A petition to construct a memorial building was filed with the City Clerk on March 4, 1925. Over 40 civic organizations were involved in planning for the structure. Voters passed a bond referendum and a Veterans Memorial Commission was formed. Construction was completed in 1927. Plans were drawn and the building was placed on May's Island. In order to make the building financially feasible, a new city hall was incorporated into the plans. Cedar Rapids, after
Paris, France's
Hôtel de Ville on the
Île de la Cité, and Osaka, Japan, would be only one of three cities to have its government located on an island. The building also contains a Memorial Window, Memorial Auditorium and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The building was designed in the
Beaux-Arts style. The main portion of the building contains four stories, with an eight-story section in the front. A
cenotaph tops the eight-story section. The auditorium contains seven banners from veterans' organizations, and seven American flags were suspended from the ceiling. A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is located above the cenotaph. The first addition to the building was a statue of the raising of the flag at
Iwo Jima, which was placed on the front steps in 1960. It is a memorial to veterans of
World War II and the
Korean War. The Veterans Memorial Commission added a museum in 1966, which contains items from the
American Revolution through the
Vietnam War. The museum was dedicated as a memorial to the
Spanish–American War. A granite monument memorializes those who served in the Vietnam War. In 2000 an eternal flame was lit on top of the building. The buildings sustained damage as a result of the 2008 flood. As a result, the city government was forced to leave the building. In the aftermath the city decided to move the city offices to the former Federal Courthouse. The city was able to take possession of the building after it provided the land for a new courthouse downtown. The City Council began holding its meetings in the former courthouse on June 26, 2011, and the facility was opened for public use on June 4, 2012. The Veterans Memorial Building now hosts and rents out its facilities for weddings, fundraisers, and other event rentals. The building is also home to various tenants and offers meeting spaces to many Veteran's organizations and clubs. http://cms.revize.com/revize/cedarrapids/local_government/departments_g_-_v/veterans_memorial_commission/vmb_rental_information.php ==Memorial window==