World War I Memorial (Norfolk, Connecticut)
Description and history
Norfolk's World War I Memorial stands in a triangular grassy area at the junction of Greenwoods Road West and North Street, near the northern end of the village center. The monument itself is a triangular structure built out of ashlar granite, standing about 15 feet (4.6 m) high. Each of its three legs rises in a bellcast shape to a common peak, beneath which hangs a replica of the Liberty Bell. Bronze tablets commemorating the town's World War I soldiers are placed on each of the monument's curved triangular faces, just above stone bench projections.
The memorial was designed by Alfredo S.G. Taylor, an architect based in New York City who spent many summers in Norfolk. He is credited with more than thirty commissions in the community, including public and commercial buildings as well as many private residences. The memorial was dedicated in 1921. It is stylistically in keeping with Taylor's previous uses of stone and rustic styling. In giving him the commission, the town laid down four requirements:
- It should be large enough to express the forces of war
- It should avoid the need for a sculpture
- It should be made of local materials
- It should be simple enough to be constructed by the relatives of the war dead
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for World War I Memorial". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-03-27.
- ^ "Description of A.S.G. Taylor Thematic Group". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-02-23.