Veterans Memorial Building

The Veteran’s Memorial Building is located on May’s Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The building also contains a memorial window, memorial auditorium, and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The first addition to the building was a statue of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima, which was placed on the front steps in 1960. It is a memorial to veterans of World War II and the Korean War. The Veterans Memorial Commission added a museum in 1966, which contains items from the American Revolution through the Vietnam War. The museum was dedicated as a memorial to the Spanish–American War. A granite monument memorializes those who served in the Vietnam War. Regionalist artist Grant Wood, who grew up and lived in Cedar Rapids as an adult, was commissioned to design the memorial window. The window measures 24 by 20 feet (7.3 by 6.1 m). It is the only stained glass window designed by Wood. It depicts a 16 feet (4.9 m) Lady of Peace and Victory in the clouds. She wears a Grecian robe and a blue mourning veil and holds a palm branch for peace in one hand and a wreath for victory in the other. The artist's sister Nan was the model for the Lady of Peace and Victory. Across the bottom are six 6 feet (1.8 m) tall soldiers representing the American Revolution, War of 1812, Mexican–American War, American Civil War, Spanish–American War, and World War I.