page_title: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington)
section_title: Tomb of 1931
hierarchical_section_title: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Arlington) / Tomb of 1931
caption_attribution_description: English: Placing the partially finished marble block that will constitute the expanded Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. Image was taken in 1931. Memorial Amphitheater can be seen in the background. As constructed in 1920, Memorial Amphitheater ended in a small plaza atop a retaining wall, with a granite balustrade on the edge. The following year, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to this plaza. But the tomb was originally just a flat marble slab awaiting an appropriate monument. In 1926, Congress authorized the construction of a larger tomb cenotaph. Design work on and quarrying of this marble block took several years. The block was emplaced in 1931. The marble block was only partially sculpted off-site. Sculpting of the bas-relief figures was done on-site by the Piccirilli Brothers firm under the direction of the sculptor Thomas Jones. As can be seen in this photograph, only the pilasters on the corners have been sculpted so far.
context_page_description: The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations' highest service awards. The U.S. Unknowns who were interred are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by U.S. presidents who presided over their funerals. The monument has no officially designated name.
context_section_description: Since 1921 the intent was to place a superstructure on top of the Tomb, but it was not until July 3, 1926, that Congress authorized the completion of the Tomb and the expenditure of $50,000 (with a completed cost of $48,000). A design competition was held and won by architect Lorimer Rich and sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones. An appropriation from Congress for the work was secured and on December 21, 1929, a contract for completion of the Tomb itself was entered into. The Tomb would consist of seven pieces of marble in four levels (cap, die, base and sub-base) of which the die is the largest block with the sculpting on all four sides.
  Quarrying the Yule marble (3.9 miles south of Marble, Colorado by the Vermont Marble Company) was a one-year process beginning in 1930. The cap was quarried on the first attempt but the base required three tries. The large middle block also required three tries. In late January 1931, the 56 ton middle block was lifted out of the quarry. The quarrying involved 75 men. When the block was separated from the mountain inside the quarry it weighed 124 tons. A wire saw was then brought into the quarry to cut the block down to 56 tons.
  On February 3, the block reached the marble mill site (in the town of Marble) after a four-day trip from the quarry. Here it was crated, then shipped to Vermont on February 8. The block was sawn to final size in West Rutland, Vermont, and fabricated by craftsmen in Proctor, Vermont, before it was shipped by train to Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. By September, all 7 blocks were on the grounds of the Tomb site, at Arlington.
  Assembly began in September 1931. An imperfection was found in the base, requiring three more quarryings. By the end of December 1931, the assembly was completed. Finishing work followed with the carvings on the die block by the Piccirilli Brothers under the direction of the sculptor Thomas Jones. (The brothers also carved the Lincoln statue for the Lincoln Memorial, among others). The Tomb was completed without formal ceremony on April 9, 1932.
  The Tomb was placed at the head of the grave of the World War I Unknown. West of this grave are the crypts of Unknowns from World War II (south) and Korea (north). Between the two lies a crypt that once contained an Unknown from Vietnam (middle). His remains were positively identified in 1998 through DNA testing as First Lieutenant Michael Blassie, United States Air Force and were removed. Those three graves are marked with white marble slabs flush with the plaza.
  The Tomb has a flat-faced form and is relieved at the corners and along the sides by neo-classical pilasters set into the surface with objects and inscription carved into the sides. The 1931 symbolism of the objects on the north, south and east sides changed over time.
  North and South panel with 3 wreaths on each side represent (in 1931) "a world of memories" but later the six major battles engaged in by American forces in France: Ardennes, Belleau Wood, Château-Thierry, Meusse-Argonne, Oisiu-Eiseu, and Somme. Each wreath has 38 leaves and 12 berries.
  East panel that faces Washington, DC, are three Greek figures representing Peace, Victory, and "American Manhood" – but later "Valor" instead of "American Manhood"
  West panel is inscribed with (centered on the panel):
  HERE RESTS IN
  HONORED GLORY
  AN AMERICAN
  SOLDIER
  KNOWN BUT TO GOD
  Tomb Dimensions
  as of 2004 (xxx)* 1931 die block dimension coming out of the quarry.
caption: Placing the marble sarcophagus on top of the Tomb (1931)
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