Memorial Arch

While a number of West Virginia cities and counties erected community buildings as World War I memorials, Huntington and Cabell County chose to construct a purely commemorative monument. Unique in the state, this grand memorial recalls both the triumphal arches of antiquity and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The latter is said to have been its direct inspiration, and although the firm of Meanor and Handloser is the architect of record, Jerry deYoung, a draftsman in the firm who studied in Europe after service in World War I, is credited with its design.

Built of Indiana limestone on a granite base, the monument rises to a height of 42 feet; the keystone of its single arch is 19.5 feet above grade. Low-relief carvings of classical motifs embellish the walls, wreathes and palm boughs decorate the broad frieze, and carved, stylized daisies occupy the centers of coffered soffit panels. The words Fortis et Fidelis are engraved in the parapet that caps the entablature.