A New Museum Honoring America’s Veterans Opens in Ohio

Whether during halftime tributes or hot-button political debates, United States military veterans can often be seen more as symbols than actual people. At a time when a shrinking proportion of the country’s population is enlisting or even has a personal connection to members of the military, the concept of military service can seem like a distant one to many—something seen in the news or pop culture rather than among one’s peers.

A new museum in Columbus, Ohio, opening today, October 27, in advance of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, is aiming to change that. The National Veterans Memorial & Museum (NVMM), a product of a local public/private partnership, sees itself as an institution devoted to highlighting the veterans’ voice. “We realized there is no national veterans’ museum,” says Amy Taylor, the chief operating officer of the non-profit Columbus Downtown Development Corporation. “We wanted to tell the story of all veterans and the similarities in their stories—across different times and branches, whether they served in conflict or during peacetime. We wanted to look at the journey that all veterans go through.”

Built on the Scioto River in downtown Columbus, the building’s stunning structure consists of a spiraling concrete pathway ascending to a green rooftop sanctuary, connected to a 2.5-acre grove. What sets the NVMM apart is its focus away from wars and historical events to the lives and stories of individual U.S. service members.