Address: 1 Monument Circle
Pricing: Free
Phone: (317) 232-7615
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday
How To Get There:
From the Indianapolis International Airport, take I-70 east into downtown; take Exit 79B/Illinois St./McCarty St. toward Illinois St.; continue on Illinois to South and turn right; then turn left on Meridian to Monument Circle.
Parking:Metered parking available around the circle area
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Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument: at the heart of downtown Indy
Published: Mar 31, 2009
War history buffs don't want to miss a visit to the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument, one of the country's most beautiful and ornate memorials to U.S. military conflicts. The monument, found at the precise center of downtown at the circle, is considered a symbol of Indianapolis itself and is worth a stop just for a great view of downtown Indy.
Completed in 1901, the monument is a 284-foot-tall structure made of limestone (from Indiana, of course) and bronze erected to memorialize Hoosiers who died in five wars — from the American Revolution to the Spanish-American War. In the early 1900s the cost of the monument was a tad under $600,000. The equivalent price today would be nearly $500 million.
The monument is considered the largest of its kind in the United States that honors the everyday American soldier and sailor.
The corners of the monument are now encircled by bronze statues of four wartime leaders: George Rogers Clark, military leader of the Old Northwest; William Henry Harrison, first governor of the Indiana Territory and general during the War of 1812 and ninth president of the United States; James Whitcomb, governor of Indiana during the Mexican-American War; and Oliver Morton, governor during the Civil War. At the top of the monument is a bronze allegorical figure of Victory.
Located in the lower level of The Soldiers and Sailors Monument in the center of downtown Indianapolis is the 9,000-square-foot Colonel Eli Lilly War Museum, which explores the effects of the American Civil War on the citizens of the state. A variety of exhibits and a re-enactment video engage the visitor in real war situations.
However, the best feature of the monument is its view of downtown from the top. For only $1, visitors can take the elevator to the observation deck,. There, even with a partially obstructed view from nearby skyscrapers, one can still get a grand vista of downtown Indianapolis. Of course, those with tireless legs and a good cardiovascular system can also climb the 333 steps to reach this deck — 330 of which are numbered.
- by Jim Brown , Indianapolis Reporter for HelloMetro
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