Five blocks of stone memorials make up the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza, the downtown Indianapolis war memorial laid out in front of you. Conceived in 1919 as a location for the national headquarters of the American Legion and a memorial to the state’s and nation’s veterans, this original five-block plaza is laid out like a sequence of stories in stone. The plaza is bounded by Meridian Street to the west, St. Clair Street to the north, Pennsylvania Street to the east, and New York Street to the south.
Two northernmost blocks form American Legion Mall, home to the Legion’s administrative buildings and a cenotaph. The third block is Veterans Memorial Plaza, marked by its obelisk. The fourth block holds the plaza’s focal point: the Indiana World War Memorial, modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and housing a military museum and an auditorium.
The fifth and southernmost block is University Park, with statues and a fountain. On October 11, 1994, this plaza was designated a National Historic Landmark District, and in 2016 the district was enlarged to include the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and was renamed the Indiana World War Memorial Historic... Notice that the fourth block holds the Indiana World War Memorial itself, modeled after the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and housing a military museum and an auditorium.