More than a decade after opening on June 28, 2014 at Sarasota National Cemetery, Patriot Plaza occupies a unique space in Sarasota County’s psyche.
Part monument, part museum and all hallowed ground, the 2,800-seat ceremonial amphitheater was designed to honor veterans and their families, inspire patriotism and embrace freedom; it does so with rich symbolism, as told through six art installations that also serve as connective tissue for the 1.83-acre plaza.
This Memorial Day weekend at Sarasota National Cemetery, flags will be placed at each headstone at 8 a.m. May 24 and remain there until 8 a.m., May 31.
The May 24 services at Patriot Plaza begin at 10 a.m.
But Sgt. Maj. John Annis, U.S. Marine Corps Retired, said that solemn day may not be the best one to fully appreciate the significance of Patriot Plaza because of the crowds, as he began an April 18 tour of the facility.
Instead, he noted, Patriot Plaza is open daily from sunrise to sunset, with public guided tours typically offered at 10 a.m. Tuesdays.
School group tours are scheduled on other days, with The Patterson Foundation subsidizing the cost of transportation.
A tour around the world and through the history of the U.S. military
Annis’ guided tour starts at the plaza’s east entrance, inhabited by bronze eagle sculptures “Home,” designed by artist Ann Hirsch to honor family and service.
Next there’s a display that explains the purpose of Patriot Plaza and its connection to Abraham Lincoln.
Then it’s up to the rostrum, which is decorated by a hand-cut glass and ceramic mosaic, “Night to Day, Here and Away,” designed by artist Ellen Driscoll that depicts a landscape of earth, air and water and transitions from night to day to night and is punctuated by blue stars for active service, gold stars to honor those who died in service, and laurel leaves that traditionally represent courage and valor.
Those themes are echoed in two 20-foot-tall spires.
Next, it’s on to a star map depicting the world – but with no borders – that signify the reach of the U.S. military. Washington, D.C., and Sarasota are both highlighted on the map with a star.
The western entrance is marked by a pair of “Guardian Eagles” designed by artist Pablo Eduardo.
The next two exhibits offer the most overt testament to military life and sacrifice, with either dramatic photos or photos combined with poignant quotes from service members and drawings.
“Testimonies,” by artist Larry Kirkland, are on the inside of the north pedestrian path.
Sixteen 8-foot-6 Cherokee White Marble tablets – purposefully unfinished “to symbolize that we are not a perfect nation, that we still have work to do,” Annis noted – each includes an image curated by Kirkland married with an engraved drawing and text to tell the story of military life.
“Witness to Mission,” was designed by by Kirkland and Kenny Irby – founder of the photojournalism program at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg – who chose the 49 images displayed on 22 six-foot-six tablets made of the same marble used for the grave markers at the cemetery.
The images span the period from the Civil War through 2012.
Every word and image was approved by the Veterans Administration.
“We won’t tell many stories but I guarantee you, if you stop at one of these pieces of art, look at the photograph and spend a little time studying the photographer or the people in the photographs you’re going to learn something new and you’re going to be excited and proud about the work that has been done here but also the work that our country has done,” Annis told the group of about 28.
What is Patriot Plaza?
The $12 million amphitheater, which has space for a 55-piece orchestra on the rostrum and provides shade for patrons with a 20,800-square-foot glass covering, was the product of a public-private partnership between the Sarasota-based Patterson Foundation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
This story was updated because an earlier version contained an inaccuracy.
The foundation can trace its roots back to Illinois newspaperman Joseph Medill, who supported Abraham Lincoln in his candidacy for president.
Medill’s grandson, World War II Army veteran and newspaper heir James Patterson, retired in Longboat Key and died in 1992.
His widow Dorothy died in 2007, with a $200 million legacy used to establish The Patterson Foundation which was founded with nine initiatives – including Patriot Plaza.
The symbols of Patriot Plaza
Annis, a cheerful and humble retired Marine who now works as a senior advisor with the Barancik Foundation, has been involved with Patriot Plaza since the original flag raising in 2014.
Last year, when the Plaza marked its 10th anniversary, he decided to train to become a tour guide and has pledged to lead at least one tour a month.
He noted how the design of Patriot Plaza carries through with the U.S. military’s affinity for the number five – best symbolized by The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Annis noted that there are five seating sections in Patriot Plaza and that the rostrum can hold a 55-piece orchestra.
The seals for the five branches of the military when the facility was built in 2014 – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard − are embedded at the western entrance to the plaza, by the guardian eagles.
Annis said he could not speculate whether the Space Force, which was established in 2019, would be included.
Different groups interpret each image differently.
For example with the Testimony titled “Support”, which features a photo of a female soldier on her knees hugging her child, members of Annis’ fourth-grade tour group saw things differently.
“When I asked the fourth-graders what they saw here, some saw a mom getting ready to leave for deployment,” he said. “Some saw a mom getting back from deployment.”
How to book a tour
The Ars & Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County conducts the free public tours, which typically start at 10 a.m., at the “Home,” bronze sculptures that feature the nesting eagles.
But the ongoing public tour schedule will be paused from June through August, in part because of the summer heat, said Maria Schaedler-Luera, the Patriot Plaza tour coordinator for the Alliance.
Instead, private tours for groups of any size can be scheduled by calling the Alliance at 941-365-5118, xt. 305 or by email at patriotplaza@sarasotaarts.org.
The Patterson Foundation also offers a virtual tour available at its website and on YouTube.
Patriot Plaza is in the heart of Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, east of Interstate 75 in Sarasota.
There are no restrooms at the facility though public restrooms are available at the cemetery’s administration center.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Walking tour of Patriot Plaza offers insight on heart of Sarasota National Cemetery
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
