Problems, procrastination, but Persistence

A Note on Design and Timing

City of Appleton Alderperson Chad Doran has equated preserving a war memorial with just another paving project by calling the honoring of America’s veterans through preserving Soldier’s Square merely “more of a want than a need." (See his statement to the press here.)

At the Municipal Services Committee hearing on April 24, 2022, Adlerperson Doran asked for more community input. Tell Alderperson Doran that honoring veterans is not a luxury that can be ignored but a long over-due necessity. You can email him by using this button.

Contact Alder Chad Doran

Despite years of delay and inaction by the City of Appleton and other stakeholders, the engraved bricks are still intended to be used on the hardscape for the renovated Soldier’s Square. Hearthstone Historic House Museum, the Appleton Historical Society, and other concerned citizens continue to fight for the memorial as a tribute to every veteran’s sacrifices.

Problems and procrastination have been the hallmarks of dealing with stakeholders over the past three years. Dumpters filled with garbage from local businesses continue to mar the site. Cars still park literally in the shadow of the memorial in City parking spots. In addition, the construction of the parking ramp owned by the YMCA, now underway, means that piles of building materials vie for a place alongside the war memorial.

Every concerned citizen working on the Every Soldier’s Square Project knew it was going to be a long battle to preserve the memorial and to get even a modicum of dignity restored to the area. But persistence has its rewards. Some progress has been made over the past three years.

A aspiration and non-binding resolution to preserve the war memorial aspects of Soldier’s Square was passed by the city council in 2020 after a lot of hard work and lobbying by Sculpture Valley and Hearthstone.
The library issue, which hung over the site for years, was finally settled with use of the current location as the stated objective.
The city finally admitted that it must abide by the deed restrictions on the site that were instituted when Amos Lawrence donated the land to the city. Previously, the city attorney unilaterally declared - with no evidence - that there were no living relatives of Lawrence so the deed restrictions were void. Great work by the Appleton Historical Society proved the city wrong and the attorney’s office now agrees that the site must be protected.
Importantly, this decision on the deed restrictions means that the 15 foot incursion that the old ramp made into the memorial site had to be removed in the new design. This is no small victory for those that want to protect the war memorial.

Still, a lot of uncertainty and work remains.

Construction of the new ramp was stalled with the collapse of one wall.
Many businesses on the block insist that convenient access to dumpsters for their trash is more important than preserving a war memorial.
The city, which has a long and disturbing history of not just neglecting historic preservation but active destruction of historic buildings, has thrown up repeated roadblocks. This even includes reticence to provide cost estimates on restoring just of fraction of the original promenade. It also includes City of Appleton Alderperson Chad Doran calling the honoring of America’s veterans merely “more of a want than a need" when he equates preserving a war memorial with the paving of just another street.
In May, when it finally came to a vote before the full city council to put renovation of the Square into the Capital Improvement Plan, the council voted against the measure and it was defeated 6-8.

Everyone involved in the Every Soldier’s Square project will continue to fight to resolve these issues and to protect Soldier’s Square as a monument to the sacrifices made by all of our veterans and their families for this country. Among the most recent efforts are:

Finally receiving a projected budget from city planning for removing a few parking spots and restoring some of the area around the monument. After almost a two year delay, this budget can now be used to apply for grants to help fund the restoration efforts.
Terrence Martin, a local architect and Viet Nam era veteran, has generously agreed to craft a variety of plans for the space that preserve its historical integrity while meeting of the negatives cited by the city. Everyone involved in the effort thanks Terry for his unceasing generosity and support.
Representatives of Hearthstone Historic House Museum and Sculpture Valley continue to speak before veterans groups to raise awareness of the project, how individual veterans and their families can make a donation and create their own monument to their sacrifices, and the need to continue to press the city to recognize the importance of honoring veterans.

As outstanding issues are finalized, we continue to move forward with detailed plans for the hardscape surrounding the monument and the use of the historic bricks. Despite our efforts, however, there is a possibility that the city will not approve any plan for the Soldier’s Square plaza by the time the Every Soldier’s Square project reaches its goal of 2500 bricks. If this is the case, the bricks will be used in another suitable, public location in the City of Appleton. Other possible, but much less desirable, locations include Veterans Park, the Memorial Drive median near “The Spirit of the American Doughboy” statue (a World War I monument), or in Appleton’s Memorial Park.

Please note: By donating for a brick, you agree that the brick can be used in one of these, or another, suitable public location if our goal is met. If our goal is not met within a reasonable time (which still could be a couple of years), you will be notified and your donation will be refunded.

Problems, procrastination, but Persistence

A Note on Design and Timing

City of Appleton Alderperson Chad Doran has equated preserving a war memorial with just another paving project by calling the honoring of America’s veterans through preserving Soldier’s Square merely “more of a want than a need." (See his statement to the press here.)

At the Municipal Services Committee hearing on April 24, 2022, Adlerperson Doran asked for more community input. Tell Alderperson Doran that honoring veterans is not a luxury that can be ignored but a long over-due necessity. You can email him by using this button.

Every concerned citizen working on the Every Soldier’s Square Project knew it was going to be a long battle to preserve the memorial and to get even a modicum of dignity restored to the area. But persistence has its rewards. Some progress has been made over the past three years.

A aspiration and non-binding resolution to preserve the war memorial aspects of Soldier’s Square was passed by the city council in 2020 after a lot of hard work and lobbying by Sculpture Valley and Hearthstone.

The library issue, which hung over the site for years, was finally settled with use of the current location as the stated objective.

Importantly, this decision on the deed restrictions means that the 15 foot incursion that the old ramp made into the memorial site had to be removed in the new design. This is no small victory for those that want to protect the war memorial.

Still, a lot of uncertainty and work remains.

Construction of the new ramp was stalled with the collapse of one wall.

Many businesses on the block insist that convenient access to dumpsters for their trash is more important than preserving a war memorial.

In May, when it finally came to a vote before the full city council to put renovation of the Square into the Capital Improvement Plan, the council voted against the measure and it was defeated 6-8.

Everyone involved in the Every Soldier’s Square project will continue to fight to resolve these issues and to protect Soldier’s Square as a monument to the sacrifices made by all of our veterans and their families for this country. Among the most recent efforts are:

Finally receiving a projected budget from city planning for removing a few parking spots and restoring some of the area around the monument. After almost a two year delay, this budget can now be used to apply for grants to help fund the restoration efforts.

Please note: By donating for a brick, you agree that the brick can be used in one of these, or another, suitable public location if our goal is met. If our goal is not met within a reasonable time (which still could be a couple of years), you will be notified and your donation will be refunded.