Milwaukee War Memorial Center

The War Memorial Center symbolizes the community’s ongoing gratitude toward those who have valiantly protected and served our country, and embraces the continuing consideration of the needs of veterans’ and their families now and into the future.

For 60 years, the War Memorial has and continues to be a hub of services and events for veterans and their families. Originally built in 1957 to honor WWII veterans, today there are 3,481 names engraved on the Honor Roll in Veterans Courtyard of Milwaukee County veterans lost in wars and conflicts from WWII through today. Today, the War Memorial Center is so much more than a memorial – it has become Milwaukee’s Cultural Center of Patriotism.

Milwaukee’s Cultural Center of Patriotism – we envision the War Memorial Center as a national model of excellence where the citizens of this region will continue our generational responsibility to honor those who have died in service of our country. Our vision is that we will inspire patriotism in every Milwaukee County youth, every veteran will feel their service is appreciated by the community, and the sacrifice of the 3,481 men and women killed in service to our nation will be forever honored.

45 area veterans organizations make the War Memorial Center their home base for critical programs and services to veterans. The War Memorial provides more than $120,000 of services to veterans and their families in the form of meeting and event space, parking, and reduced office rental for veteran organizations. Budget strained veteran organizations located at the War Memorial are provided significantly reduced office space and parking in addition to event and meeting space provided at no charge. Veterans job fairs, employment workshops, seminars on PTSD, suicide prevention and many other veteran programs are held free of charge for space and parking enabling those organizations to focus limited resources on providing direct services to veterans.

Youth groups and community members participate in engaging experiences designed to inspire patriotism while learning about the sacrifices and service of our veterans, reminding all that freedom is not free. The War Memorial Center currently offers educational opportunities which include school tours, customized education experiences, self-guided cell phone tours, the Veteran Story Project and community education events.

Each year, more than 142,000 people from the community engage in honoring our veterans through events such as Memorial Day, Purple Heart Day, Veterans Day, National Medal of Honor Day, Pearl Harbor Day and Milwaukee Doors Open.

The use of the War Memorial Center has always been provided free of charge to all veterans. This, combined with keeping the use of our facilities affordable for residents of our community for weddings, community and corporate events, is important to fulfilling our mission to honor the dead – serve the living.