February 5, 2008: Kaptur Gains Administration Support for Emergency Repairs at Perry Victory Memorial
February 5, 2008
“I appreciate the decision by the National Park Service to place a high priority on emergency repairs to the monument, especially in a very difficult fiscal environment,” said Congresswoman Kaptur. “The Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial is an important site that preserves our heritage as a nation.”
The monument column was closed to the public in June 2006 when a quarter-ton piece of granite fell from the 317-foot level and shattered the upper level where it landed. No one was injured, but the monument column was closed for slightly more than two months. A subsequent report revealed moisture in the column was causing the concrete to crack.
The monument column was reopened to the public in August 2006, but only on its north face. A security fence was installed. The National Park Service spent $1 million to further investigate the structure last summer and undertook preservation of seven fascia stone panels and temporary waterproofing measures. There will be no public access to the observation deck of the monument while the repair project is underway.
The Perry Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the victory of Commodore O.H. Perry over the British during the Battle of Lake Erie in September 1813—a seminal battle in the War of 1812. Construction on the 352-foot granite monument (the largest Greek Doric column in the world) began in 1912 and was completed in 1915. The memorial was established as a unit of the National Park Service by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936.