The walls were 21 inches thick, made with hollow tiles to keep temperatures even, and the heating system design eliminated aesthetically offensive radiators and cleansed the air that filtered through it with atomizers to remove dust. Constructed on a remote site known as Land’s End-one of the most beautiful settings imaginable for any museum-the California Palace of the Legion of Honor was completed in 1924 and on Armistice Day of that year the doors opened to the public.Īrchitect George Applegarth’s design for the California Palace of the Legion of Honor was a three-quarter-scaled adaption of the 18th-century Parisian original, incorporating the most advanced ideas in museum construction. Spreckels, to recapture the beauty of the pavilion as a new art museum for San Francisco. Alma Spreckels persuaded her husband, sugar magnate Adolph B.
This pavilion was a replica of the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris, one of the distinguished 18th-century landmarks on the left bank of the Seine. In 1915 Alma Spreckels fell in love with the French Pavilion at San Francisco’s Panama-Pacific International Exposition. The Legion is most noted for its breathtaking setting, offering overlooks of the Pacific Ocean where it spills into San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, and a unique vantage point of the city of San Francisco. It is important to have such decorations as the Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Silver Star and higher, earned in French territory in order to have a competitive record.Built to commemorate Californian soldiers who died in World War I, the Legion of Honor - the gift of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels to the city of San Francisco-is a beautiful Beaux-Arts building located high on the headlands in San Francisco's Lincoln Park. Since only a small number of Legion of Honor medals are awarded each year in the United States, care is taken to nominate only those with the most distinguished records. To be considered, these citations must have been issued during WWII or the close aftermath, and must relate to events (outstanding actions, wounds, having been made prisoner, evasions, having taken action with the resistance, etc.) that took place on the French territory only which includes ground, airspace and coastal waters. This is particularly important for decorations that were not shown in the discharge document at the time of separation. If possible, it should also contain copies of citations for all the decorations already received in France or in the United States indicating meritorious action during wartime operations. The file presented must contain a copy of the military separation record (honorable discharge), the Proposal Memory application (below) and a copy of a current identity document with a picture. Actions having taken place in Belgium, Germany, Italy or any other neighboring European country are not taken into consideration. Interested veterans of all the different armed forces must have fought in at least one of the 3 main campaigns of the Liberation of France: Normandy, Provence/Southern France or Northern France. To be eligible to this outstanding award, the veteran has to fit strict criteria : The Legion of Honor medal is not awarded posthumously.Ĭreated to honor extraordinary contributions to the country, the Legion of Honor is France’s highest distinction. Those selected are appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor. Upon presentation of their military file as detailed hereunder, US veterans who risked their life during World War II to fight on French territory, may be awarded this distinction.