Although the memorial's groundbreaking occurred in June 1995, construction did not begin until January 1996. Since then, construction workers have excavated nearly 3,500 truckloads of soil from behind the gate and built the walls that will house the museum. Workers will place nearly 250 tons of Colorado Yule marble, which will cover 12,000 square feet of walls inside the memorial. The memorial's observation deck is also near completion. Partially built stairwells lead from the roof to just above the museum's main chamber.
Contractors are also mounting frames that w ill eventually hold large etched glass panels.
These panels will contain engraved quotations by or about famous military women. Sunlight will shine through those panels and reflect the quotations onto the marble walls inside. Stuckey said the memorial's front wall restoration will occur after they complete most of the inside construction. She said the process will include sandblasting the gate's old, semicircular facade. Besides the gate renovation, the next nine months will see construction of the memorial's fountain, plaza and reflecting pool.