MEMORIAL PARK

This park on the banks of the Providence River contains several buildings that pay tribute to the American victims, more specifically from Rhode Island, of wars and conflicts around the world. The 45-meter high World War I Memorial was designed in 1929 by French architect Paul Cret. It bears the names of Rhode Island soldiers who fought in the First World War. The World War II Memorial, circular in shape and closely resembling the DC War Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors the soldiers who fell in the 1939-45 war. A bronze statue of a soldier on his knees, holding a gun in his hand and fighting against the cold and rain, commemorates Korean War veterans. Just in front of the Federal Courthouse building stands a strange 3.5-metre-high concrete and iron obelisk: the Gun Totem, into which more than a thousand (real) guns have been incorporated. This imposing monument, built in 2001, weighs more than a ton and a half! Finally, the latest addition to Memorial Park is the RI Holocaust Memorial, which pays tribute to the victims of the Holocaust. It was created in 2015 by Providence-based artist Jonathan Bonner. Despite the symbolic significance of the site, Memorial Park is a very pleasant place to walk around and enjoy the view of the buildings in the centre of Providence, across the river. Many residents come to relax on its lawns and benches. A peaceful place.