Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, Washington D.C.

Arlington Memorial Amphitheater does not ease quietly into view; it announces that remembrance here has been given marble, columns, and a very firm sense of occasion. It replaced an older wooden amphitheater in 1913, and today, it stands as one of Arlington National Cemetery’s most solemn ceremonial spaces, combining an open-air amphitheater, exhibition hall, and chapel in one dignified marble package.

Its setting is equally deliberate. To the west stands the USS Maine Mast Memorial, to the south the Spanish-American War Memorial, and to the east a formal Italian-style garden, because even the landscaping here has a sense of occasion...

On October 13, 1915, President Woodrow Wilson laid the cornerstone for the new amphitheater. Inside it went a copper box packed with 15 carefully chosen items, including copies of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, a Bible, an American flag, coins, stamps, a Congressional directory, a D.C. telephone book, Wilson’s photograph, and several Arlington mementos. In other words, it was a time capsule with a strong sense of national purpose.

The amphitheater was built mainly of Imperial Danby marble from Vermont and Botticino stone from Italy, giving it a serious ceremonial look. Dedicated on May 15, 1920, it has been repaired and restored several times since, including work in 1956, 1974, 1995–1996, and 2012.

Here is where Arlington’s public rituals take on their most formal shape. Memorial Day and Veterans Day services are regularly held in this place, often attended by the President or Vice President. Since 1931, the amphitheater has also hosted the annual Easter sunrise service, first organized by the Knights Templar and attended that year by President Herbert Hoover. Many military organizations hold their own memorial services here as well, bringing thousands of people each year into this quiet, powerful space.

The amphitheater has also been the site of state funerals and major national commemorations, including services for General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, Secretary of Defense James Forrestal, and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Nearby rest an unknown Vietnam War soldier, 30 unidentified victims of the 9/11 Pentagon attack, and the last American veteran of World War I. So, while the marble may be still, the memory held here is anything but...