Eternal Flame

Daley Plaza
Washington Street, bordered by Clark and Dearborn

"This is the heart of Chicago and I know the heart of Chicago is with us today."

And with those words, Mayor Richard J. Daley dedicated and lit an eternal flame in what was then called the Civic Center Plaza. When it was dedicated on August 22, 1972, the eternal flame was Chicago's first memorial to honor the dead from four wars, World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The Eternal Flame Memorial at Daley Plaza is a granite slab bearing a bronze circular disk containing a natural gas flame that burns perpetually. The inscription reads as follows: Eternal flame in memory of the men and women who have served in our armed forces." Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserves and Merchant Marines.

City officials created the Eternal Flame in response to veterans organization leaders' pleas for a memorial that would serve as a monument to deceased service personnel.

The flame which burns continuously was lit by Mrs. Albina Nance, who in 1972 was the president of the Illinois Gold Star Mothers. The Eternal Flame can be found enclosed by a wrought iron fence near the Picasso sculpture on the plaza.