Monument of States, Monument on the National Register of Historic Places in Kissimmee, United States.
Monument of States is a step-pyramid of concrete set with about 1,500 stones and objects from around the world, weighing an estimated 100,000 pounds and reinforced with 3½ tons of steel rails. It stands at 300 E. Monument Avenue in Kissimmee, Florida, topped by an American eagle and flag on a blue concrete orb.
Charles W. Bressler-Pettis, a retired physician and president of the Kissimmee All-States Tourist Club, proposed the monument after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. He and friend J. C. Fisher designed a step-pyramid of about 100,000 pounds reinforced with 3½ tons of steel rails. Volunteers, mostly club seniors, built it, and it was dedicated in 1943 by Senator Claude Pepper with 1,500 stones. It joined the National Register of Historic Places on December 8, 2015.
The monument's name comes from its 1,500 stones and objects sent from around the world, not only from US states. Volunteers from the Kissimmee All-States Tourist Club, mostly senior citizens, built it, and the names of local contributors are inscribed on the adjacent sidewalk. A plaque honors Charles W. Bressler-Pettis, the retired physician who conceived it.
The monument stands at 300 E. Monument Avenue in Kissimmee, on an open sidewalk site beside the street. Names of local donors are inscribed on the adjacent sidewalk, so look down as well as up. The stepped pyramid is viewed from ground level; there is no interior to enter.
The interior of the monument holds the remains of its creator, placed there in 1954. This was made possible through a special amendment to local burial regulations to honor the initiator.
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