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Victory Monument

Victory Monument is a war memorial in Chicago, Illinois, commemorating the 8th Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African American unit that served France during World War I. Designed in 1927 by architects John A. Nyden and Leonard Crunelle, it was erected to honor the regiment’s service. The monument stands in Bronzeville, a primarily African American neighborhood in the Douglas community area, just south of Downtown Chicago. It was designated a Chicago Landmark by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks and later added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

Victory Monument in Chicago with a bronze soldier statue atop a tall stone monument and figures in recessed niches below.
Victory Monument in Chicago features a towering stone shaft topped by a bronze soldier, with sculpted figures around the base.
June 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Victory Monument with bronze statues, including a soldier atop the monument and figures in lower niches.
Victory Monument rises from a traffic island, topped by a soldier and surrounded by bronze figures in its niches.
April 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Victory Monument in Chicago, a tall multi-tiered monument topped by a soldier statue and set in a landscaped traffic circle.
Victory Monument in Chicago rises from a landscaped traffic circle with a soldier statue at the top.
June 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Victory Monument with a winged figure on top and carved reliefs on the base beside a road.
Victory Monument rises beside the road, topped by a winged figure and decorated with reliefs at the base.
© Green, Victor H · Public domain
Victory Monument rising at the end of a patterned pedestrian walkway with lampposts and trees nearby.
Victory Monument stands at the end of a geometrically patterned walkway in a city setting.
June 2007 © · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleVictory Monument
French nameMonument de la Victoire
Original nameMonumento a la Victoria
Typewar memorial monument

Historical context

Date erected1927

Creator

Concept byJohn A. Nyden
Sculpted byLeonard Crunelle

Discovery and provenance

Erected byGovernment of the State of Illinois
Dedicated tothe Eighth Regiment of the Illinois National Guard, an African-American unit that served in France during World War I
Associated regimentthe 8th Regiment of Infantry, Illinois National Guard
Military historyThe regiment was reorganized as the 370th Infantry of the 93rd Division, served on major World War I battlefields in France, and was the last regiment to pursue retreating German forces in the Aisne-Marne region before the Armistice of November 11, 1918.

Physical characteristics

Inscriptionthe names of 137 members of the Eighth Regiment who died during World War I are engraved on a bronze plaque
Top sculpturea bronze doughboy added in 1936
Relief panelsfour bronze panels with life-size figures
Forma white granite shaft topped with a bronze soldier sculpture
Materialswhite granite and bronze

Iconography and meaning

Victory panela classically draped African-American female figure representing motherhood, holding a branch symbolizing victory
Columbia panela classically draped female figure wearing a helmet and holding a tablet inscribed with the battles in which African-American soldiers fought
African American soldier panela bare-chested African-American soldier of the 370th Infantry standing with an eagle in front of him

Location and ownership

Location35th Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, Bronzeville, Douglas community area, Chicago, Illinois, United States

History and restoration

Landmark designationChicago Landmark, designated September 9, 1998
National Register listingListed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986
Alterationa lamppost was added to the top of the shaft in 1936
RestorationReceived a restoration grant in 2017 as part of World War I centennial activities

Significance

Annual ceremonyA Memorial Day ceremony is held at the monument every year
Possible distinctionMay be the only memorial statue dedicated to African-American soldiers of the Great War