United States Navy Memorial The United States Navy Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th Street Northwest and 9th Street Northwest in Washington , D . C . , honors those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy , Marine Corps , Coast Guard , and the Merchant Marine . The National Park Service , through its National Mall and Memorial Parks administrative unit , provides technical and maintenance assistance to the foundation . The memorial is adjacent to the Archives station and the National Archives building . Associated with the Memorial is the Naval Heritage Center . The Heritage Center is open 362 days a year , closing only on Thanksgiving , Christmas Day , and New Year ' s Day . History . For America ’ s sea services , The United States Navy Memorial is the triumph of a centuries - old dream . In the early days of America ’ s national independence , architect Pierre L ' Enfant envisioned a memorial in the Nation ’ s Capital " to celebrate the first rise of the Navy and consecrate its progress and achievements . " But it was only in the twentieth century that L ’ Enfant ’ s vision of a Navy Memorial in Washington , D . C . was realized . Pennsylvania Avenue , “ America ’ s Main Street , ” the boulevard that links the U . S . Capitol and White House , the scene of so many parades , pageants , and national memories , was chosen to be the location . After President John F . Kennedy – himself a Navy war hero – inspired the redevelopment of Pennsylvania Avenue , another Navy war hero , Admiral Arleigh Burke , proclaimed in 1977 that “ we have talked long enough about a Navy Memorial and it ' s time we did something about it . " In the Spring of 1977 , Burke — World War II war hero and former three - term Chief of Naval Operations — started to recruit a group to form the private , non - profit U . S . Navy Memorial Foundation . The following year , the Foundation , led by Rear Admiral William Thompson , USN ( Ret . ) , started to work on the five steps necessary in the building of a memorial in Washington : enabling legislation , design , site selection , fund raising , and construction and maintenance . Congress authorized the Memorial in 1980 , with the stipulation that funding come solely from private contributions . In March 1980 , President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96 - 199 , which authorized the Memorial as a part of a larger Department of the Interior bill . Although a number of sites in Washington , DC , were possible , the Foundation teamed up with the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation to use Market Square as the site for the Memorial . The Foundation and the Corporation jointly selected Conklin Rossant of New York as architects . By December 1985 , the Foundation had raised enough funds to warrant a go - ahead approval from the Secretary of the Interior , and construction got underway the following month . ( The Foundation staff and Board of Directors had raised $ 18 - million by opening day of the Visitors Center , and fund raising continues today , to retire remaining construction debt and support educational programs undertaken by the Foundation . ) By August 1987 , Stanley Bleifeld completed work on the " The Lone Sailor " statue as construction of the Memorial neared completion at the site . The Memorial was dedicated on October 13 , 1987 . From late 1987 to mid - 1990 , two buildings were constructed on the Memorial ' s northern perimeter . The eastern of the two buildings was selected for the Memorial ' s Visitors Center . The building ' s shell was sufficiently completed by September 1989 to allow construction to begin for the interior of the Visitors Center . The Visitors Center opened in June 1991 and was formally dedicated on October 12 , 1991 . During the summer of 2006 , the water in the fountains of the Navy Memorial was colored blue due to the presence of chemicals added to the water to fight algae growth . According to a spokesperson for the memorial , the algae has been surprisingly difficult to remove , and that they " figured it was better to have blue water than to have an algae - encrusted memorial . " The blue water was gone by the end of the summer . The United States Navy Memorial is home to the Memorial Plaza , which features Stanly Bleifield ' s famous statue , " The Lone Sailor " . " The Lone Sailor " — a tribute to all personnel of the sea services — overlooks the Granite Sea , an exact replication of the world ' s oceans . Surrounding the Granite Sea are two fountain pools , honoring the personnel of the American Navy and the other navies of the world . The southern hemisphere of the Granite Sea is surrounded by 26 bronze bas - relief s commemorating events , personnel , and communities of the various sea services . Adjacent to the Memorial Plaza is the Naval Heritage Center , which features the Arleigh Burke Theater , several rotating exhibits about the sea services , and several Navy Log kiosks , for easy registration on the Navy Log . The Naval Heritage Center also features daily screenings of the films " At Sea " and " A Day in the Life of the Blue Angels " . The Media Resource Center provides a library of printed , audio and video historical documents on the Navy . The Navy Log room has touch - screen kiosks to register and search for Sea Service members and veteran s . From April 2011 through March 2012 , the Naval Heritage Center is featuring the Year of Naval Aviation , with the Gallery Deck filled with paintings and other works of art depicting aviation in the Navy , Marines , and Coast Guard from 1911 to the present day . Beginning April 2012 and going through March 2013 , the Naval Heritage Center will be dedicated to celebrating the Year of the Chief , the senior enlisted rank . Memorial quotes . On an outdoor wall at the Naval Memorial are engraved noteworthy sayings from the history of the US Navy , and who said them . Among which are :