument, which was then dedicated on Saturday, September 22, 1928 at 4pm. John Donnelly, Inc carved the memorial from stone founded by The Gorham Manufacturing Company. The contractor was The Perry Brothers and Central Oolitic Stone Company. They broke ground on the monument on April 11, 1927.

The memorial was incredibly popular. In an article in the New Britain Herald on September 22, 1928 they described thousands of people coming to see the monument. This tribute to the 123 servicemen who gave their lives to World War I combines private aspects of a cemetery with the public nature of sculpture. At the time of its creation, memorial monuments were a new concept in the United States. It was not until after World War II and the great affect of the Holocaust that public sculpture for memorial purposes gained speed in America.