Virginia War Memorial Carillon, Richmond, VA (3)
**Virginia War Memorial Carillon** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 84000053, date listed 19841004
1300 Blanton Ave.
Richmond, VA (Independent City)
The imposing tower rests on a limestone plinth, the interior of which was used to house a war museum. On the exterior the main (north) elevation of the base consists of a simple limestone facade with water table and cornerstone. Three granite steps lead up to the level of the top of the water table and connect a pair of curvilinear granite and limestone staircases that are edged by terra cotta balustrades. These steps lead to the top of the plinth.
The upper floors (2-6) contain storage areas. while the seventh floor contains the clavier for the carillon. The top two floors are devoted to the sixty-six bells of the carillon and a small observation platform. (1)
Popularly known simply as the Carillon, Virginia’s War Memorial reflects the patriotic fervor of the 1920s. It was sponsored by the Commonwealth of Virginia to commemorate the “patriotism and valor of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and women from Virginia” who served in World War I. Although a commission to study a design and site was formed as early as 1922, public campaigns altered the initial proposal and delayed completion of the project until 1932. The resulting edifice, designed by the nationally prominent Ralph Adams Cram of the Boston firm of Cram and Ferguson, is a brilliant interpretation of the Italian campanile in Georgian classicism. As stated at the time, the style was chosen expressly because the “Commonwealth of Virginia is the great southern exponent of that noble Colonial architecture.” Its bells were originally intended to ring out patriotic tunes familiar to those whom the structure memorialized. (2)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/127-0387_Vir...
(2) VA Dept of Historic Resources www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/127-0387/
Virginia War Memorial Carillon, Richmond, VA (3)
**Virginia War Memorial Carillon** - National Register of Historic Places Ref # 84000053, date listed 19841004
1300 Blanton Ave.
Richmond, VA (Independent City)
The imposing tower rests on a limestone plinth, the interior of which was used to house a war museum. On the exterior the main (north) elevation of the base consists of a simple limestone facade with water table and cornerstone. Three granite steps lead up to the level of the top of the water table and connect a pair of curvilinear granite and limestone staircases that are edged by terra cotta balustrades. These steps lead to the top of the plinth.
The upper floors (2-6) contain storage areas. while the seventh floor contains the clavier for the carillon. The top two floors are devoted to the sixty-six bells of the carillon and a small observation platform. (1)
Popularly known simply as the Carillon, Virginia’s War Memorial reflects the patriotic fervor of the 1920s. It was sponsored by the Commonwealth of Virginia to commemorate the “patriotism and valor of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and women from Virginia” who served in World War I. Although a commission to study a design and site was formed as early as 1922, public campaigns altered the initial proposal and delayed completion of the project until 1932. The resulting edifice, designed by the nationally prominent Ralph Adams Cram of the Boston firm of Cram and Ferguson, is a brilliant interpretation of the Italian campanile in Georgian classicism. As stated at the time, the style was chosen expressly because the “Commonwealth of Virginia is the great southern exponent of that noble Colonial architecture.” Its bells were originally intended to ring out patriotic tunes familiar to those whom the structure memorialized. (2)
References (1) NRHP Nomination Form www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/127-0387_Vir...
(2) VA Dept of Historic Resources www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/127-0387/