Construction
“Our Temple of Liberty”
Ground Breaking
October 11, 1902
The Daughters were anxious for “a monument to the heroic men and women of the Revolution” and “an administration building for the society.” So, they carried out a ground breaking ceremony even before the Architect was chosen.
On that rainy day President General Cornelia Cole Fairbanks used a Montana Copper Spade, a gift from the Montana State Society to break ground. The handle came from wood cut along the wilderness pathway of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, which is now part of Montana.
When the process of breaking the ground was going on, Mrs. Fairbanks and Mrs. Lockwood marched out in the rain and shoveled some of the earth into flower-pots. In one pot, Mrs. Lockwood planted thirteen Osage Orange seeds, to represent the thirteen original States, and enough seeds in the other pots to supply the remaining States with a Liberty Tree.
The District of Columbia Sons of the American Revolution presented a Flag of the United States of America to the Daughters. The flag was placed on February 23, 1903, where the ground had previously been broken.
The daily flying of this flag over this ground attests the legal right of the Society in this property as authorized by the District Commissioners.
“The new building shall be resplendent in beauty of lettering of gold, artistic carvings, and stately column.”
The three features of the floor plan of Memorial Continental Hall are the auditorium, library, and museum, surrounded by offices for the various officers, committees and staff.
Laying of the Cornerstone
Tuesday, April 19, 1904
“In laying the corner stone of this memorial, dedicated to those who loved freedom better than wealth or power, we perform a grateful and pleasing duty. The spacious marble Hall, which will soon rear its beautiful proportions, will express the broad comprehensive view entertained by this society of those immortal characters to whom gratitude is due.”
– Cornelia Cole Fairbanks, President General, dedication address
Old Glory floated over every vantage point; the fife and drum were there, with military music, and a joyous festive air pervaded the scene.
Memorial Continental Hall
A Tribute to the Patriots Who Achieved
American Independence
Erected by the National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution
Cornerstone Laid April 19th 1904
This Memorial Building will always be a satisfactory object of contemplation.
The initial building fund established in 1891 had grown to $10,225.52 in cash and $35,000 in bonds by 1899.
At this point the Committee on Continental Hall issues a circular, requesting every member of every chapter, and members-at-large contribute $5 each to the building fund. This request resulted in almost a $15,500 increase in one year.
Memorial Continental Hall Dedication
April 17, 1905
Memorial Continental Hall, was erected at a cost of more than $500,000 and is located on 17th Street, one of the main entrances to what was referred to in 1915, as the Government Reservation, Potomac Park. The building faces the President’s Park, laying between the White House and the Washington Monument.
At the time, to the south was the marble home of the Bureau of American Republics; today it is called the Organization of American States. To the north is the American Red Cross Building and the Corcoran School of Arts and Design, formerly known as the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
