National WWI Museum and Memorial in Missouri, USA

The National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, combines the historic Liberty Memorial with a museum devoted to the First World War and its worldwide effects. The institution began collecting material in 1920, while the modern museum beneath the memorial opened in 2006. Its holdings have grown to more than 350,000 items, covering military service, civilian life, technology, medicine, propaganda, communication and personal experiences from many countries involved in the conflict.

From the Liberty Memorial to the National Museum

The site grew from a Kansas City initiative launched shortly after the 1918 Armistice. In 1919, residents contributed more than $2.5 million in ten days to the Liberty Memorial Association’s campaign for a permanent memorial to those who served and died in World War I.

A national architectural competition selected a design by architect H. Van Buren Magonigle. The memorial site was dedicated on November 1, 1921, before a crowd of more than 100,000 people. The ceremony brought together five major Allied military leaders: Ferdinand Foch of France, John J. Pershing of the United States, Armando Diaz of Italy, David Beatty of Britain and Baron Jacques of Belgium.

Construction was completed in 1926. President Calvin Coolidge formally dedicated the Liberty Memorial on November 11 of that year before a crowd estimated at 150,000.

By the late 20th century, deterioration had created safety problems, and the memorial closed in 1994. Kansas City voters approved a temporary sales tax in 1998 to help restore the site. Restoration and expansion eventually drew more than $102 million in public and private support, allowing construction of an approximately 80,000-square-foot museum beneath the existing memorial complex.

Congress designated the institution as the United States’ official World War I museum in 2004. The new museum opened to the public on December 2, 2006, the same year the Liberty Memorial received National Historic Landmark status. In 2014, federal legislation recognized the Liberty Memorial as a national World War I memorial and the institution became known as the National WWI Museum and Memorial.

Inside the Main Gallery

The permanent Main Gallery houses The World War, 1914–1919. Rather than limiting the story to American participation, the exhibits address the conflict as an international event, using artifacts, documents, recreated environments, film and interactive displays to explain the war from its opening years through the Armistice and its aftermath.

Several gallery areas were rebuilt or updated between 2023 and 2025. Visitors can enter reconstructed trench settings in Into the Trenches, examine a Renault FT17 tank with visible battle damage, and encounter a recreated field hospital inside the Casualties display. Updated installations also include new films, interactive screens, lighting and other interpretive elements.

The 2025 Encounters installation uses diaries, letters and photographs to construct first-person accounts of 16 people who experienced the war. Their stories include combatants from opposing armies, Indian soldiers serving under British rule, industrial workers, civilians and people who opposed participation in the conflict.

The Poppy Field and Open Storage Center

Before entering the Main Gallery, visitors cross the Paul Sunderland Glass Bridge above a field of 9,000 artificial poppies. Each poppy represents 1,000 combatant deaths, creating a visual reference to approximately nine million military deaths associated with the war.

The lower level provides another way to see the collection. The Bergman Family Gallery and Open Storage Center, opened in 2023, contains about 4,000 square feet of storage space and approximately 190 feet of glass display cases. It exposes objects that would otherwise remain in collection storage. Museum information from its opening states that roughly 1,500 additional collection items became visible to the public through this area.

Liberty Memorial Tower

The 217-foot Liberty Memorial Tower remains the central architectural feature of the site. Its observation deck is reached by elevator followed by 45 stairs. The open-air deck provides views across Kansas City, although access can be suspended because of weather conditions.

Four large Guardian Spirit sculptures near the top of the tower were created by Robert Aitken. Each represents one of four named ideals: Honor, Courage, Patriotism and Sacrifice. At night, steam combined with lighting creates the Flame of Inspiration effect at the top of the monument.

Other original memorial elements include Memory Hall, Exhibit Hall and the Great Frieze on the north wall. Portions of the enormous French Panthéon de la Guerre panorama are displayed in the historic halls.

Exhibitions in 2026

Alongside the permanent World War I displays, the museum presents changing exhibitions. In August 2026, Paris at War is on view in Wylie Gallery. Opened in November 2025, it examines civilian life in Paris during World War I, including shortages, air raids, artillery attacks, migration and the city’s role in the postwar peace negotiations.

The Beautiful Game, in Exhibit Hall, examines the relationship between football and World War I. Its objects and stories cover military recruitment, wartime matches, prisoners of war and the continuation of the sport during the conflict. The exhibition is scheduled to close on September 14, 2026 and is included with General Admission.

Admission and Visiting Information

As of August 2026, General Admission costs $19.50 for adults, $15.50 for visitors aged 65 and older, $15.50 for veterans and active-duty military personnel, and $11.50 for visitors aged 6–15. Children under 6 are admitted free. General Admission covers the Main Gallery and other galleries except the Featured Exhibition.

The Liberty Memorial Tower normally requires a separate $6 ticket, although combination tickets are available. Access to the observation deck includes the elevator ride followed by 45 stairs, and the final elevator trip of the day is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Tower operations can change because of weather.

During the summer season from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the Museum and Memorial is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The current regular schedule outside the summer season is Wednesday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Tuesday closed. Holiday schedules can differ.

For the museum’s 2026 centennial year, residents of Jackson, Clay, Cass and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties in Kansas can purchase a $10 local combo ticket from August 1 through December 30, 2026. The offer is available in person with proof of residency and includes the Main Gallery, special exhibition areas and the Liberty Memorial Tower.

Hours, admission rates, exhibition availability and tower access can change. Current tickets and visitor details are published on the National WWI Museum and Memorial’s official visitor information page.