Korean War Memorial

This monument honors military personnel who served in the Korean War (1950-1953). The memorial, dedicated in 1991, was designed by Welsh-born artist Mac Adams and is notable as one of the first Korean War memorials erected in the United States. In 1987, the Korean War Veterans Memorial Committee was formed to raise the funds to build a monument to commemorate the fallen heroes and living comrades of the Korean War, which is often referred to as the “Forgotten War.” The memorial features a 15-foot-high black granite stele with the shape of a Korean War soldier cut out of the center. Also known as “The Universal Soldier,” the figure forms a silhouette that allows viewers to see through the monument to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. This literal void reinforces the figurative theme of absence and loss, and serves as a metaphor for death.