Separately installed in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza Park, the Brookyln War Memorial honors Brooklynites who served in World War II while the William Jay Gaynor Memorial is dedicated to the former mayor. Both of them provide a sense of identity and connection for Cadman Plaza Park, highlighting how such memorials can honor the community in the past and present.
Victory and Family
The Brooklyn War Memorial is a long limestone and granite slab, over 25 feet tall and 100 ft wide. A wall in the main auditorium inscribed with the names of 11,000 Brooklynites who died in the war. Two figures representing Victory and Family stand to the sides of the inscription which says that it is dedicated to the heroic men and women of the borough of Brooklyn who fought for liberty in the Second World War 1941–1945. Dedicated in 1951, it makes a special mention of those who suffered and died so that their sacrifice might inspire future generations and lead to universal peace.
Nearby is the William Jay Gaynor Memorial, which is located on the northern part of Cadman Plaza. Dedicated in 1926, his bust resides in front of an allegorical relief, allowing audiences to experience his legacy in their own way.
While audiences can freely interact with the memorial, it has come to anchor the greenspace of Cadman Plaza, where members of the community can relax and play games. It has a become a hub of political action, allowing people to use the large central lawn to engage in a variety of activities. That they can do so amidst monuments that celebrate such a strong connection with the past in the present highlights the many ways these pieces can impact the hearts and minds of audiences of all types.
Legacy and Connection
Numerous plazas have a similar type of greenspace and openess as Cadman Plaza Park, but the Brooklyn War Memorial and Gaynor Memorial truly make it a unique space. It’s an identity that has enabled legacy and connection which is set to be further cultivated across the eras.
