Who designed the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor?

Alfred Preis designed the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor.

Preis, an Austrian-born architect who worked in Hawaii, created the memorial to honor the sailors and Marines who died aboard USS Arizona during the December 7, 1941 attack. The white structure spans the sunken battleship without touching its hull, creating a central gathering space above the wreck.

The memorial’s form is often described as having a sagging center with rising ends. Preis explained that the shape suggested initial defeat followed by eventual victory, while the open design allowed visitors to see the water, sky, and remains of the ship below. The structure was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1962.

USS Arizona remains a war grave, and memorial visitors can still see oil droplets rising from the wreck, popularly called the “black tears of the Arizona.” The memorial is distinct from the later Pearl Harbor Visitor Center and from the battleship USS Missouri, which is preserved nearby and hosted Japan’s surrender ceremony in 1945.