Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Baker, David M., sculptor.

Tobin Construction Company, contractor.

Dasta Construction Company, contractor.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Kansas City Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fountain, (sculpture).

Wall dedicated Dec. 16, 1985. Fountains and entire project dedicated Sept. 6, 1986.

Digital Reference:

Wall: Keystone Blue granite and concrete; Pools: painted concrete.

Wall: approx. H. 10 ft. x W. 75 ft.

(385 names of those from Kansas City and the seven counties immediately surrounding the Kansas City area who died in the Vietnam War or listed as Missing in Action are listed on the wall.) unsigned

Landscaped area consisting of wall, fountain and flagpole dedicated to the Vietnam War veterans. The wall consists of twenty panels, curved at each end. The fifth panels in at either side contain engravings of medals. On the left is the Vietnam Service Medal and on the right is the Purple Heart. Incised on the middle eight panels are the 385 names of the dead or missing from the Kansas City area. The fountain consists of five rectangular, inter-connected pools of different sizes. The series of pools, from smaller to larger, represent growing American involvement in the war. The water flows into two separate pools, symbolizing the division of American opinion of the country's involvement in the war.

History -- United States -- Vietnam War

Architecture -- Detail -- Wall

Object -- Other -- Medal

Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- Kansas City

Administered by City of Kansas City, Missouri, Department of Parks and Recreation, Planning Services Division, 4600 East 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64130

Located J. C. Nichols Parkway, Northeast corner of 43rd Street & Broadway, Kansas City, Missouri

Memorial was initiated by the Vietnam Veterans & Friends group in 1982-1983. Fundraising began upon dedication of the site in May 1984. Cost of memorial was approximately $1.3 million. The land was donated by the City of Kansas City. Excavation was done by the Tobin Construction Company who donated their services. Dasta Construction Company, who did the actual building of the memorial, partially donated their services. Funds for the memorial came from corporate, private and in-kind donations. Wall was vandalized in March 1986, prompting an increase in donations. IAS files include a copy of the dedication program which includes a list of donors, a fact sheet, an excerpt from Sherry Piland's "Fountains of Kansas City," (Kansas City, MO: City of Fountains Foundation, 1985), pg. 308-309, briefly outlining the proposal, and articles from the Kansas City Star, May 10, 1985, two from Dec. 16, 1985, March 30, 1986, Aug. 29, 1986 and Sept. 7, 1986. IAS files also contain text of nearby plaque explaining the symbolism.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri, Kansas City survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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