What is the War Memorial?
Opened in 1932, The War Memorial was built as "a great community center" dedicated to the memory of the soldiers and sailors from Mercer County who died fighting World War I. The building is a National and State Historic Site. The aim of the founding War Memorial Committee was to combine "beauty, dignity, and civic utility." The building houses an 1,807-seat, fully-equipped theater for performances and assemblies, and also a number of stately rooms for other purposes such as meeting and conferences. The War Memorial is owned by The State of New Jersey and operated by The Department of State.
What's new about the War Memorial?
On August 8, 2001, a renaming ceremony declared that the theater at the War Memorial would be known as Patriots Theater. New Jersey is a state of every day heroes and world-class patriots. Naming the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial is a way to recognize the patriots of the past and the patriots among us today. The renaming ceremony also ushered in several new names for the various meeting and conference spaces at the War Memorial - The George Washington Ballroom, The Delaware River Room, The Turning-Point Conference Room, and The Woodrow Wilson Board Room.
In January 1999, Trenton War Memorial was reopened for public use following a meticulous historic preservation and renovation which took nearly five years to complete. The renovated building was rededicated by the Governor and the Legislature as a memorial to New Jersey's dead in all wars and armed conflicts, and as a monument honoring the state's veterans.
The historic restoration, which won headline praise from regional and national newspapers, not only returned the entire building to its original Italian renaissance Revival splendor, but readied it for 21st Century use by providing improved patron amenities, state-of-the-art technical theater upgrades, acoustical improvements, and ADA compliance.